ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Ryan Leonard is not joining the Washington Capitals for the playoffs after all, and will return to Boston College for his sophomore season.

General manager Brian MacLellan confirmed that Wednesday, saying the organization’s top prospect expressed a desire to play another season at the NCAA level before making the leap to the NHL.

“We support Ryan’s decision to return to one of the best programs in the nation to continue his development,” MacLellan said in a statement. “Ryan showed great leadership and made tremendous progress during his first year, which saw him score the most goals by a freshman in Boston College program history and the third-most goals in the NCAA.

“We will continue to monitor his development and progress next year and look forward to watching Ryan build upon his successful freshman season.”