Ryan Leonard’s Capitals teammates welcomed him at college bar before his NHL debut

One of the newest NHL signees has received the welcome wagon from his new team.

Less than 24 hours before he was set to make his NHL debut against the Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals forward Ryan Leonard had a celebratory evening with his new teammates at The Circle Bar, a college bar near the campus of Boston College, the school Leonard is leaving to play in the NHL.

The night saw Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, defenseman Jakob Chychrun and others hanging out with the new rookie, dancing and hanging out, trying to make him feel welcome with his new group.

The Capitals signed the Hobey Baker finalist to a three-year, entry-level contract on Monday, less than a day after the Eagles were knocked out of the NCAA Tournament by the defending national champion Denver Pioneers.

On Tuesday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, former Boston University star Colby Cohen explains why Leonard hanging out with his new teammates so soon is good for his confidence.

Colby Cohen: Absolutely love it. You see Chychrun sitting right there; hopefully, Chychrun’s the one picking up the tab. Honestly, the tab would be a lot smaller than these guys would be used to when you’re at a college bar, but I love this. You get a guy who can really help your team win, why not put your arm around him and make him feel special, and a part of it right away? Try to take some of his nerves out of it. Make him feel welcome.

The Caps have been one of the most dominant teams in the National Hockey League all year. You look at their record against other playoff teams, it’s as good as anybody’s…I did Leonard’s last two games from ice level at Boston College over the weekend, they weren’t good. You could tell he was feeling the pressure. You could tell that he knew what was coming right around the corner. He got shut down in those two games.

I think this kid’s a star. I think he could have a Chris Kreider-type of welcome into the NHL effect, or Charlie McEvoy. You remember both of those guys seamlessly joining the National Hockey League and doing good things in year one.

You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…