Louis Leblanc

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Louis Leblanc
Leblanc with the Hamilton Bulldogs in 2012
Born (1991-01-26) January 26, 1991 (age 33)
Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 183 lb (83 kg; 13 st 1 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Right
Played for
NHL Draft
 18th overall,
2009
Montreal Canadiens
Playing career 2011–2016

Louis Jean Joseph Leblanc (born January 26, 1991) is a former Canadian professional

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
(QMJHL) playing rights.

Leblanc spent three seasons with the Canadiens, mainly playing for their

National League A, he retired from hockey. Internationally, Leblanc played in the 2008 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, where Canada won the gold medal, and in the 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, where he helped Canada win a silver medal. Leblanc was considered a draft bust
, having failed to reach his potential and retiring from hockey at an early age.

Early life

Leblanc was born to Yves and Marie Leblanc in

pharmaceutical companies, in Montreal before transferring to their facility at Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2009; he worked four-day weeks and returned to Montreal on weekends. Marie was a piano teacher. His younger brother Jean also plays hockey.[1] Growing up in the West Island town of Kirkland, Quebec,[2] Leblanc skated from the age of three and entered organized hockey two years later.[1] As a youth, he played in the 2004 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Lakeshore Minor Hockey Association.[3] After playing with Lakeshore, it became apparent that he had the ability to pursue the sport at a higher level; at the age of 15, he joined the Lac St. Louis Lions, a midget team based in Montreal. He played two seasons for the Lions and led the triple-A league in scoring both times.[1]

Playing career

Junior

Young male ice hockey player in full gear, including a face mask, skates toward the camera with a determined expression as he looks past the camera.
Leblanc playing for the Omaha Lancers in 2009

Leblanc was selected 18th overall by the

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) draft. As he wished to attend an American university, he went instead to the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League (USHL) where he spent the 2008–09 season, playing in 60 games and finishing with 28 goals and 31 assists for 59 points. He led the team in points scored and tied for tenth overall in the USHL; his goal total was tied for eighth overall, and the six game-winning goals Leblanc scored were tied for second overall. In recognition of his performance that season, the USHL named him the league's rookie of the year.[4][5]

At the end of the season, Leblanc was ranked by the

2009 NHL Entry Draft; their final list had him 13th overall among North American skaters, and he was ultimately selected 18th overall by the Montreal Canadiens, who hosted the draft.[6]
The last
1998.[7] Coaches and scouts for the Canadiens praised Leblanc for his speed, determination, goal-scoring ability, and his willingness to go to the corners for the puck.[8][9] Canadiens General Manager Bob Gainey felt that Leblanc's decision to move to the United States to play in the USHL—rather than stay in his native Quebec with the QMJHL, which would have been the easier choice, would help his development as a player and displayed the type of character the team sought.[10] Leblanc enrolled at Harvard University in September 2009, and began playing for the university's hockey team, the Crimson.[8] In his one year at Harvard, he led the team in goals (11), assists (12) and points (23). Named the Ivy League rookie of the year, he was also a finalist for the ECAC rookie of the year.[11]

A group of three ice hockey players skate to the right of the image while looking to the left. The image is focused on the middle player, who is wearing the same uniform of the skater to his right, who is partially concealed by his teammate. Their opponent is to the left, with his team bench visible in the background
Leblanc while with the Montreal Juniors in 2010

In mid-2010, Leblanc's QMJHL rights were owned by the

Boisbriand, a suburb of Montreal, and were renamed the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada; the team traded Leblanc's major junior rights to the Shawinigan Cataractes. Before he had a chance to play for the Cataractes, the Canadiens exercised their contract rights to him, putting him in the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League (AHL), the Canadiens' minor league affiliate.[16]

Professional

Leblanc made his professional debut on October 27, 2011 with the Bulldogs, and scored three points, including the game-winning goal in overtime, to give his team a 3–2 victory over the

2015 NHL Entry Draft.[23] A restricted free agent, Leblanc signed a one-year extension with the Ducks, though he spent the season with their AHL affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals, scoring 29 points in 71 games.[24][25]

On July 17, 2015, Leblanc signed as a free agent to a one-year contract with the

National League A (NLA).[28] He finished the season with them, scoring one goal in four games, and decided to retire in June.[29] He was considered one of the Canadiens' biggest draft busts in the period between 2000 and 2009, having failed to reach the potential expected at the time of his selection.[30]

International play

Louis Leblanc
An ice hockey player wearing full equipment is kneeling on the ice with a smirk on his face. His uniform clearly indicates he is part of a national team, and his surname is stickered on the front of his helmet
Leblanc at training camp for Team Canada in 2009
Medal record
Representing Canada Canada
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Silver medal – second place 2011 USA
Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament
Gold medal – first place 2008 Slovakia

