Jay Leach (ice hockey, born 1979)
Jay Leach | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 2, 1979 United States |
| Occupation(s) | Ice hockey player (retired), ice hockey coach |
| Years active | 1997–2014 (player), 2014–present (coach) |
| Known for | Assistant coach for the Boston Bruins; former NHL player |
Jay Christopher Leach (born September 2, 1979) is a retired American professional ice hockey player who currently serves as an assistant coach for the Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously held the role of captain with the Albany Devils.
Playing career
Leach was selected in the fifth round, 115th overall, by the Phoenix Coyotes. Following several seasons competing in minor leagues, he signed as a free agent with the Boston Bruins on September 26, 2003. During the 2005–06 NHL season, he participated in two games with Boston, accumulating seven penalty minutes but no points, while spending the majority of his time with their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins. On July 3, 2007, Leach inked a free agent deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning, appearing in two NHL contests during the 2007–08 season but primarily playing in the AHL. He was traded to the Anaheim Ducks on February 26, 2008. In the summer of 2008, Leach signed with the New Jersey Devils. On November 6, 2009, he was claimed off re-entry waivers by the Montreal Canadiens from New Jersey. Due to injuries affecting Canadiens forwards, Leach briefly shifted to playing forward rather than defense on November 28, 2009.
On December 1, 2009, Leach was claimed off waivers by the San Jose Sharks and took part in 28 games that season. He netted his first NHL goal on March 11, 2010, contributing to an 8–5 victory over the Nashville Predators. The following season began with him playing for the Worcester Sharks in the AHL before being traded back to New Jersey on February 9, 2011. The trade included Steven Zalewski heading to New Jersey in exchange for Patrick Davis and Mike Swift.
Coaching career
Leach commenced his coaching career in 2014 as an assistant coach for Adler Mannheim in Germany’s Deutsche Eishockey Liga, helping secure the franchise’s sixth DEL Championship. On July 7, 2015, he joined the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins—an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins—as an assistant coach under head coach Mike Sullivan. Following Sullivan’s promotion in December 2015, Leach briefly served as interim head coach before being appointed associate head coach under new head coach Clark Donatelli.
After one season there, Leach transitioned to an assistant coaching role with the Providence Bruins in August 2016 and was elevated to head coach prior to the start of the 2017–18 campaign. In July 2021, he accepted an assistant coaching position for Seattle Kraken’s inaugural NHL season under head coach Dave Hakstol. Most recently, on June 12, 2024, Leach agreed to join the Boston Bruins staff as an assistant coach.
Personal life
Jay Leach is related to former NHL forward Stephen Leach and University of Maine hockey coach Jay Leach, both his uncles. He was formerly married to American sportscaster Kathryn Tappen, with their marriage ending in divorce in 2014.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1997–98 | Providence College | HE | 32 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Providence College | HE | 33 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | Providence College | HE | 37 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 101 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Providence College | HE | 40 | 4 | 21 | 25 | 104 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Mississippi Sea Wolves | ECHL | 70 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 116 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 2002–03 | Augusta Lynx | ECHL | 65 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 162 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Springfield Falcons | AHL | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| (2003–04) | (various teams) | (ECHL/AHL) | (various) | (5) | (19) | (24) | (86) | (7) | (1) | (1) | (2) | (10) | ||
| (2004–05 to 2006–07) | (Providence Bruins, Boston Bruins) | (AHL/NHL) | (135) | (11) | (21) | (32) | (297) | (23) | (0) | (2) | (2) | (43) | ||
| (2007–08 to 2012–13) | (Various AHL/NHL teams including Norfolk Admirals, Tampa Bay Lightning, Portland Pirates, Lowell Devils, New Jersey Devils, Montreal Canadiens, San Jose Sharks, Albany Devils) | (AHL/NHL) | (291) | (11) | (36) | (47) | (319) | |||||||
| NHL totals | 70 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 60 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Tournament | Placement | Games Played | Goals | Assists | Points | Penalty Minutes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | United States | WJC | 5th place | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
| Junior career totals | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||||