A leopard never changes his spots.
The same could be said about Prince George Cougars left winger Jackson Leppard.
He's living up to the hype that came with being the Cougars' choice as their first-round pick, eighth overall in the 2015 Western Hockey League bantam draft
Given his first chance at regular duty on the WHL, from the start of the season Leppard has made his presence felt on the Cougars' top scoring line with centre Jared Bethune and right winger Kody McDonald. Together, that forward trio has accounted for 18 goals and 40 points in 17 games.
Aside from two games he missed with a lower-body injury, Leppard has been a model of consistency. The combination of a quick release, soft hands, heavy shot and fast feet has boosted Leppard's status in the Cougar herd and he now ranks fifth in team scoring with five goals and three assists in 15 games. He's one of the first to hop the boards when the Cougars go on the power play, providing a net-front presence goalies hate, and he's not afraid to use his six-foot-two, 196-pound body to leave a mark on opponents who get in his way.
"It's definitely a good start for me so far, I'm very happy to be playing with Jared and Kody, they're good linemates and we've got good chemistry so far and hopefully we keep getting success out of it," said Leppard.
"Last year it was really veteran team with a lot of older guys and it's pretty hard to take on a bigger role in that situation. This year it's opened up for me a bit more and it's felt good so far. It's my role as a power forward to be strong in the corners and I think I'm pretty strong in both zones and use my strength to my advantage."
Last year, Leppard was the youngest Cougar on a team that had 16 players aged 19 or older. Limited to spot duty in 35 games, he had to be patient watching games from the press box and for the first time in his hockey career was used only sparingly in the games he did play. That tested his patience.
"It was a tough season and you have to take the best out of it," Leppard said. "When you're scratched and doing those extra bag skates you know you're getting better and you have to use that to your advantage. A lot of 16-year-olds are going to go through that. It's just part of the game and part of the lifestyle in the WHL."
Leppard, a native of St. Catharines, Ont., has a minor hockey championship pedigree. As a first-year bantam in 2014 he helped the North Shore Winter Club Winterhawks win the bantam Tier 1 provincial championship in Prince George in Kin 1. the following season they won it again as well as the Western Canadian title, a month before the Cougars drafted him.
The NHL scouts have taken notice of Leppard's rising star and he landed on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary draft list in September, having been invited to under-18 national team camp in the summer. A year ago he played for Canada White in the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
"He's really matured since last year, his skating has improved 100 per cent and he's that big physical power forward that you can see," said head coach Richard Matvichuk. "Talking to the scouts, they're saying the same things and if he keeps climbing the ladder and keeps improving the way he is, the sky's the limit, and that's our job to keep him going."
Cougars general manager Todd Harkins first noticed Leppard when he was a five-year-old playing for a Whistler team and he also played summer hockey against a few of the North Shore teams Harkins was coaching at the time.
"He always brought a competitive edge that was always evident around the puck and around the net and we're seeing that take shape in his second year in our league," said Harkins. "Without the puck he finds a way to get to the blue paint and cause a lot of havoc around opposing goalies.
'With our transition from our older team to a younger team this year he's starting to blossom. When you have confidence in your ability and the coach has confidence in you, you're able to go out there with less pressure and play the game you're capable of playing and you see that with Jackson's game today."
LOOSE PUCKS: The two games against Everett Friday and Saturday will be the first home games for the Cats since Oct. 14. They lost to 2-1 to the Silvertips last Friday in Everett... University and college students will get into the rink for a reduced rate on Friday... Military veterans, first responders and active service members will be featured during Saturday's game on Heroes Night... The Cougars have returned 1999-born defenceman Peter Kope to the Camrose Kodiaks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. Kope was a fifth-round draft pick in the 2014 WHL bantam draft and in five games for the Cats this season he had one assist.
