Zachary Leslie (born January 31, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) for the Straubing Tigers until the end of the 2025/26 season.

He was drafted 178th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the sixth round of the 2013 NHL entry draft and previously played for the Ontario Reign, Chicago Wolves, Stockton Heat and Belleville Senators in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Playing career

Junior

After playing minor hockey in Ottawa, Leslie was drafted 63rd overall by the Guelph Storm in the 2010 OHL Priority Selection.

In his Ontario Hockey League (OHL) debut on September 22, 2017, Leslie made his first OHL assist in a 6–3 win against the Windsor Spitfires. On November 19, 2011, he made his first OHL goal in a 5–0 win against the Erie Otters. Overall, he played 65 games with two goals and 15 assists in his rookie season. He improved his numbers in his sophomore season, playing 68 games with 12 goals and 28 assists. For the 2013–14 OHL season, Leslie played 60 games with 14 goals and 36 assists, en route to the Storm's third J. Ross Robertson Cup win and 2014 Memorial Cup final appearance.

In his final OHL season, Leslie was selected as an alternate captain of the Guelph Storm, playing 57 games with 11 goals and 37 assists before having season-ending shoulder surgery.

Professional

Leslie was drafted 113th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the sixth round of the 2013 NHL entry draft. On October 24, 2015, he made his professional debut with the Kings' AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, in a 3–0 win against the San Jose Barracuda, making his first AHL assist. In his rookie 2015–16 AHL season, he ultimately appeared in 30 games, making five assists, and appeared in five ECHL games for the Manchester Monarchs, registering one goal. On October 21, 2016, he made his first professional goal in a 6–5 overtime win against the Texas Stars, eventually playing 65 games with five goals and 18 assists in his sophomore season.

After the 2016–17 AHL season, the Los Angeles Kings signed Leslie to a one-year two-way contract extension on July 14, 2017. On February 5, 2018, in the middle of the 2017–18 AHL season, the Kings traded Leslie to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for future considerations; this marked the first-ever trade between the Kings and the Golden Knights.

After the 2017–18 AHL season, the Golden Knights signed Leslie to a one-year two-way contract extension on May 31, 2018. In the 2018–19 season, Leslie played 67 games with two goals and 14 assists for the Knights' AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, en route to the Wolves' fourth Robert W. Clarke Trophy and 2019 Calder Cup Finals appearance.

On July 10, 2019, the Stockton Heat signed Leslie to a one-year AHL contract. As the alternate captain for the Heat, he played 50 games with five goals and 23 assists in the 2019–20 AHL season and was the Heat's nomination for the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award. Leslie signed a one-year contract extension with the Heat on October 21, 2020, playing 30 games with three goals and seven assists in the shortened 2020–21 AHL season.

On August 10, 2021, the Belleville Senators signed Leslie to a one-year AHL contract for the 2021–22 season. On November 14, 2021, the Ottawa Senators signed him to a one-year two-way contract.

As a free agent from the Senators, Leslie opted to move abroad in agreeing to a one-year contract with Chinese club, HC Kunlun Red Star of the KHL, on August 17, 2022.

Personal life Leslie's sister, Rebecca, is an ice hockey player who played collegiately for Boston University and currently plays professionally for Ottawa of the Professional Women's Hockey League. He also has two younger sisters, Kathryn and Grace. He is studying for his university degree at Athabasca University.

Career statistics Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2011–12Guelph StormOHL652151754500042012–13Guelph StormOHL6812284058501142013–14Guelph StormOHL6014365039201910222014–15Guelph StormOHL5711374857—————2015–16Ontario ReignAHL3005513301122015–16Manchester MonarchsECHL51012—————2016–17Ontario ReignAHL655182329500062017–18Ontario ReignAHL2614510—————2017–18Chicago WolvesAHL275121712312342018–19Chicago WolvesAHL6721416322224662019–20Stockton HeatAHL505232841—————2020–21Stockton HeatAHL30371033—————2021–22Belleville SenatorsAHL644232769210102022–23Kunlun Red StarKHL658313973—————2023–24Kunlun Red StarKHL3034710—————2023–24SC Rapperswil-Jona LakersNL213694—————2024–25Adler MannheimDEL12055810000AHL totals3672510813326435471118

References

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