Much like his sporting history as a football quarterback and a baseball pitcher, promising hockey prospect Brady Leinenweber has demonstrated a thinking-man’s role on the ice as a cerebral defenceman.
Read more: Giacobbo goes from college player to U18 AA coach in Lloydminster
“I’m all about trying to slow the game down and trying to find reads and passes that no one else can,” Leinenweber said after the Vancouver Giants drafted him early in the second round (26th overall) of the Western Hockey League prospects draft.
“I’ve got a decent frame, still growing, but I think I can move pretty well skating-wise, and then just be a two-way guy. I can play on either end of the ice. Really just trying to be as reliable as possible. I want to be the guy that coach says I can play anywhere, whether that’s penalty kill, power play, regular, anything like that. I want to be up for every job.”
His well-roundedness on and off the ice is what makes the 15-year-old Leinenweber, six-foot-two and 165 pounds, such an appealing prospect at a young age. The Kerrobert, Sask., native showed those traits in spades this past winter with the U15 prep Northern Alberta Xtreme of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League. He was named the top defenceman in the prestigious John Reid Memorial tournament in January, after earning all-star honours in December when the Xtreme hosted more high-level competition, including U.S. heavyweights Shattuck-St. Mary’s and Bishop Kearney, during the Crown tourney in Devon, Alta.
It’s no wonder that Vancouver’s director of player personnel, Greg Batters, believes it’s not a Giant leap of faith to project Leinenweber as an NHL prospect within a few years.
Just one year removed from his 14U season with the Lloydminster Athletics, the athletic kid from west-central Saskatchewan has made big strides while playing a reliable, steady game that resonates with coaches and scouts at all levels.
“Brady is a good player,” Batters said. “He’s got good command of all core skills and he’s smart, and he just happens to be a big lad on top of it. He has a right-handed shot, which is what we were looking for as well.”
Listening to Leinenweber break down the game and talk about hockey generally, he sounds mature beyond his years and not necessarily like a Grade 9 student at Kerrobert Composite School.
“He’s a good kid,” Batters agreed. “He comes from a great family. He’s a heckuva player. We’re just very fortunate to get him.”
From his parents Colin and Jolyne to his three academically and professionally inclined older sisters and his hockey-playing younger brother Jasper, Leinenweber is a product of his environment. Even if it wasn’t a typical hockey family.
“We weren’t hockey players very much, but everyone is athletic,” he said. “My dad was a track athlete. My mom was a big basketball player. As I grew, and after I played in that Brick tournament (in 2022), I think I realized that I really wanted to take hockey somewhere. I believed in myself. I really thought I could. Ever since then, I’ve just fallen in love, more and more every day, with the game.”
Leinenweber’s home gives credence to that thirst for hockey, from the net and sticks in the backyard shooting pad, to the mini-stick setup in the basement and hockey posters, cards and memorabilia lining his bedroom. He shares that passion with his fellow Montreal Canadiens fan, brother Jasper, an up-and-coming goaltender who turns 12 this summer.
Leinenweber is also realizing his hockey dreams alongside one of his best buddies, longtime teammate Landon Reschny. The Macklin, Sask., centre also played at NAX and was drafted to Vancouver in the seventh round last week.
Canadian Sport School Hockey League. Submitted photo
Even in the short term, Reschny and Leinenweber will remain teammates for the coming season as they step up to the U18 AAA Saskatoon Contacts.
Batters and the Giants consider Leinenweber a legitimate candidate to play in the WHL the following season, 2027-28, even though he would be just 16.
“Brady is the type of player that he might end up playing (major junior) at 16,” Batters said. “The 16-year-old players don’t (necessarily) help you win, but what it is, it’s part of the development for them for their 17, 18 and 19-year-old years.
“To me, he’s an NHL prospect. So, he’s coming to us as a future NHL prospect. That’s the plan, is to get him to that point where he can be considered an NHL-draftable player.
“I don’t want to embarrass anybody, but I had him ranked as one of the top defencemen in the (WHL) draft, for sure. I would say probably in the top five defencemen in the draft.”
