Jake Leschyshyn

Jake Leschyshyn ( ; born March 10, 1999) is an American-born Canadian professional ice hockey centre for HIFK Hockey of the Liiga. He was drafted with the 62nd pick by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL entry draft and has played for both the Golden Knights and the New York Rangers in the National Hockey League (NHL).

As the son of former Colorado Avalanche player Curtis Leschyshyn, he started his hockey career in Colorado by participating in local hockey from 2004 to 2011. He would then play in amateur hockey as a member of both the Red Deer Rebels and Saskatoon Blazers. In his junior career, he played for the Regina Pats and Lethbridge Hurricanes in the Western Hockey League (WHL), where he served as captain for the Pats.

As a member of the Golden Knights, he played for their AHL affiliates, the Chicago Wolves and Henderson Silver Knights. In October 2021, Leschyshyn made his NHL debut with the Golden Knights and scored his first NHL goal a month later. In 2023, the Rangers claimed Leschyshyn off waivers from the Golden Knights, and he has since played for both the Rangers and their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Early life Jake Leschyshyn was born on March 10, 1999, in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States, to his parents Curtis and Laura when his father was a member of the Carolina Hurricanes. During Leschyshyn's time in Colorado, due to his father playing for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League, he started playing ice hockey in Colorado, where he participated in local hockey from 2004 until 2011, when his family moved to Grasswood, Saskatchewan, Canada. Prior to the move, Leschyshyn played with the Colorado Thunderbirds' U12 Pee Wee Major Team.

Playing career Amateur Upon moving to Saskatchewan, Leschyshyn played his second year of minor ice hockey levels: Pee Wee AA, Bantam AA, and Midget AAA in Saskatoon. While playing with the Saskatoon Bantam AA Stallions of the Saskatchewan Midget Hockey League in the 2013–2014 season, Leschyshyn accumulated 31 goals and 28 assists. As a result of his play, the Red Deer Rebels drafted Leschyshyn sixth overall in the 2015 WHL bantam draft. Although Leschyshyn signed with the Rebels in July 2014, he was reassigned to the Saskatoon Blazers of the Saskatchewan Midget Hockey League for the 2014–15 season after attending the Rebels training camp. While with the Blazers, he scored 15 goals and 20 assists for 35 points through 38 games. Leschyshyn was called up for two games in February; the first saw him make his WHL debut, and the second saw him score his first WHL goal.

Major junior Upon concluding the 2014–15 season with the Blazers, Leschyshyn joined the Pats full-time in March 2015 for the remainder of their games. During the 2016–17 season, he scored 17 goals and 40 points but missed the remainder of the season due to a knee injury. The Vegas Golden Knights drafted Leschyshyn as the 62nd overall pick in the 2017 NHL entry draft, and he signed an entry-level contract with the team on June 1, 2018. He attended the Golden Knights' prospect development camp but was sent back to the Pats. Prior to the 2018–19 season, the Pats named him team captain after spending the previous season as an alternate captain. During the season, Leschyshyn, along with teammate Nick Henry, was traded to the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

Professional

Vegas Golden Knights (2018–2023) On April 4, 2019, Leschyshyn was reassigned on April 4 to the Chicago Wolves, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Golden Knights at the time. He appeared in 3 games with the team during the 2018–19 season. During the 2019–20 season, he scored his first AHL goal on October 27 during the Wolves 4–0 shutout victory against the Manitoba Moose. He achieved his first AHL assist a month later on November 7 during a 3–0 victory against the Iowa Wild. He appeared in 61 games during the season, averaging 4 goals and 4 assists (which ended up as his total stats as a member of the Wolves).

In the 2020–21 season, Leschyshyn scored the first goal for the Henderson Silver Knights during their inaugural game as the Golden Knights' new AHL affiliate. It was his second full season in the AHL, and he finished the year with 6 goals and 11 points in 39 games. He played his first career NHL game on October 14, 2021, after Golden Knights players Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty were injured. He started with the Golden Knights in 18 games during the first half of the season but was reassigned to the Silver Knights. He scored the game-winning goal on November 28, 2021, to help the team rally to beat the Iowa Wild, 6–5.

