The Wolves would like to take a moment to introduce the man responsible for bringing Junior A hockey to Renfrew: Part-Owner, Head Coach and General Manager, Ryan Leonard!
Ryan was born and raised as an avid hockey player and fan in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario. At just 15 years old he began his Junior A hockey career, where he went on to play a full 5 seasons in the NOJHL. After his playing career ended, Leonard took a full time job at the Algoma District School Board, where he would spend the next 14 years working with children who had a variety of special needs.
Ryan began coaching Junior A 17 years ago when he took a job as an Assistant Coach for the NOJHL’s Blind River Beavers. In 2006 he was named as the Head Coach and General Manager of the Elliot Lake Bobcats, the program he would end up purchasing just 2 years later, and still owns today. In 2014 the Leonard family moved the Bobcats program to Cochrane, Ontario where they were renamed the Cochrane Crunch.
In his 13 years owning the program, Ryan has won 2 League Championships and more recently went to the Dudley Hewitt Cup in back to back seasons leading up to this year. His personal trophy case includes 2 Coach of the Year awards, 2 General Manager of the Year awards, as well as 5 separate All-Star Team appearances. His proudest achievement in his time in hockey however, is the 45 players he has moved on to College Hockey over the past 9 seasons.
Ryan is happily married to his wife Katherine, and has 3 children; Kayla, Riley and Brody. When he’s not at the rink you’ll be hard pressed to find Ryan as he’s typically deep in the bush fishing or hunting.
When asked for comment, Ryan said “I’m really looking forward to settling down in Renfrew and building this program into something everyone can be proud of!”.
Please join us in welcoming Ryan, Katherine and the rest of the Leonard Family to Renfrew!
