People Ryan Leonard didn’t even know congratulated him in the halls of Pope Francis on Friday.
The Amherst native was selected to join USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program. He found out Sunday, but the roster was officially named to end the week.
“It meant a lot to know that a lot people were proud,” Leonard said. “This has been, it started as a big dream of mine last year. I learned more and more about it and how good of a chance it was to develop for the next level.”
He’s one of 24 players that will compete as the U.S. Under-17 national team during the 2021-22 season.
The NTDP is a two-year residency program for high-performance players at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan. The U-17 team competes in the United States Hockey League and also faces teams from the North American Hockey League and the Minnesota Elite League. The team also participates in three international tournaments per season.
“We had a great evaluation camp last week,” NTDP director of player personnel Kevin Reiter said in a release. “Thanks to our grassroots volunteers in programs all across the country and many others, the talent pool in our country continues to get better and better, making it more difficult than ever to settle on a final group of players to invite to be part of the NTDP. Thanks to all the players and their families who were involved, and we wish everyone nothing but the very best.”
Leonard, a sophomore at Pope Francis, is one of three Massachusetts residents on the roster. He is a two-time Amo Bessone award winner as the top boys hockey player in Western Massachusetts.
His older brother, San Jose Sharks rookie John Leonard, left Amherst at about the same age to play in the USHL after starring at Cathedral in Springfield, now Pope Francis.
“I think it’s the best place to develop me as a player and get to the next level,” Ryan Leonard said. “(Being at Pope Francis) was special because of how much success coach (Brian) Foley has and how he’s moved players on. To win as much as we did was really special.”
The Cardinals reached the Super 8 championship game his freshman season before it was canceled by the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This season, Pope Francis went 6-0 in Massachusetts then won the USA Hockey National Championship.
“I wouldn’t say it was a hard decision. It was a no-brainer,” Leonard said of the move. “I’m looking forward to playing with the best players of my age group and playing against the highest competition possible for my age.”
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.