Memorial Cup hosts Kelowna Rockets recruit Mazden Leslie from NCAA

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Score one for the WHL in their duel with the NCAA for players, as Mazden Leslie has dropped his school commitment to return to the junior ranks with the Kelowna Rockets.

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The NCAA announced last November that it was opening up scholarship opportunities to players from the three Major Junior leagues for the first time this coming season, and Leslie, 20, was one of the initial ones from the WHL to take advantage.

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He told the Vancouver Giants in February that he wouldn’t be returning for his final season of junior eligibility this fall and would join the Bowling Green State University Falcons for the upcoming campaign instead if he didn’t land a spot in pro hockey.

The Rockets are hosting the Memorial Cup national championship tournament next spring, and they traded for Leslie’s junior rights in May, sending Vancouver a conditional 2028 WHL Draft first-round pick and a conditional 2026 third rounder.

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The WHL has seen several marquee players give up junior eligibility to try the American collegiate system, most notably projected 2026 NHL Draft first overall pick Gavin McKenna, who recently signed on with the Penn State University Nittany Lions rather than go back to the Medicine Hat Tigers for his much ballyhooed draft season.

The 6-foot-1, 201-pound right-shot Leslie was the WHL’s second-leading scorer among defenceman last season, thanks to his 72 points, including 21 goals, in 66 games with Vancouver. The Rockets and WHL have both trumpeted his pivot on their social media this week, and you can understand why.

“The combination of the Memorial Cup and the Rockets’ deep history of developing defencemen for the NHL were the main reasons why I decided to join the team,” Leslie explained via text message.

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The conditions on the picks in the trade, according to the Giants, are tied to Leslie reporting to Kelowna, so both selections become Vancouver’s property when he plays his first game with the Rockets.

Leslie was passed over in the NHL Draft for a third straight time this year. He is slated to attend the Vegas Golden Knights’ training camp this fall as a free agent. He went to Golden Knights development camp earlier this summer. He took part in their training camp last season.

The Golden Knights could sign him as a free agent, but considering general manager Kelly McCrimmon’s close ties to the WHL — he’s a former owner/operator of the Brandon Wheat Kings — Leslie would almost certainly be reassigned to the Rockets with the Memorial Cup run in mind.

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Something similar happened to the Giants in their Memorial Cup host season of 2006-07 with defenceman Brett Festerling, who had a free-agent contract with the Anaheim Ducks but was sent back to back to Vancouver instead of playing minor pro.

Leslie has played 280 regular season games with the Giants, which ties him with winger Mitch Bartley (2002-06) for sixth on the team’s all-time list. Defenceman Neil Manning (2006-12) has the Giants’ record for games played with 310, and Leslie would have shattered that if he came back to Vancouver this season.

Leslie is 10th in career regular season points (190) in team history as well.

His first game against Vancouver on the visiting side at the Langley Events Centre comes Nov. 1, when the Rockets make their first of three trips there to face the Giants next season.

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“That will be fun. It will be a little different being on the other bench for the first time, but it will be fun,” Leslie explained.

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Vancouver had told the Giants that he was looking for a change in scenery in his bid to advance to pro hockey. The Giants could have held onto his rights to see if he would return to junior at some point from Bowling Green this season, but it’s doubtful they would got more than a package featuring a first-round draft pick for one-year player.

Kelowna is looking to build up their roster after their 18-44-4-2 finish last season. They’ve brought in former Giants head coach Don Hay to be an assistant to Derrick Martin. Hay will likely be in charge of working with the defencemen.

Vancouver had changed up its staff as well, naming Hnat Domenichelli as general manager and Parker Burgess as coach last month. Domenichelli takes over from Barclay Parneta, who agreed to part ways with the team in April, and Burgess succeeds Manny Viveiros, who left for a pro job in Austria in May.

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Vancouver finished 34-26-8-0 last season and finished in sixth spot in the Western Conference. They lost to the Spokane Chiefs in the first round of the playoffs.

Leslie was Vancouver’s team captain last season. He was a top pairing defenceman, alongside rookie phenom Ryan Lin. Vancouver has also lost top-four rearguard Colton Roberts, 19, who has jumped to the Colorado College Tigers.

The Victoria Royals have been one of the hardest hit teams by defections to the NCAA, with centre Cole Reschny, 18, and blue liner Keaton Verhoeff, 17, both jumping to the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks.

@Seveves

SEwen@postmedia.com

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