Wild sign Stevie Leskovar to three-year, entry-level contract

Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin announced that the club has signed Stevie Leskovar to a three-year, entry-level contract. The contract is set to begin in the 2025-26 season.

Leskovar was selected No. 174 overall in the 2024 NHL Draft by Minnesota.

Leskovar has tallied one goal and five points in 33 games along with 70 penalty minutes with the Brampton Steelheads of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).

During the 2023-24 season, the Cambridge, Ontario native notched two goals and 10 assists for 12 points and 96 shots in 61 games with the Steelheads. Leskovar leads the Steelheads in penalty minutes while ranking 13th among OHL skaters.

The 20-year-old made his OHL debut in 2021-22 with the Peterborough Petes before being dealt to the Steelheads during the 2022-23 campaign. Throughout his OHL career, the 6-foot-4 defender has tallied four goals and 16 assists for 20 points, while racking up 237 PIM and 203 shots in 158 OHL regular season games with the Steelheads and Petes.

Leskovar is one of four NHL-affiliated defenders on the Steelheads. Seattle’s Jakub Fibigr, Pittsburgh’s Finn Harding and Anaheim’s Konnor Smith are the others.

“Leskovar is the physical backbone of the Steelheads,” Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis said. “While his offensive numbers are quite low, he’s a heart and soul guy that will hit anything and anyone, anytime. He’s likely more of a depth defender who might only see a few NHL games, but he should be a decent shutout option in Iowa for the next few years.”

Brampton is slated to kick off the OHL playoffs here in the next week, and the Steelheads will look to battle it out against the Oshawa Generals.