Chase De Leo

Chase De Leo
Born	(1995-10-25) October 25, 1995 La Mirada, California, U.S.
Occupation	Professional ice hockey forward
Known for	Playing for Winnipeg Jets, Anaheim Ducks, New Jersey Devils in the NHL; Milwaukee Admirals in the AHL; Barys Astana in the KHL

Chase De Leo (born October 25, 1995) is an American professional ice hockey forward currently an unrestricted free agent. His most recent team was the Milwaukee Admirals in the American Hockey League (AHL). De Leo has NHL experience playing for the Winnipeg Jets, Anaheim Ducks, and New Jersey Devils, as well as having competed in the KHL with Barys Astana.

Personal life

De Leo was born in La Mirada, California to John and Janie, who run a wholesale plumbing supply company. Originally involved in baseball, he transitioned to roller hockey after his mother found baseball less engaging. He played roller hockey with the Orange County Blades before switching to ice hockey, beginning as a goaltender with the Norwalk Knights prior to moving into a forward position.

He honed his ice hockey abilities with the Los Angeles Selects minor team alongside Eric Comrie and participated in the 2008 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. Motivated by encounters with NHL greats Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, and Patrick Roy, De Leo decided to pursue a professional career in ice hockey.

Playing career

De Leo spent his junior career with the Western Hockey League's Portland Winterhawks from 2011 through 2015, accumulating 251 points over 279 regular season games, including back-to-back seasons scoring 39 goals each. He added 58 points across 81 playoff games and was a member of the Winterhawks’ 2013 WHL championship squad that advanced to the Memorial Cup final.

Drafted in the fourth round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the Winnipeg Jets, he joined their AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, following his junior tenure. De Leo made his NHL debut with Winnipeg in March 2016, appearing in two games before returning to the AHL. He then spent two full seasons exclusively with Manitoba.

After the 2017–18 season as a restricted free agent, De Leo was traded to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Nic Kerdiles. Playing for their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, he achieved personal bests of 20 goals and 55 points in 66 games during the 2018–19 campaign. He debuted with Anaheim’s NHL squad in March 2019. In subsequent seasons, he served as an alternate captain for San Diego and set a new career high with three shorthanded goals in 2019–20.

On July 29, 2021, De Leo signed a one-year two-way contract with the New Jersey Devils. Assigned to their AHL team, the Utica Comets, he led the club with 21 goals and totaled 56 points over 55 games. He made his first NHL appearance for New Jersey in November 2021.

Following one season with New Jersey, De Leo returned to Anaheim on a two-year two-way deal in July 2022. He was named captain of the San Diego Gulls for the 2022–23 season and recorded nine goals and 23 points across 22 contests before a knee injury ended his campaign early. In November 2023, after clearing waivers unclaimed, he was reassigned to San Diego.

De Leo signed a one-year contract on September 7, 2024, with Barys Astana of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Due to financial reductions at Barys Astana amid their position at the bottom of league standings, his contract was terminated after nine appearances.

On October 28, 2024, he joined Switzerland’s ZSC Lions of the National League as an injury replacement and seventh import player. During his stint, he took part in four league matches and two Champions Hockey League games before being released on November 28.

Returning to North America as a free agent, De Leo inked an AHL contract to finish out the season with the Charlotte Checkers. Prior to joining Charlotte, he was placed on waivers because of starting the season overseas and was claimed by the Milwaukee Admirals—the Nashville Predators’ affiliate—on January 18, 2025.

International competition

De Leo was a member of Team USA during the 2015 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship tournaments.

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2011–12	Portland Winterhawks	WHL		69	14	16	30	25		22	0	1	1	2
2012–13	Portland Winterhawks	WHL		71	18	38	56	24		21	5	12	17	15
2013–14	Portland Winterhawks	WHL		72	39	42	81	36		21	10	9	19	6
2014–15	Portland Winterhawks	WHL		67	39	45	84	30		17	7	12	19	10
2015–16	Manitoba Moose	AHL		73	19	21	40	34		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Winnipeg Jets	NHL		2	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2016–17	Manitoba Moose	AHL		69	14	18	32	12		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Manitoba Moose	AHL		69	12	23	35	31		9	2	6	8	0
2018–19	San Diego Gulls	AHL		66	20	35	55	12		16	5	0	5	2
2018–19	Anaheim Ducks	NHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	San Diego Gulls	AHL		51	10	15	25	16		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Anaheim Ducks	NHL		1	0	0	0	0
2020–21	San Diego Gulls	AHL		37	15	20	35	18		3	0	0	0	0
2020–21	Anaheim Ducks	NHL		1	0	0	0	0
2021–22	Utica Comets	AHL		55	21	35	56	18		5	1	2	3	2
"2021–22 NHL season"|"New Jersey Devils"|"NHL"|2|"0"|"0"|"0"|"0"
"2022–23 AHL season"|San Diego Gulls|"AHL"|22|"9"|"14"|"23"|"10"|—
"2023–24 AHL season"|San Diego Gulls|"AHL"|52|"15"|"33"|"48"|"16"|—
"2024–25 KHL season"|Barys Astana|"Kontinental Hockey League"|9|"0"|"0"|"0"|"0"|—
"2024–25 National League (ice hockey) season"|ZSC Lions|"National League (ice hockey)"|4|"0"|"0"|"0"|"0"|—
"2024–25 AHL season"|Milwaukee Admirals|"AHL"|34|"6"|"10"|"16"|"2"|8|"3"|"2"|"5"|"2"
NHL totals				7 !0 !0 !0 !0 ! — ! — ! — ! — ! —

International

Year	Team	Tournament	Placement		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2015	United States	WJC	5th place		5	1	0	1	0
Junior career totals					5	1	0	1	0