Cody McLeod
Undrafted enforcer who played 659 games for Colorado.
Last updated
Cody McLeod is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Colorado Avalanche, Nashville Predators, and New York Rangers. Undrafted, he was best known for a role similar to that of an enforcer. After his playing career, he became assistant director of player development coach for the Minnesota Wild.
Lore & Background
McLeod began his major junior career as a fourth-round WHL Bantam Draft pick for the Portland Winterhawks in 1999. In his fourth and final season with the Winterhawks (2004–05), he scored 31 goals and 60 points. Undrafted, he attended Boston Bruins training camp in summer 2005 but left without a contract. He then signed with the Lowell Lock Monsters of the AHL for the 2005–06 season, also playing for their ECHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls.
The Colorado Avalanche, as parent club of the Monsters, signed McLeod to his first NHL contract on July 6, 2006. He was assigned to the Albany River Rats for the 2006–07 season. McLeod received his first NHL recall on December 16, 2007, and made his debut on December 19, 2007, in a 2–1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks. A week later, he scored his first NHL goal against Dominik Hašek of the Detroit Red Wings in a 4–2 loss.
He played every remaining Avalanche game after his call-up and became the first Avalanche rookie to record over 100 penalty minutes. During the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he gained notoriety by picking up an octopus thrown onto the ice at Joe Louis Arena and throwing it into the stands. He scored his first playoff goal against the Red Wings in game three on April 29, 2008. McLeod sustained a shoulder injury in a 3–2 home loss to Detroit on March 4, 2009, missing three games.
He ended the 2008–09 season third in goals on the Avalanche with 15, behind Ryan Smyth and Milan Hejduk. His 162 penalty minutes were one shy of team-leading Ian Laperrière. In the 2011–12 season, he set a franchise record as the only player in Quebec/Colorado history to register at least 100 PIMs in five consecutive seasons.
He was suspended five games in 2013–14 for a hit-from-behind on Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall, who received a concussion. McLeod served as alternate captain for the Avalanche from 2013 to 2016. On January 13, 2017, he was traded to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Félix Girard. He made his Predators debut the following day against his former club, scoring his first goal with Nashville and fighting former teammate Jarome Iginla in a 3–2 victory.
In the 2017–18 season, he posted 1 goal and 1 assist in 23 games with the Predators before being claimed off waivers by the New York Rangers on January 25, 2018. He made his Rangers debut against the Toronto Maple Leafs, recording a game and Rangers season-high 8 hits on February 1, 2018. He contributed 2 assists in 25 games for the Rangers. After signing a one-year contract with the Rangers for the 2018–19 season, he suffered a fractured hand in a fight against New York Islanders enforcer Ross Johnston on November 21, 2018.
On February 6, 2019, he was traded back to the Nashville Predators for a 7th-round pick in 2020. He then signed with the Iowa Wild of the AHL for the 2019–20 season, appearing in 21 games with seven points and 41 PIM. He captained Iowa in the 2021–22 campaign before announcing his retirement on July 11, 2022, ending a 17-year professional career. He accepted a role within the Minnesota Wild coaching staff as a player development coach.
Reader's Guide
Cody McLeod's significance lies in his career as an undrafted player who carved out a long NHL tenure primarily through physical play and an enforcer role. He spent the majority of his career with the Colorado Avalanche, where he became the franchise leader in penalty minutes with 1,359. His durability and willingness to fight made him a fixture on the Avalanche roster for nearly a decade, and he served as an alternate captain from 2013 to 2016. McLeod's legacy includes setting a franchise record as the only player in Quebec/Colorado history to record at least 100 penalty minutes in five consecutive seasons.
His time with the Nashville Predators and New York Rangers was shorter, but he continued to provide veteran presence and physicality. After retiring, he transitioned into a player development role with the Minnesota Wild, reflecting his experience and leadership. His career illustrates the path of an undrafted player who earned a long NHL career through grit and a defined role.
Career statistics and honours
Regular season and playoffs
| 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 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2009–10 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 74 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 138 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 2010–11 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 71 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 189 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2011–12 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 75 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 164 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2012–13 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 48 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 83 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2013–14 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 71 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 122 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 22 |
| 2014–15 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 82 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 191 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2015–16 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 82 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 138 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2016–17 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 28 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2016–17 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 31 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 93 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 27 |
| 2017–18 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 23 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 72 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017–18 | New York Rangers | NHL | 25 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 39 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2018–19 | New York Rangers | NHL | 31 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 60 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2018–19 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2019–20 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 21 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2020–21 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 30 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 93 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2021–22 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 59 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 141 | — | — | — | — | — |
| NHL totals | 776 | 72 | 55 | 127 | 1,630 | 38 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 80 | ||
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Cody McLeod (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
More in Nashville Predators Players
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Cody McLeod (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced