Brett Leason is poised for a breakout season. Photo courtesy of Nate Follmer.
Last summer, Brett Leason became the first new player to join the Bears at the 2019 NHL Entry Draft when it was revealed that the Washington Capitals had selected the forward at the last year of his draft eligibility. As an over-ager, he made the difficult transition from the junior ranks straight to the AHL starting in Hershey in a whirlwind of a summer. With his rookie season under his belt, Leason is preparing to have a breakout season in 2020-21 and has the potential to be a game-changer in his sophomore season.
In one of the most memorable nights of the season in 2019-20, Leason put a bow on a great night on December 1st when he scored his first professional goal, an overtime winner to cap off the best Teddy Bear Toss Night in Bears history with two points in the standings column for Hershey. The goal capped off a three point night for the rookie, with Leason earning two assists and first star of the game honors. Leason put up another three point game on February 16 with three helpers in a 5-3 win over Lehigh Valley. Leason finished his rookie season with three goals and 11 assists for 14 points in 50 games for the Bears.
Although Leason did go through some scoring droughts with the Bears this year, the forward has proven that he can produce at the AHL level, and he’s going to use that experience to become an important player for the team. After a hectic summer that saw Leason get drafted, participate in his first rookie camp with Washington, play in the Caps’ rookie tournament, and then make his AHL debut in the fall with the Bears, it would make sense for a more confident second year Leason to step up and really prove himself as he did in his second season with the Prince Alberta Raiders in his last season in juniors – a year that ended with a WHL championship.
Leason certainly has the tools to make it happen next season. He possesses great size at 6’4 and excellent skating ability, and his reach goes with a quick shot that makes him a very dangerous player. Leason excels at crashing the net and has proven to be able to finish the in-close opportunities, including his first goal as well as a tally he had on February 9 in Lehigh Valley, where he got the puck in close and beat J.F. Berube for a huge goal for Hershey. Given the right role and opportunity, it would stand to reason for Leason to at least hit double digits in goals in 2020-21 and hopefully surprise with even more. Last season saw him score in bunches, and if he strings performances like that together more often than not, he’ll be on his way to becoming a 20 goal scorer soon enough. The AHL is all about development, and with a very similar roster to his rookie season, expect Leason to get more chances to increase his production and become a very important part to what is shaping up to be a huge season for the Bears in 2020-21.
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