Alumni Profile: Jake Leschyshyn

Category: ArticleNovember 17, 2021

Regina, Sask. – November 13, 2021 will be a day Regina Pats alumnus Jake Leschyshyn will never forget.

That’s because it’s the day he scored his first career National Hockey League goal, helping the Vegas Golden Knights to a 7-4 win over the Vancouver Canucks. Leschyshyn also added an assist, leading to second star honours.

“It was really exciting,” Leschyshyn said in the post-game media availability. “I think no matter what, it’s a big goal at home. I was happy that [my first goal] was here. It was a nice play from Keegan [Kolesar] and [Evgenii] Dadonov. I was really fortunate to be at the end of that good play.”

JAKE!!!!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/RNGKGIQUF0

— 🏆 – Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) November 14, 2021

“He did two or three really good things leading up to that goal,” Vegas Golden Knights Head Coach Pete Deboer said. “Jake’s a guy that is easy to play because he plays the right way. He’s trustworthy. He’s strong and he’s got some offence to him. I think he’s just scratching the surface. He’s looks to me like he’s going to have a good, long career at the NHL level.”

Just days before scoring that goal, the 22-year-old — who has now dressed in 14 games for the Golden Knights this season — caught up with the Pats over the phone. He became the 163rd Pat all-time to play in the NHL when he made his debut on Oct. 14 against the Los Angeles Kings.

“It was a very exiting day for myself and for my family,” Leschyshyn said about his NHL debut. “There was a lot of hard work that was put in from myself and a lot of other people that put me in that position. It was really exciting to have my family down in Los Angeles and being able to do the rookie lap was really exciting.”

Leschyshyn’s father Curtis retired from hockey following the 2003-2004 season after a 16-year NHL career from 1988-2004. He played for Quebec, Colorado, Washington, Hartford, Carolina, Minnesota and Ottawa, making the moment more surreal for him given he watched his father play in the NHL as a young kid.

“He’s been a mentor for me since day one and I’m really fortunate to have him as a father, especially when it comes to hockey,” Leschyshyn said. “I think he’s the most knowledgeable guy I can go to for anything in regards to the game. It was really exciting definitely given the circumstances and I know he’s really proud of me.”

The 5-foot-11, 192 lb. forward isn’t the only Pats alumni on their roster.

He joins Chandler Stephenson, and now Adam Brooks, who was claimed by the Golden Knights on Wednesday. Stephenson, who spent his entire four-year WHL career with the Pats from 2010-14, is off to the best start in his NHL career, currently producing at a point-per-game with 16 points in 16 games. Leschyshyn grew up in Saskatoon, where his dad played with the Saskatoon Blades, and knew Stephenson (five years his elder), who he says has been a big help to him as he transitions to the NHL.

“Being from the same hometown helps the situation, but he’s been really helpful in terms of if I have a question of anything,” Leschyshyn said. “He’s the guy I’ll go to and ask, as he’s really easy to talk to. The group itself here in Vegas has a lot of veterans who are all easy to work with and they’ve been really welcoming so it’s been an easy transition for myself, which makes playing the game a lot easier.”

Leschyshyn was drafted in the second round by Vegas in 2017 after he produced 17 goals and 40 points in 47 games in his second full season as a member of the Regina Pats. That season, the then 17-year-old, alongside Brooks, Sam Steel, Connor Hobbs and others, helped lead the club to a franchise record 52 wins and made the WHL final.

“We had a very tight group,” he said. “I still keep in contact with a lot of those guys from that team. We had a good core of older guys like Connor Hobbs, Dawson Leedahl, Adam Brooks and Chase Harrison. You looked up to those guys and what they bring to the rink everyday, [it] just trickles down to some of the younger guys like myself on that team. When you get a good group of guys like that it builds a good base for the organization and just creates a good culture. That helps a team to build to a championship.”

On October, 29, Leschyshyn faced off against former Pats teammates and close friends Sam Steel and Josh Mahura for the first time since they played together in Regina, as the Vegas Golden Knights faced the Anaheim Ducks.

“There were a couple smiles when we saw each other out there,” Leschyshyn said. “It’s exciting knowing we were all teammates just a few short years ago and it’s all been our goal to get here, so it’s nice to see it’s been paying off.”

With another year under his belt, Leschyshyn was named an assistant captain of the Pats prior to the 2017-18 season, as the Pats hosted the 2017-18 Memorial Cup, where he totaled 40 points (18G-22A) in the regular season and one goal in five Memorial Cup games.

“It was probably the most unique year of hockey I ever had,” he said. “We went from playoffs, to losing out, to having a month off and then going to play against the three best teams in the country. It was exciting and we all embraced the opportunity to play in that stage. We had a good team despite losing in the first round. We knew we deserved to be in that group of teams that played for that championship and it’s unfortunate we came up a bit short, but we gave it a great run. In the end, we’re really proud of our efforts.”

Leschyshyn returned to the Pats following the Memorial Cup and was named the Pats 78th captain in franchise history prior to the 2018-19 season. With the Pats looking to re-stock for the future after hosting such a prestigious tournament, Leschyshyn was a victim of circumstance, and was traded with Nick Henry to the Lethbridge Hurricanes in exchange for a pair of players, two first round picks, a third, fourth and an eighth rounder. He had started the season by putting up 16 goals and 32 points in 22 games.

He would then go on to score 24 goals and 49 points in 44 games with the Hurricanes, combining for 40 goals and 81 points in 66 games between Lethbridge and Regina. For the Pats, the two first rounders turned into 2004-born defenceman Layton Feist and 2005-born forward Connor Bedard, while the third rounded turned into Zane Rowan. All three players are apart of the Pats exciting future.

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Alumni Profile: Jake Leschyshyn

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