Seven blue-liners were selected ahead of Leinenweber, including Eli Vickers, the Delta Hockey Academy U15 prep player that Vancouver chose third overall.
During his impactful draft year, Leinenweber was the top-scoring defenceman with NAX’s U15 prep team. He posted 35 points, including 33 assists, in 29 games. He also was called up to the U18 prep team for three games and scored a goal in the process.
“Yeah, I went up with them in early October to a showcase in Vancouver, funny enough,” he said. “And it was unreal. Their team is just so good. They make the game so easy for you. I got my first goal. A pretty lucky one, but it counts. It was a really cool experience when you do get that opportunity.”
NAX’s U18 prep roster included Will Kelts, the Consort, Alta., defenceman that the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets drafted in the first round (20th overall) last year.
As the Rockets ready to host the Memorial Cup this month, Kelowna’s veterans include Lloydminster defenceman Mazden Leslie, a sixth-year WHLer who played parts of five seasons in Vancouver and captained the Giants during the 2024-25 campaign.
Another defensive standout from relatively close to Leinenweber’s hometown is Medicine Hat Tigers’ captain Bryce Pickford, the Chauvin, Alta., native named last week as the WHL’s player of the year.
Leinenweber is next in line from a regional defence crop that has featured former and current NHLers like Wade Redden, Lance Ward, Jeff Woywitka and Carson Soucy. Not to mention younger pros from the area, like Ty Smith, Kale Clague and Olen Zellweger.
CALL FROM CHORNEY
Another player with local ties, former Lloyd Athletics 14U forward Blake Chorney, was among the Giants representatives who contacted Leinenweber after the draft to welcome him to Vancouver’s organization. The 2009-born Chorney, a native of Nipawin, Sask., also has NAX history in common with Leinenweber.
At the NHL level, Leinenweber admires and learns from some of the game’s brightest young talents on defence. Among them are current playoff opponents from Montreal and the Buffalo Sabres.
“I guess the obvious answer from the Habs is Lane Hutson,” Leinenweber said about his NHL role models. “We’re not very similar in our build types, but I try to watch him as much as I can and take what I can from him, and how he moves on the blue-line and he gets around guys.
“I would say Mike Matheson of the Habs is kind of who I try to represent. He’s a big two-way guy and moves well, a bigger body, does everything the Habs need him to, and he’s super reliable.
“And then, maybe a guy outside the Habs is Rasmus Dahlin (of the Sabres). He has a bit more offensive upside, and I think that’s something I’m working towards, being a bigger body and playing both sides of the puck.”
Leinenweber hopes to gain muscle and add 10 to 15 pounds before next season begins. “That’s probably my biggest goal this summer.”
His spring schedule includes a Regina camp in early June for Newport Sports clients, including Maddox Schultz and Liam Pue, the Pats’ forwards selected first and third overall, respectively, in the 2025 WHL prospects draft.
“It’s going to be unreal, just some of the players there,” Leinenweber said. “I’m really looking forward to meeting everyone from my agency. It’ll be a pretty cool experience.”
While he’s sure to soak up lessons from that camp, Leinenweber continues to be an example for his younger brother, imparting wisdom from on and off the ice.
“I was really happy when Jasper chose to be a goalie, because that was my exact thinking, now I’ve got someone to shoot at,” he said. “He’s just a great kid. I think he looks up to me and that means a lot to me, so I’ve got to show him what it takes to be a hockey player and help him out as much as I can.”
Leinenweber stays connected to Lloydminster, where he was a student at Holy Rosary High School last year while playing with the Athletics.
“I’ll be up in Lloyd quite a bit this summer,” he said. “My girlfriend is from Lloyd, so I try and visit her as much as I can. I’ll be doing some skates. I’ll be up in Lloyd (later in May) for a 3-on-3 tournament I’m doing with lots of my Lloyd buddies.”
Ever the multi-sport athlete, Leinenweber also plans to participate in track and field competitions this spring, representing his hometown Kerrobert Composite School once again.
Read more: What’s up, Lloydminster: community calendar
