LEAS COMMITS TO NCAA D3 ELMIRA
Jonas Leas of the North York Rangers (photo credit – Andy Corneau / OJHL Images) has confirmed his commitment to join the NCAA Division III Elmira College Eagles in Elmira, NY beginning with the 2020-21 season.
“I picked Elmira because they have a great reputation for having strong teams each year while offering great academics. I really look forward to the next four years in a family atmosphere,” Leas told the Rangers website.
The Whitehorse, Yukon native joined the Rangers in January from the Aurora Tigers where he was the captain.
He registered nine points (three goals and six assists) in 15 regular-season games with North York. He chipped in with three points during the playoffs in the Rangers’ first-round upset of the top-seeded Toronto Jr. Canadiens before the postseason was cancelled in mid-March.
“I’m so grateful that I had the opportunity to play for NYR. Everyone within the organization are outstanding people and run the program very professionally. I enjoyed going to the rink every single day, and met very good friends along the way,” the forward said.
Leas moved at a young age to play hockey in British Columbia. He spent 2018-19 with the Cochrane Crunch of the NOJHL. Despite injuries, Leas posted 12 points in 14 games and came up big for the Crunch when they hosted the Dudley Hewitt Cup later that season. He recorded a team-high three goals and a total of six points in the tournament, which was one shy of the tournament best posted by Oakville’s Spencer Kersten.
Leas is the 24th North York player to commit to either the NCAA or U SPORTS in the past four seasons.
OJHL grads on the Elmira roster in 2019-20 included: Chris Janzen (Trenton), Andrew Pucci (Toronto Jr. Canadiens) and Logan Bateman (Wellington).
Elmira head coach Aaron Saul played three seasons in the OJHL. He’s coached in the NCAA as an assistant or head coach since 2002.
Congratulations to Jonas and best of luck in the NCAA!
The OJHL, the largest Jr. A hockey league in Canada, had more than 125 NCAA, U Sports, CHL and professional commitments in 2018-19 – including 65 NCAA Division I scholarships.
Check out all our 2019-20 commitments by clicking HERE
