Gruba is a December 2003 who is in his second year of NHL Draft eligibility.
| Leo Gruba | Fargo Force | USHL | R | D | 6’2″ | 205 | St. Cloud | 2023 | Lake Elmo, MN | 2003 | 2022-2023: B- 2021-2022: B- |
USHL: Fargo vs Sioux Falls, December 17, 2022: Gruba made high end plays with the puck. Sees the ice well by surveying the ice with his eyes up and hands in a passing position. Keeps his feet moving drags his opponents towards him and distributes the puck to his teammates. On the night he totaled 20:49 in ice time including 4:28 while on the power play where he was a fixture on the top unit. Of note, Fargo was shorthanded for 4:06 of game time and Gruba did not play shorthanded. He finished the game +1, with 0 shots on goal, 1 blocked power play shot from the top of the umbrella, 0 hits, 5 giveaways, 7 takeaways and he won 67% of his 12 puck battles. Grade: C+
USHL: Fargo vs Sioux City, December 9, 2022: Gruba has lots of confidence in his game from the right-hand defender. Good size and long reach as he like to collect pucks in his own end deceive his opponents with jabs and body fakes to gain more space and skate the puck up the ice. By having a longer reach he can push pucks out in front of him to evade stick checks and turnovers. Consistently broke up plays just inside his own blue line and despite being pressured could survey the ice and make long or short passes to his teammates in the neutral zone. Showed good skill levels as the pressure didn’t bother him and made high end sauce passes when necessary. Grade: B+
USHL Fall Showcase, November 15, 2022: Gruba is a good-sized 6’2′ 205lbs defender in his first full season of junior hockey after anchoring the Hill Murray HS blue line this past season which was one of the top teams in the state of Minnesota. He’s a versatile prospect in that he has the size the strength and the skating ability to be a shut down defender at the next level and he’s also confident carrying the puck he makes crisp and accurate outlet passes and a booming shot from the point. He scored a nice goal in the second game against Madison on a bullet slap shot from off-angle showing his pure power and placement. At the high school level he leaned heavily on his offensvie game but he’s making strides on balancing that out and played the body here against the rush and showed more commitment to his defensive zone positioning and coverage especially around the net. He saw a lot of ice time here in all situations and never seemed to tire or wear down as the game went on. He’s going to have to improve his details as he drifts beyond the dots defensively chases the puck a bit and tries to stretch the ice instead of making the simple 5 or 10 foot pass that is available. Like his confidence especially early in his junior career and with more experience at this level and simplifying his game and playing a higher percentage style will make a major difference in his game but an immediate impact rookie who can log a lot of minutes in all situations with his size versatility and athleticism. Grade: B
USHL: Fargo vs Sioux City, October 14, 2022: Offensive-minded defenseman that likes to join the rush and also lead the rush starting from a wheel behind his own net. Speed is one of his best assets to his game he has a quick start combined with a motor that has the top speed to beat other defensemen wide. He’s mobile along the blue line being able to show fakes and use the entire zone to create his scoring chance either for himself or his teammate. His defense can lack at times but he takes away time and space from opponents squeezing their ice quickly he does this by reading plays well and using his agility to close. Grade: B+
USHL: Fargo vs Green Bay, September 30, 2022: Gruba tried to make plays that were not there on a couple of occasions. He seemed to look off the first pass frequently and tried to force things when it wasn’t necessary. He skates well. However, he seemed uneasy tonight when the puck was on his stick. Green Bay could have scored off a few of his turnovers but they didn’t. Grade: C+
Ian Moran’s Thoughts: Gruba is a late 2003 who you might call a bit of a late bloomer, but at 6’2″ and already over 200 pounds he makes it very difficult for you to ignore him. I think he has a great skating base and posture. He’s balanced, has a long fluid stride and his return leg comes back on a flat edge. He can play left or right and has the puck skills to pull pucks off the wall for transitional passes. It’s more of the same along the offensive blueline as he shows the athleticism to move laterally before pucks get to him and he shows the hand dexterity to slide / adjust his bottom hand up or down the shaft of his stick so he can settle bouncing pucks quickly. In the long run he’s going to have to learn how to not get tied up in front of his net during battles. There are times when he seems content to be next to his man, but at his size we’d love to see the aggression to move men out of the lane and then win that loose puck. I’m sure that we have him rated higher than most, but in my opinion Gruba has a real chance to play.