Leblanc first participated in an international tournament when he played for the Canadian national junior team at the 2008 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in the Czech Republic and Slovakia in August 2008. He led the team with three goals and added two assists for five points as Canada won the gold medal.[8] Leblanc was then invited to try out for the national junior team prior to the 2010 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, but was one of the last players cut from the team.[31] There was speculation that his participation in the NCAA rather than the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) hindered his chances of making the team, as CHL players had played considerably more games than those in the NCAA. Leblanc also had university exams scheduled around the time of the camp.[32] He was invited to the summer camp the following year in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, and was one of the top scorers at the camp.[33] After the pre-tournament camp in December 2010, Leblanc was named to the final roster for the 2011 World Juniors.[31]

In Canada's first game against Russia, Leblanc earned his first point, an assist. He scored his first goal, short-handed (Canada's first in the tournament), and added an assist in the second game, versus the Czech Republic.[34] He later recorded an assist in the gold medal game, where Canada lost to Russia 5–3.[35] He finished the tournament with three goals and seven points over seven games and fourth overall on the team in scoring.[36]

Personal life

Leblanc was in a relationship with tennis player Aleksandra Wozniak, who is also from the Montreal region. When Leblanc was assigned to the AHL prior to the 2013–14 season, Wozniak critiqued the move on Twitter, saying Leblanc had not been given "a fair shot".[37] While at Harvard, Leblanc majored in economics, and hoped eventually to earn his degree. In lieu of this, he took a business class at McGill University in Montreal when he moved back to the city in 2010.[2] When he announced his retirement in 2016, it was reported he planned to return to Harvard later that year. He graduated from Harvard Business School in 2019. He got engaged in 2024. [29].

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season
 Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2006–07 Lac St-Louis Lions QMAAA 40 31 18 49 72 22 14 7 21 10
2007–08 Lac St-Louis Lions QMAAA 43 54 37 91 152 14 8 14 22 76
2008–09 Omaha Lancers USHL 60 28 31 59 78 3 2 1 3 2
2009–10 Harvard University ECAC 31 11 12 23 50 — — — — —
2010–11 Montreal Juniors
QMJHL
 51 26 32 58 100 10 6 3 9 16
2011–12 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 31 11 11 22 30 — — — — —
2011–12 Montreal Canadiens NHL 42 5 5 10 28 — — — — —
2012–13 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 62 10 8 18 53 — — — — —
2013–14 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 70 13 15 28 63 — — — — —
2013–14 Montreal Canadiens NHL 8 0 0 0 4 — — — — —
2014–15 Norfolk Admirals AHL 71 14 15 29 38 — — — — —
2015–16 HC Slovan Bratislava KHL 7 0 0 0 16 — — — — —
2015–16
MsHK Žilina
 Slovak 4 3 1 4 10 — — — — —
2015–16 Lausanne HC
NLA
 4 1 0 1 25 — — — — —
AHL totals 234 48 49 97 184 — — — — —
NHL totals 50 5 5 10 32 — — — — —

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2008
 Canada Quebec
U17
 7th 5 3 3 6 8
2008 Canada
IH18
 1st place, gold medalist(s) 4 3 2 5 0
2011 Canada
WJC
 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 7 3 4 7 2
Junior totals 16 9 9 18 10

Awards and honours

Award Year
USHL
Rookie of the Year 2009
College
Ivy League Rookie of the Year 2010
All-ECAC Rookie Team 2010

