Spirit alum McLeod set for Stanley Cup Final Game 7
Sunrise, Fla. – Having clawed their way back from a 3-0 hole in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, the Edmonton Oilers look to become just the second team in NHL history to overcome that deficit in the league’s championship series. Game 7 and a shot at the history books goes tonight at 8:00pm EST from Amerant Bank Arena.
Among the Oilers looking to make history in tonight’s Game 7 is Spirit alum Ryan McLeod. Though his time in Saginaw occupied only a brief portion of his overall OHL career, McLeod spent meaningful time in a Spirit uniform and was part of the team’s first trip to the Western Conference Final.
Building up for a long playoff run, the Spirit added McLeod in a trade with the Mississauga Steelheads at the 2019 trade deadline. The 19-year-old McLeod had suited up for 230 OHL contests at that point and cemented himself as an elite OHL talent with 170 points (54G, 116A). His impact was immediate, and the Oilers prospect’s two-assist performance in his Spirit debut kickstarted a six-game scoring streak to open his time in Saginaw (2G-5A-7P, 6GP).
McLeod’s regular season in Saginaw lasted 31 games and yielded 24 points (7G, 17A). He and the Spirit’s lethal scoring brigade of Owen Tippett (PHI) and Cole Perfetti (WPG) ripped through Sarnia in the first round and outlasted the Soo in round two. The longest playoff run in the team’s history at that time came to an end in Game 7 against Guelph in the Conference Final. McLeod finished fifth on the team in postseason scoring with 12 points.
🗣️ GET MCLOUD pic.twitter.com/xxfMXKMD0v
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) June 22, 2024
After 311 games of regular season and playoff action in the OHL, McLeod’s career immediately advanced to the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League (AHL). He joined the Condors for five games in their 2019 Calder Cup Playoff run, notching his first three professional assists.
The next two seasons saw him split time between Bakersfield and the Edmonton Oilers, spending more and more time at the NHL level. His NHL debut came on April 26th, 2021 in Winnipeg. He became an NHL regular in the 2021-22 season, skating in 71 games and recording 21 points (9G, 12A).
This season, McLeod has not only established himself as a reliable producer in the regular season (12G-18A-30P, 81GP), but a big-game playoff performer as well. With their backs against the wall, McLeod has scored in three of Edmonton’s last four games in the Stanley Cup Final against Florida.
Watch Spirit alum Ryan McLeod in Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final tonight at 8:00pm EST on ABC, ESPN+ and Fubo.