MNHS: Class AA Seminal. Andover vs Hill Murray, March 13, 2022: Gruba is an athletic, puck moving defenseman that loves to join the rush and is able to make guys miss. He uses look off passes and misdirection to freeze attackers that opens up lanes. On the blue line he likes to take some chances that typically work out and can flick his wrist for a missile to get on net as he shoots for tips. He doesn’t have a big wind up on his one timer, but it blasts off his stick. Gruba is dangerous in transition as he can fire accurate passes up ice or get his legs going to catch the opposition flat footed. Leo logged a ton of minutes for the Pioneers and ended up a -3 but made a lot of plays from the back end. GRADE: B
MNHS: Class AA Quarterfinals. Lakeville South vs Hill Murray, March 11, 2022: Gruba was a dominant force and must watch every time he jumped over the boards. He is an athletic, mobile right shot defenseman that loves to jump in the offense and create plays with the puck. Leo gave the Pioneers the lead off a powerplay goal where he fired a one-timer effortlessly from the top of the circle, beating the goaltender high glove. Forecheckers couldn’t get a body on him during puck retrievals as he sees the ice and can quickly escape from any pressure. When he is faced in tough situations, there is no panic in his game and he controls it smartly. Gruba was intercepting passes all over the ice with his senses and active stick. He jumped plays to force turnovers and took bodies to eliminate players from the puck. He has elite footwork to allow him to keep pace with any speed coming at him and always knows when to jump in the play. His release is next level, and it rips off his stick in a flash. He can lead a rush on his own or snap accurate passes to his target. GRADE: A
Minnesota HS: Stillwater vs Hill-Murray, January 19, 2022: Gruba is a very good all-around defenseman. He defends well and provides offense from the back end. He skates well enough to move the puck quickly out of his zone with his legs and pick his spots when to join the rush. Gruba’s defensive mobility allows him to effectively defend rushes and end in zone plays. He is physical when he needs to be but doesn’t take unnecessary chances to make a hit. Gruba’s gap control in the neutral zone was on point shutting down several offensive rushes. He has very good lateral movement on the offensive blueline and demonstrated a heavy shot from that position. Grade: B+
Minnesota High School: Eden Prairie Eagles vs Hill Murray Pioneers, January 1, 2022: The way Gruba uses his stick is next level. He baits the opposition to think they have more room and ice by carrying his stick further back in the pocket only to quickly poke or strip the opponent of the puck. He has good hand-eye coordination being able to knock pucks down coming through his lane. Gruba is strong with his skates and able to change directions quickly to adjust gaps or switching to a different assignment and taking away their space. Every puck that made its way to his stick was off quickly and onto his teammate’s. We liked how savvy Gruba was to know what he could get away with when it came to taking certain routes or discreet stick plays to slow down forecheckers to give his partner time to retrieve pucks. Gruba showed well in the offensive zone making crisp passes on the tape, locking the point down with confidence and rifling a missile from the top of the circle to beat the goalie clean. Grade: A
Final Week MN Elite League, December 7, 2021: Leo is a strong, mobile defender that activates into the play and likes to push the pace offensively. He handles the puck well at speed and has a confident carry through the neutral zone. He identifies options quickly and makes solid tape-to-tape passes. He is skilled at the offensive blue line and moves his feet well to create space and shooting lanes. Scored a goal on a shot from the point through traffic. He defends well and uses his body well to protect the puck and buy time and space. Plays physical and closes well through the neutral zone. Makes forwards makes decisions before entering his zone. He works hard around his net and is tough to play against in his crease and corners. He won battles and used his physicality and finesse to win board battles and chip pucks to teammates. He has a quick stick and gets in passing lanes and forces bad decisions. Plays with pace and competes each time out on the ice. Grade: B
2003: World Selects Invite, June 17, 2019: Gruba is a good-sized defenseman that skates relatively well for his size. Physicality is a big part of his game. He threw several bone-crushing hits over the course of the tournament, including one clean hit in center ice that knocked the opponent out of the game. More of a stay at home d-man that makes the simple play. Needs to work on his puck moving skills.
