Viel and McIlrath put on the fight of the year!

The kid has made his presence felt.

Fresh off signing his entry-level contract with the Washington Capitals, Ryan Leonard introduced himself to Boston Bruins forward Jeffrey Viel this evening with a thunderous open-ice hit.

Check it out:

Not to be outdone though, Viel dusted himself off and then dusted off veteran enforcer Dylan McIlrath in a VERY spirited tilt.

Check it out:

Tilt of the year!?!?!?

Read below for our earlier report on Leonard's signing.

In case you missed the news yesterday, the Washington Capitals signed NCAA and Team USA star Ryan Leonard to a three year entry level contract.

The 20 year old Leonard is the Capitals' top pick (8th overall) from the 2023 NHL Entry Draft and was named MVP of the 2025 World Junior Championships after captaining team USA to back to back gold medal championships. He had 30 goals and 49 points in 37 games for Boston College this past season and has all the makings of a stud offensive player in the NHL.

So... how is he welcomed to the team?

A night at the bar with Ovi, of course...

Leonard was spotted at a local bar last night, singing and dancing 'Bandz a Make her Dance' with Capitals captain and all around legend Alex Ovechkin last night.

Check it out:

Just five goals away from setting an all time NHL scoring record and Ovechkin is still out at bars with 20 year old rookies. If that's the secret to youth, Ovi might just be on to something...