Cody McLeod

Wesley McLeod
Born	(1984-06-26) June 26, 1984 Canada
Occupation(s)	Ice hockey winger, player development coach
Years active	2001–2022 (player)
Known for	NHL career with Colorado Avalanche, Nashville Predators, New York Rangers; enforcer role

Wesley Cody McLeod (born June 26, 1984) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey winger who currently serves as an assistant director of player development for the Minnesota Wild in the NHL. Although he was never drafted, McLeod played in the NHL with the Colorado Avalanche, Nashville Predators, and New York Rangers, gaining recognition chiefly for his role as an enforcer.

Playing career

Selected in the fourth round of the 1999 WHL Bantam Draft by the Portland Winterhawks, McLeod concluded his final WHL season (2004–05) with 31 goals and a total of 60 points. Despite going undrafted, he attended the Boston Bruins’ training camp in 2005 but departed without securing a contract. Subsequently, he signed with the Lowell Lock Monsters of the AHL for the 2005–06 season, splitting his time between them and the San Diego Gulls of the ECHL.

McLeod inked his initial NHL contract with the Colorado Avalanche on July 6, 2006. He was assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Albany River Rats, for the 2006–07 season. McLeod made his NHL debut on December 19, 2007, with Colorado and netted his first NHL goal eight days later. He ended that season as the Avalanche rookie with the most than 100 penalty minutes. During the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs, McLeod drew attention when an octopus was thrown onto the ice amid a game and scored his first postseason goal versus Detroit.

After re-signing with Colorado in July 2008, McLeod finished third in team goal scoring during the 2008–09 season despite missing time due to a shoulder injury and led the team in penalty minutes. In June 2009, he secured a three-year contract extension. By the 2011–12 campaign, he had established a franchise record by accumulating at least 100 penalty minutes for five consecutive seasons. He agreed to another three-year contract in June 2012 but was suspended for five games during the 2013–14 season following a hit that caused an opponent’s concussion.

Following Paul Stastny’s exit prior to the 2014–15 season, McLeod became Colorado’s longest-serving player and took on alternate captain duties until 2016. He signed a further three-year extension in September 2014. Reduced ice time during the 2016–17 season led to his trade to the Nashville Predators in January 2017. Concluding his tenure with Colorado after appearing in 659 games, McLeod held franchise records for penalty minutes totaling 1,359.

Upon joining Nashville, McLeod immediately contributed offensively and brought physicality against his former club. In the subsequent 2017–18 season, he played a supporting role before being claimed off waivers by the New York Rangers in January 2018. He provided veteran leadership during the Rangers’ rebuilding phase and recorded two assists over 25 games.

In July 2018, McLeod signed a one-year deal worth $650,000 with New York but sustained a fractured hand in November. He was traded back to Nashville in February 2019 in exchange for a seventh-round draft pick.

McLeod signed an AHL contract with Minnesota Wild’s affiliate Iowa Wild in August 2019 as he embarked on his sixteenth professional year. During the shortened 2019–20 season, he appeared in 21 games and subsequently agreed to a one-year extension in July 2020. After serving as captain of Iowa through the 2021–22 season, McLeod retired in July 2022 following a seventeen-year career and transitioned into coaching as a player development coach with the Minnesota Wild organization.

Regular season and playoffs

2009–10 NHL season | Colorado Avalanche | NHL |74||7||11||18||138 |6||0||0||0||5 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2010–11 NHL season | Colorado Avalanche | NHL |71||5||3||8||189 |- | 2011–12 NHL season | Colorado Avalanche | NHL |75||6||5||11||164 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2012–13 NHL season | Colorado Avalanche | NHL |48||8||4||12||83 |- | 2013–14 NHL season | Colorado Avalanche | NHL |71||5||8||13||122 |7||1||0||1||22 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2014–15 NHL season | Colorado Avalanche | NHL |82||7||5||12||191 |- | 2015–16 NHL season | Colorado Avalanche | NHL |82||8||5||13||138 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2016–17 NHL season | Colorado Avalanche | NHL |28||1||0||1||52 |- |2016–17 |Nashville Predators |NHL |31||4||1||5||93 |15||1||0||1|||27 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" |2017–18 NHL season |Nashville Predators |NHL |23|||1|||1|||2|||72 |- |2017–18 |New York Rangers |NHL |25|||0|||2|||2|||39 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" |2018–19 NHL season |New York Rangers |NHL |31|||1|||0|||1|||60 |- |2018–19 |Nashville Predators |NHL |7|||0|||0|||0|||7 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" |2019–20 AHL season |Iowa Wild |AHL |21|||4|||3|||7|||41 |- |2020–21 AHL season |Iowa Wild |AHL |30|||2|||2|||4|||93 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2021–22 AHL season

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2001–02	Portland Winter Hawks	WHL		47	10	3	13	86		5	0	0	0	0
2002–03	Portland Winter Hawks	WHL		71	15	18	33	153		7	1	1	2	13
2003–04	Waywayseecappo Wolverines	MJHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Portland Winter Hawks	WHL		69	13	18	31	227		5	2	2	4	6
2004–05	Portland Winter Hawks	WHL		70	31	29	60	195		7	0	3	3	8
2004–05	Adirondack Frostbite	UHL		1	0	0	0	0		5	0	0	0	11
2005–06	Lowell Lock Monsters	AHL		33	4	5	9	87		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	San Diego Gulls	ECHL		16	4	5	9	48		2	2	1	3	14
2006–07	Albany River Rats	AHL		73	11	8	19	180		5	0	0	0	4
2007–08	Lake Erie Monsters	AHL		27	6	7	13	101		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		49	4	5	9	120		10	1	1	2	26
2008–09	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		79	15	5	20	162
Iowa Wild	AHL	59		4	4	8	141	—		—	—	—	—
NHL totals				776	72	55	127	1630		38	3	1	4	80