Full Game Re-Cap – Minnesota HS 4AA Sectional Final: Hill Murray vs White Bear Lake, March 6, 2022: Neutral Zone was in attendance for the game between #1 Hill Murray, Pioneers vs #3 White Bear Lake, Bears in the 4AA section finals at Aldrich ice arena. The fans were out tonight. Aldrich arena was already packed and sold out by 6:00 pm for the 7:00 pm game. These two teams met the previous year (2020/2021 season) for the section 4AA Championship with Hill Murry winning by the same score of 5-0. Starting in goal for the White Bear Lake, Bears, Nick Pettman #30 (G, R, 5’11”, 157, White Bear Lake Bears, 01/01/2004) and for the Hill Murray Pioneers Jack Erickson #33 (G, L, 6’1″, 171, Hill Murray HS, 09/28/2004). The tension in the building was running high awaiting the puck drop. The Pioneers were off and running from the start, pushing the pace of the game. In comparison, the Bears came out and played a very physical game in hopes of trying to slow the game down and shake the pioneers off their game. However, Leo Gruba #11 (D, 6’2″, 200, Hill Murray HS, 12/14/2003) was able to slip a hit and was off to the races resulting in the first goal of the game; just 2:40 into the period. Gruba moved down the right side of the ice and fired a blistering shot on the net that beat the Bears goalie on the left side. The pace of the game was heightened, and the Pioneers started to play their own physical game to offset the Bear’s aggressive attack. The Bears had their best scoring chance of the first period with a rocket shot that ricocheted off the post on a shot by Nick O’Brien #35 (D, L, 6’0″, 185, White Bear Lake Bears, 01/01/2003). A fantastic save followed by Nick Pettman after Hill Murray grabbed the puck in the neutral zone and headed on a 2 on 1. It had been a back-and-forth game with both teams settling into the game. Two penalties were called in the first; one for each team. The Bears would be the first to start on a power play, but only to see the Pioneers capitalize with a blocked shot by Leo Gruba who head manned the puck to Jack Senden #27 (F, R, 6’1″, 194, Hill Murray HS, 10/17/2003.) Jack grabbed the puck out mid-air and streaked down the ice for an insane deke resulting in a short-handed goal. The start of the second period would see the Pioneers starting with a power play. The Bears were able to kill off the power play with Nick Pettman making some key stops to keep the game within sight. The Bears would see a great scoring chance with a great pass from Joseph Belisle #6 (D, L, 5’10”, 155, White Bear Lake Bears, 06/06/2005) to the fast flying Tyler Kotzmacher #26 (F, R, 6’0″, 165, White Bear Lake Bears, 04/05/2004). Tyler moved down the ice with precision and dodged a few Hill players along the way. With a long leading toe drag that the Hill defenseman bit on; Tyler was able to go in alone for a shot on net but missed the bar by a few inches. The second, period momentum would shift in the direction of the Pioneers as the Bears ended up taking four penalties. One of which turned into a 5 on 3 for the Pioneers. Dylan Godbout #17 (F, L, 5’11”, 183, Hill Murray HS, 05/05/2004, Wisconsin) was able to snipe down low with assists to Brady Ingebritson #15 (F, R, 5’8″, 130, Hill Murray HS, 11/29/2004) and Nathan Hardy #10 (F, L, 6’0″, 175, Hill Murray HS, 11/10/2003) to make the score 3-0 in favor of the Pioneers. The Pioneers would put up 17 shots this period but were only able to find the back of the net once because of the stellar play of goalie Nick Pettman. There was some quality defense played by Grady Gallatin #2 (D, L, 6’3″, 180, White Bear Lake Bears, 06/07/2004) and Michael Delaney #22 (D, L, 6’2″, 185, White Bear Lake Bears, 01/01/2004) who both rose to the challenge and slowed the Pioneers down. WBL was still in the game as they went into the locker rooms. With the start of the third period the Bears came out hard, hoping to to save their season. The Bears were attacking the Pioneers and playing very physical, resulting in the Pioneers not getting anything going. The Bears capitalized by using Aiden Welch #10 (F, R, 6’2″, 200, White Bear Lake Bears, 05/27/2004) and his speed. He was able to gain the zone multiple times and get some quality shots on net. The Bear’s power would not result in any goals but had a few quality scoring opportunities. With these opportunities we started to see Jake Erickson, the Pioneers goalie, slowly become the star of the game; making point-blank stops from Tyler Kotamacher and others. With one mistake by the Bears, the Pioneers were able to score at 13:55 in the third. Brendan Bonin #6 (F, R, 5’8″, 161, Hill Murray HS, 03/17/2004) scored assisted by Anthony Madigan #7 (F, L, 5’6″, 158, Hill Murray HS, 03/09/2004). While the game pressed on the Bears would not give up and kept fighting. They were still finding ways to get pucks to the net and a few more great scoring chances only to find the brick wall of Jack Erickson. The Bears would again go on the power play, and the results were the same as their first, controlling the play of the game and quality shots only to be stopped by Jack Erickson. The Pioneers would find one more goal for the night scoring at 16:15 with a goal from Logan Hensler #2 (D, R, 6’1″, 177, Hill Murray HS, 10/14/2006) on an assist from Marcus Kaufman #16 (F, R, 6’1″, 185, Hill Murray HS, 03/19/2004). This game would end the season for the Bears. Overall, a well-played game by both teams tonight. Good luck to the Hill Murray Pioneers in the Minnesota State High tournament next week. The next game for the #1 seeded Hill Murray Pioneers will be vs (random draw) Lakeville South 03/10/22 -6:00 pm @ the Xcel Energy Center.