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MuNk22 · 10-31-2023, 10:21 PM

The resounding characteristic that sums up Leonard Wood's rookie season can be summed up in one wood: underrated. Starting from the draft, he fell to the middle of the pack at 45th overall to the Colorado Raptors. Then he went onto become a fixture on Colorado's second line in the S73 SMJHL season.

That Raptors team, full of youngsters drafted in S72 and S73, ended up missing the playoffs this season. The Raptors went 27-35-4 in the regular season, last in their conference. The Raptors had the most goals allowed in the league at 308, a penalty kill percentage near the bottom, and took the most penalties in the league. It was a rough year for the team as a whole but everyone knew it would be a growing year from the start.

With a rookie class that's loaded with potential, Leonard Wood stands tall on the right wing at 6'1”, 190 LB. He's a power forward with excellent puckhandling skills to match his powerful strength. When he has the puck, it's a tough task for an opposing defender to knock him off of it.

Leonard spent the season on a line centered by fellow S73 rookie Derek Kong and veteran James MacAvoy on the left wing. Leonard finished the season with 20 goals and 27 assists for a total of 47 points, ranked 6th on the team in scoring. Predictably, the first two lines lead the team with scoring. Leonard also finished the season with a minus 11 in plus minus, 6th best on the team.

After Leonard got some training in and got used to the pace of the league, he felt more comfortable in the game. As a result, the point totals did as well. In the second half of the season, he came proved to be quite a valuable asset for the team.

“There was a point in the season where we just kind of clicked,” Leonard said of him and his linemates. “The things we were doing in practice were finally translating to the ice during the game. The chemistry is there, that's for sure.”

It was like that for much of the Colorado team in S73. The rookies started off lackluster and inconsistent, resulting in a frustrating amount of losses early in the season. Then as they trained, worked together and gained confidence, the wins eventually stringing together some wins.

But it was all too little too late for Leonard Wood and the Colorado Raptors. Their meager 58 points were not enough to make it into the playoffs of the fiercely competitive SMJHL.

“I've learned this season how unforgiving this league can be. If you're not it, some younger kid, some better team, is going to come around prove that they are it. That they should belong instead of you. Well, that's not going to me. I'm going to put the work in to put my team up on top. I want to succeed playing the game I love,” Leonard said, reflecting on his rookie season.

And the Raptors are bound to bounce back in the next few seasons. Because there are a handful of rookies just like Leonard Wood, underrated, scrappy, and hungry to win.

chetib · 11-01-2023, 05:38 PM

Approved @MuNk22 @CptSquall

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