| Tom Leppa | Jokerit U20 | U20 SM | L | C | 6’0″ | 174 | Penn State | 2024 | Kauniainen, FIN | 2005 | 2022-2023: B |
U20: SM-sarja Jokerit vs TPS, January 28, 2023: Among Jokerit forwards Leppa played a game high 20:24 including 2:07 while on the power play and 2:16 while shorthanded. Truthfully this was a slopy game for him. He over skated pucks while on the PP and we did not see the hard stop to get it back. He did however backcheck hard and with a purpose, but in general this was a night for him to move on from. He finished even with 0 points, 0 shots, 0 grade “A” opportunities, 8/17 on face-offs and 0 hits.
U18: 5 Nation Tournament, November 8-14, 2022Tom is a left shot centerman who is playing at present at 6′ and 175 pounds. This Penn State commit can be described as a 200 foot player who can contrubute to his team’s secondary scoring. We really liked Tom for his effort in the non glamorous parts of the game. His speed and effort on back checks were excellent and we witnessed his ability to catch and strip opponents of pucks from behind. He is intense on fore check efforts and he loves going to the blue paint, crashing and creating havoc, hanging around for tips and deflections, rebounds and engaging with opposition defensemen. With some bite in his game, physicality and very good defensive zone awareness Tom is sure to catch the eye of NHL scouts for the 2023 draft.
U18: Finland vs Czechia, November 12, 2022: Leppa totaled 19:23 in ice time including 3:21 while on the power play and 0:50 while shorthanded. He has good hockey sense as he knows when to stay above guys, recognizing threats and supports his teammates well as a center. Needs to improve quick feet for loose pucks as he tends to sit back too much. Leppa finished the game +1 with 0 points, 1 shot, 1 PP shot, 1 grade “A” opportunity, 12/17 on face-offs, 1 hit, received 2 hard body checks, had 1 shot blocked, 4 giveaways, 4 takeaways and he won 29% of his 7 puck battles.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images