In January 2022, he made his first appearance back with the Golden Knights during a matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs but was reassigned back to the Silver Knights afterwards. He was again recalled by the Silver Knights in February 2022 and appeared in 21 more games after. He appeared in 41 games with the Golden Knights during the 2021–22 season, in which he scored 2 goals and averaged 4 assists. On August 13, 2022, he signed a three-year deal to remain with the Golden Knights. He was waived by the Golden Knights for the purpose of assignment to the AHL on January 10, 2023, after not having a single point in 22 games.

New York Rangers (2023–2025) On January 11, 2023, one day after being waived by the Golden Knights, the New York Rangers claimed Leschyshyn off waivers. In March 2023, he returned to the Wolf Pack, where he averaged 15 points—five goals and 10 assists—in 18 games, helping the Wolf Pack make the Calder Cup playoffs for the first time since 2015.

During the 2023–24 season, Leschyshyn made his only appearance against the St. Louis Blues, in which he logged 6 minutes and 28 seconds of ice time in a 5–2 loss. In Hartford, he averaged eight goals and 11 assists for 19 points through 47 regular season games. In the 2024 Calder Cup playoffs, he scored the series-winning goal against the Providence Bruins, letting the Wolf Pack win the series 3–1, sending the team to the division finals for the second straight year. He led the team in playoff goals with five in ten games and was recalled by the Rangers during their playoff run. Leschyshyn played exclusively with the Sabres AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, while under contract with Buffalo, matching his previous season output of 13 goals for 22 points in 66 regular season appearances.

HIFK (2026–present) As a free agent following a lone season within the Sabres organization, Leschyshyn was signed to his first contract abroad in agreeing to a one-year deal with Finnish club, HIFK of the Liiga, on August 1, 2026.

International play In 2015, Leschyshyn represented Canada internationally at the World U-17 Hockey Challenge as a member of Canada Black. He participated in the tournament, following in his father Curtis's footsteps, who had done the same in the 1986 tournament. During a matchup against the Czech Republic, he scored the game-winner in a shootout after the game went to six rounds. The tournament was his first time in international play, and he finished it with one goal and five assists in five games, including the shootout winner.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2013–14 Saskatoon Blazers SMAAAHL 9 2 4 6 2 — — — — — 2014–15 Saskatoon Blazers SMAAAHL 38 15 20 35 30 — — — — — 2014–15 Regina Pats WHL 12 3 0 3 0 9 1 0 1 0 2015–16 Regina Pats WHL 66 7 9 16 38 12 1 3 4 8 2016–17 Regina Pats WHL 47 17 23 40 22 — — — — — 2017–18 Regina Pats WHL 64 18 22 40 67 7 3 2 5 2 2018–19 Regina Pats WHL 24 16 16 32 18 — — — — — 2018–19 Lethbridge Hurricanes WHL 44 24 25 49 30 7 6 4 10 2 2018–19 Chicago Wolves AHL 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2019–20 Chicago Wolves AHL 61 4 4 8 20 — — — — — 2020–21 Henderson Silver Knights AHL 39 6 5 11 38 5 0 0 0 5 2021–22 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 41 2 4 6 8 — — — — — 2021–22 Henderson Silver Knights AHL 34 14 13 27 24 2 0 0 0 2 2022–23 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 22 0 0 0 8 — — — — — 2022–23 New York Rangers NHL 13 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2022–23 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 18 5 10 15 8 5 2 1 3 2 2023–24 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 47 8 11 19 36 10 5 1 6 2 2023–24 New York Rangers NHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2024–25 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 69 13 11 24 34 — — — — — 2025–26 Rochester Americans AHL 66 13 9 22 22 3 0 0 0 0NHL totals 77 2 4 6 16 — — — — —

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2015 Canada Black U17 8th 5 1 1 2 4Junior totals 5 1 1 2 4