Man of the Week: Michael McLeod
KHL.ru’s weekly column returns with Michael McLeod. Avangard’s forward had a striking week, helping the Hawks winning three games and scoring consecutive game-winners in two straight games.
Last week, Avangard’s Michael McLeod was named Best Forward for the first time in his career after posting 6 (3+3) points in three games last week, along with a plus-4 rating. The Hawks’ forward scored back-to-back game-winning goals in victories over Traktor on Thursday (1:0) and Dynamo Moscow on Sunday (4:1). The 28-years-old forward also continues being one of the top faceoff men in the league, with an impressive 64%.
Early years
Michael McLeod was born on Feb. 03, 1998, and grew up in Mississauga, Ontario. He has two brothers, who also are professional hockey players: Ryan, currently playing for the Buffalo Sabres of the NHL, and Matt, who played the latest four seasons in various leagues in Europe. Skating with the Toronto Marlboros in the Greater Toronto Hockey League, McLeod helped lead his team to an OHL Cup title in 2014 and was named that tournament’s Most Valuable Player by taking home the Tim Adams Memorial Trophy – his brother Ryan would win the same award the next year.
The forward continued his career in the Ontario Hockey League, where he was drafted fifth overall by his native Mississauga Steelheads. McLeod was successful at the junior level, and he was named an alternate captain in 2015-2016 and then captain in 2016-2017, a season where he posted a commanding 73 (27+46) points in just 57 games and helped the Steelheads reach the OHL finals, where they lost to the Erie Otters in five games.
Ranking up
McLeod’s successful junior career made him a target for NHL teams in the 2016 entry draft. There, he was selected 12th overall by the New Jersey Devils. Stepping into pro hockey, McLeod spent time developing in the American Hockey League with the Binghamton Devils beginning in 2018. In his first partial AHL season he posted one point in six games, and in 2018-2019 he established himself with 33 (6+27) points in 55 games, playing with Yegor Sharangovich, Yegor Yakovlev, and Nikita Popugayev, among the others.
McLeod broke into the NHL with New Jersey in 2018-2019, debuting 21 games and scoring three assists. Over the next five seasons he became a steady part of the Devils’ lineup. From his debut season through 2023-24, he played 287 regular-season NHL games, registering 29 goals and 56 assists for 85 points, with 187 penalty minutes. However, his only NHL playoff action came in 2023, recording six points in twelve games as the Devils advanced to the second round.
Move to the KHL
After six seasons in the NHL, the 2024-2025 chapter of McLeod’s career unfolded overseas as he signed a one-year deal with Barys, where in 16 games he led the team with six points, including three goals, before his contract was terminated in October 2024. Soon after, he found a new home with Avangard, marking his second KHL stop in the same season. With the Hawks that year, he posted 13 (3+10) points in 19 regular-season games and then elevated his play in the playoffs with 8 (1+7) points in nine games.
Then, in October 2025 McLeod signed a three-year contract with Avangard, extending his tenure with the club and signaling their belief in his role as a core forward. Through the early part of the 2025-2026 KHL season he continued to produce, with recent stats showing 33 goals with 16 goals and 17 assists in 38 games in the current campaign.
As the playoffs approach, expect McLeod’s two-way game further elevate as the Hawks are looking for a long run in the elimination stage.