References

  1. ^ a b c Phillips, Randy (2010-09-10). "Louis Leblanc Takes Centre Ice". The Gazette. Montreal. Archived from the original on 2010-09-14. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
  2. ^ a b Shoaltes, David (2010-12-27). "Canadian Junior Louis Leblanc Has Brains And Brawn". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
  3. ^ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
  4. ^ USHL (2010-08-02). "Leblanc Inks NHL Deal With Montreal Canadiens". USHL.com. Archived from the original on September 3, 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
  5. ^ NHL.com (2009). "Louis Leblanc Prospect Card". NHL.com. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
  6. ^ NHL Central Scouting (2009). "North American Skater Final Ranking, 2009". NHL.com. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
  7. ^ Stubbs, Dave (2010-08-20). "Juniors' Leblanc Lost In The Crowd". The Gazette. Montreal. Retrieved 2017-06-04.
  8. ^ a b c McGourty, John (2009-05-22). "Leblanc Hailed For Work Ethic And Skills". NHL.com. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
  9. ^ Canadian Press (2009-06-26). "Bell Centre Erupts As Canadiens Draft Local Forward Louis Leblanc". NHL.com. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
  10. ^ Kimelman, Adam (2009-06-26). "Leblanc's Selection A Hit At Bell Centre". NHL.com. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
  11. ^ NHL.com (2010-07-31). "Canadians Sign '09 First-Round Pick Leblanc". NHL.com. Retrieved 2010-07-31.
  12. ^ Canadian Press (2009-01-08). "Several Trades Made On Deadline Day In Quebec Major Junior League". TheHockeyNews.com. Retrieved 2017-01-13.
  13. ^ Jahnke, Karl (2010-06-05). "MAINEiacs Acquire First Overall Pick; Juniors Trade For Louis Leblanc". LHJMQ.ca. Archived from the original on 2011-07-28. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
  14. ^ QMJHL (2010-07-30). "Louis Leblanc Jumps To Juniors". TheQMJHL.ca. Retrieved 2017-01-13.
  15. ^ a b c Hoem, Steve, ed. (2014). 2014–15 Anaheim Ducks Media Guide. Tempe, Arizona: Ben Franklin Press. p. 118.
  16. ^ RDS.ca (2011-08-22). "Louis Leblanc échangé à Shawinigan" (in French). RDS.ca. Retrieved 2017-05-11.
  17. ^ Hickey, Pat (2011-10-29). "Pearn Isn't Hanging His Head". The Gazette. Montreal. Archived from the original on November 1, 2011. Retrieved 2011-11-30.
  18. ^ Zupke, Curtis (2011-11-30). "Ducks End Skid With Win Over Habs". NHL.com. Retrieved 2011-11-30.
  19. ^ Zupke, Chris (2011-12-03). "Canadiens End Skid With 2-1 Win In L.A." NHL.com. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
  20. ^ Hickey, Pat (2011-12-15). "Louis Leblanc Scores First NHL Goal For Montreal Canadiens". NationalPost.com. Retrieved 2017-01-12.
  21. ^ a b Hickey, Phil (2013-09-18). "Is Louis Leblanc's Future Still With The Canadiens Organization?". The Gazette. Montreal. Retrieved 2017-06-04.
  22. ^ Cowan, Stu (2014-01-28). "Another Demotion For Habs' Louis Leblanc". The Gazette. Montreal. Retrieved 2017-06-04.
  23. ^ Staff Writer (2014-06-14). "Ducks Acquire Leblanc From Montreal". Ducks.NHL.com. Retrieved 2014-06-14.
  24. ^ NHL.com (2014-07-11). "Leblanc Signs One-Year Contract With Ducks". NHL.com. Retrieved 2017-01-12.
  25. ^ Kramberger, Albert (2015-10-27). "Former Hab Louis Leblanc Makes KHL Debut". The Gazette. Montreal. Retrieved 2017-01-12.
  26. ^ Staff Writer (2015-07-18). "Leblanc Agrees To Terms". NHL. Retrieved 2015-07-18.
  27. ^ MsHK Žilina (2015-11-24). "Louis Leblanc sa už pripojil k tímu" (in Slovak). MsHKZilina.tipsportextraliga.sk. Archived from the original on 2017-01-16. Retrieved 2017-01-12.
  28. ^ Tétrault-Farber, Gabrielle (2016-01-15). "From Harvard To Hard Knocks For Former Canadien Louis Leblanc". The Gazette. Montreal. Retrieved 2017-01-12.
  29. ^ a b Denomme, Ian (2016-06-29). "Former Canadiens First-Round Pick Louis LeBlanc Retires, Plans To Return To Harvard". TheHockeyNews.com. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
  30. ^ Mannette, Kenric (2017-01-04). "Montreal Canadiens Worst 5 Draft Busts During the 2000's". Foxsports.com. Retrieved 2017-06-04.
  31. ^ a b Fragapane, Justin (2010-12-15). "Leblanc Selected To Team Canada". Canadiens.com. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
  32. ^ Hickey, Pat (2010-12-14). "Canadiens Pick Leblanc To Play For Canada At World Juniors". The Gazette. Montreal. Archived from the original on 2010-12-21. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
  33. ^ Beacon, Bill (2010-08-09). "Leblanc, Eakins, Goalies Shone At Canadian Junior Team Development Camp". CTVNews.ca. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
  34. ^ Fragapane, Justin (2010-12-29). "Habs Prospects Shine At WJC". Canadiens.com. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
  35. ^ IIHF (2011-01-05). "Game Summary" (PDF). IIHF. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
  36. ^ IIHF. "Player Statistics By Team" (PDF). IIHF. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
  37. ^ Canadian Press (2013-09-17). "Aleksandra Wozniak Slams Canadiens For Cutting Louis Leblanc". CBC.ca. Retrieved 2017-01-12.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Louis Leblanc.
Awards and achievements
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