GREENVILLE, S.C. — As the Greenville Swamp Rabbits approach the ECHL 2024-25 regular season, the club has made a series of player signing announcements. So far, they’ve signed all returning defensemen to their active roster, and today is no exception. Today, Sept. 19, the club announced a fan favourite extension of d-man Joe Leahy.
Leahy, 27, 6-foot-4 and 192 pounds, will be entering his third season in the ECHL for the Swamp Rabbits. The defenseman hailing from Waterloo, Ontario, who shoots left, made a serious impression on his Greenville team last season. Last season, Leahy was the top point-maker among defensemen for his team.
After playing in 69 regular season games during the season, he contributed nine goals and 18 assists for 27 points and became a +18 prior to the Kelly Cup Playoffs. For his second Kelly Cup playoff campaign in the ECHL, Leahy played in only one game, missing the majority of the round one series against Orlando due to injury.
Leahy embarked on a professional hockey career during the 2022-23 season after concluding his fifth season in the NCAA and second for the University of Vermont. His first game in a Swamp Rabbits’ sweater was on March 17 against the South Carolina Stingrays at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
In total, Leahy finished the regular season by playing ten games and recording four assists. His 2023 season continued with the Greenville club, as the rookie defender participated in the 2023 Kelly Cup playoffs against the Jacksonville Icemen. After participating in six playoff games against the Icemen, Leahy notched a goal and had two penalty minutes.
Leahy’s Collegiate Campaign
As previously mentioned, Leahy finished out his NCAA campaign for the University of Vermont before turning professional. During that final season, he notched three points for a single goal and two assists in 25 contests. In two seasons with the VCats, Leahy contributed three goals and ten assists in 52 games.
Marking his previous three seasons before playing for Vermont, the defenseman was with Cornell University. His inaugural season in the NCAA was the 2018-19 season, when he skated in 30 games and notched one goal and four assists, with 18 penalty minutes served.
After three seasons with the Big Red hockey club, Leahy appeared in 40 games and contributed 12 points from eight assists and four goals. Notably, he missed the entire 2020-21 season due to injury. After five seasons in the NCAA, Leahy appeared in 92 games and earned 25 points from seven goals and 18 assists.
His most notable accomplishments during his collegiate campaign was being an NCAA Regular Season Champion.
Official Swamp Rabbits’ Statement
Per the Swamp Rabbits, Leahy said this about the city of Greenville, the team, the coaching, and more:
“My wife and I love Greenville. We had such a great time last year, so between the city, the relationships we’ve built, and some unfinished business from last year, it’s a no brainer to come back to this team,” Leahy said of his return to the Upstate.
“I felt I worked well with our coaching staff, especially Coach Mountain, who ran the defense last season. Our staff and our leadership made it easy to succeed because of how we prepared we were and how bought in we were in working hard and sticking to the gameplan.
We have so much familiarity coming back, especially on defense and goaltending, so knowing the systems and the players involved, we can set the standard starting in day one of camp. I’m excited to see how Coach Mountain takes the reins this season and puts his stamp on our team.
I expect us to go out and earn it again this season with a deep playoff run and a Kelly Cup Championship in mind. It’s going to be a great season!”
In addition, head coach Kyle Mountain said that Leahy was a reliable asset to the team. With his big body presence, great puck handling and shooting skills, and tenacity on and off the ice, it fuels the team to greatness and to be better every game.
“Getting Joe back is huge for us on both sides of the puck. He was rock solid for us defensively and logged a ton of minutes both five-on-five and shorthanded,” Mountain continued,
“Joe became a very reliable asset for us over the course of the year, putting a lot of time into developing his offense and that reflected in his production. Beyond that, he plays tough minutes and solidified himself as a key fixture on our blue line.”
Leahy will be entering his third season in the ECHL for the Swamp Rabbits for next season. After his last two seasonal appearances in the “Coast”, the 27-year-old defender has appeared in 79 regular season contests with nine goals and 22 assists notched, along with one goal from seven playoff games.
Leahy’s solid blue line management, laser shooting, and big-body presence in the d-zone, helps solidify the Swamp Rabbits’ defensive core for next season. As mentioned before, him and the other defenders currently signed have played on this team before, so therefore it helps boost the team ahead of next season.
The Greenville Swamp Rabbits will begin the 2024-25 regular season on Oct. 18 against the Orlando Solar Bears at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. They will also host a single preseason game against the South Carolina Stingrays at home ice on Oct. 9.
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