Zac Leslie
Leslie in 2019
Born (1994-01-31) January 31, 1994 (age 30)
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 174 lb (79 kg; 12 st 6 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
NL team
Former teams		 Rapperswil-Jona Lakers
Ontario Reign
Chicago Wolves
Stockton Heat
Belleville Senators
Kunlun Red Star
NHL Draft 178th overall, 2013
Los Angeles Kings
Playing career 2015–present

Zachary Leslie (born January 31, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing under contract with SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers of the National League (NL).

He was drafted 113rd overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the sixth round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and previously played for the Ontario Reign, Chicago Wolves, Stockton Heat and Belleville Senators in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Playing career

Junior

After playing minor hockey in Ottawa, Leslie was drafted 63rd overall by the Guelph Storm in the 2010 OHL Priority Selection.[1][2]

In his Ontario Hockey League (OHL) debut on September 22, 2017, Leslie made his first OHL assist in a 6–3 win against the Windsor Spitfires.[3] On November 19, 2011, he made his first OHL goal in a 5–0 win against the Erie Otters.[4] Overall, he played 65 games with two goals and 15 assists in his rookie season. He improved his numbers in his sophomore season, playing 68 games with 12 goals and 28 assists. For the 2013–14 OHL season, Leslie played 60 games with 14 goals and 36 assists, en route to the Storm's third J. Ross Robertson Cup win and 2014 Memorial Cup final appearance.[5][6]

In his final OHL season, Leslie was selected as an alternate captain of the Guelph Storm, playing 57 games with 11 goals and 37 assists before having season-ending shoulder surgery.[7][8]

Professional

Leslie was drafted 113rd overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the sixth round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. On October 24, 2015, he made his professional debut with the Kings' AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, in a 3–0 win against the San Jose Barracuda, making his first AHL assist.[9] In his rookie 2015–16 AHL season, he ultimately appeared in 30 games, making five assists, and appeared in five ECHL games for the Manchester Monarchs, registering one goal.[5] On October 21, 2016, he made his first professional goal in a 6–5 overtime win against the Texas Stars, eventually playing 65 games with five goals and 18 assists in his sophomore season.[10]

After the 2016–17 AHL season, the Los Angeles Kings signed Leslie to a one-year two-way contract extension on July 14, 2017.[11] On February 5, 2018, in the middle of the 2017–18 AHL season, the Kings traded Leslie to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for future considerations; this marked the first-ever trade between the Kings and the Golden Knights.[12]

After the 2017–18 AHL season, the Golden Knights signed Leslie to a one-year two-way contract extension on May 31, 2018.[13] In the 2018–19 season, Leslie played 67 games with two goals and 14 assists for the Knights' AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, en route to the Wolves' fourth Robert W. Clarke Trophy and 2019 Calder Cup Finals appearance.[5]

On July 10, 2019, the Stockton Heat signed Leslie to a one-year AHL contract.[14] As the alternate captain for the Heat, he played 50 games with five goals and 23 assists in the 2019–20 AHL season and was the Heat's nomination for the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award.[15][16] Leslie signed a one-year contract extension with the Heat on October 21, 2020, playing 30 games with three goals and seven assists in the shortened 2020–21 AHL season.[2][17]

On August 10, 2021, the Belleville Senators signed Leslie to a one-year AHL contract for the 2021–22 season.[18] On November 14, 2021, the Ottawa Senators signed him to a one-year two-way contract.[19]

As a free agent from the Senators, Leslie opted to move abroad in agreeing to a one-year contract with Chinese club, HC Kunlun Red Star of the KHL, on August 17, 2022.[20]

Personal life

Leslie's sister, Rebecca, is an ice hockey player who played collegiately for Boston University and professionally for the Calgary Inferno in the now defunct Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL). He also has two younger sisters, Kathryn and Grace.[21] He is studying for his university degree at Athabasca University.[22]

Career statistics

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2011–12 Guelph Storm OHL 65 2 15 17 54 5 0 0 0 4
2012–13 Guelph Storm OHL 68 12 28 40 58 5 0 1 1 4
2013–14 Guelph Storm OHL 60 14 36 50 39 20 1 9 10 22
2014–15 Guelph Storm OHL 57 11 37 48 57 — — — — —
2015–16 Ontario Reign AHL 30 0 5 5 13 3 0 1 1 2
2015–16 Manchester Monarchs ECHL 5 1 0 1 2 — — — — —
2016–17 Ontario Reign AHL 65 5 18 23 29 5 0 0 0 6
2017–18 Ontario Reign AHL 26 1 4 5 10 — — — — —
2017–18 Chicago Wolves AHL 27 5 12 17 12 3 1 2 3 4
2018–19 Chicago Wolves AHL 67 2 14 16 32 22 2 4 6 6
2019–20 Stockton Heat AHL 50 5 23 28 41 — — — — —
2020–21 Stockton Heat AHL 30 3 7 10 33 — — — — —
2021–22 Belleville Senators AHL 64 4 23 27 69 2 1 0 1 0
2022–23 Kunlun Red Star KHL 65 8 31 39 73 — — — — —
2023–24 Kunlun Red Star KHL 30 3 4 7 10 — — — — —
AHL totals 367 25 108 133 264 35 4 7 11 18

References

  1. ^ "Storm signs Zac Leslie – Guelph Storm". Guelph Storm. August 3, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Zac Leslie at eliteprospects.com". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  3. ^ "Game summary: Guelph Storm – Windsor Spitfires, September 22nd, 2011". Ontario Hockey League. September 22, 2011.
  4. ^ "Game summary: Guelph Storm – Erie Otters, November 19th, 2011". Ontario Hockey League. November 19, 2011.
  5. ^ a b c "Zac Leslie Stats and Player Profile | TheAHL.com". American Hockey League. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  6. ^ Spencer, Donna (May 26, 2014). "Edmonton Oil Kings win Memorial Cup with 6-3 victory over Guelph Storm". Global News. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  7. ^ "Team Captains of Guelph Storm". www.eliteprospects.com. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  8. ^ Saxon, Tony (March 1, 2015). "Guelph Storm's Zac Leslie leaves on winning note". GuelphMercury.com. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  9. ^ "Game summary: San Jose Barracuda – Ontario Reign, October 14, 2015".
  10. ^ "Game summary: Texas Stars – Ontario Reign, October 21, 2016". American Hockey League. October 21, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  11. ^ "Kings sign Zachary Leslie to one-year, two-way deal". www.sportsnet.ca. July 14, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  12. ^ "LA Kings Trade Zac Leslie to Vegas Golden Knights". NHL.com. February 5, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  13. ^ "Golden Knights Sign Tomas Hyka And Zac Leslie". NHL.com. May 31, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  14. ^ stocktonheat (July 10, 2019). "Heat Sign Three Players to AHL Contracts". Stockton Heat. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  15. ^ "Leslie Named Stockton's 2019-20 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year". Stockton Heat. April 6, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  16. ^ Weiss, Brandon (April 8, 2020). "Zac Leslie named Stockton's AHL Man of the Year". Elk Grove Citizen. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  17. ^ Pike, Ryan (October 21, 2020). "Heat bring back three players on AHL deals, add a fourth". Flamesnation. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  18. ^ "Senators sign three players to one-year American Hockey League contracts". Belleville Senators. August 10, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  19. ^ "Senators sign defenceman Zac Leslie to one-year, two-way deal". Sportsnet. November 14, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  20. ^ HC Kunlun Red Star (August 17, 2022). "Zac Leslie signs with Kunlun". Twitter. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  21. ^ Gilbertson, Wes (April 17, 2021). "Leslie siblings, Rebecca and Zac, pushing each other in pursuit of hockey dreams". Calgary Sun. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  22. ^ Cruickshank, Scott (April 4, 2020). "How the Leslie siblings are squeezing the most out of their in-house rivalry". The Athletic. Retrieved November 12, 2021.

External links

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