Louis Leblanc | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Canada | January 26, 1991||
Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
Weight | 183 lb (83 kg; 13 st 1 lb) | ||
Position | Centre | ||
Shot | Right | ||
Played for |
Montreal Canadiens MsHK Žilina HC Slovan Bratislava Lausanne HC | ||
NHL draft |
18th overall, 2009 Montreal Canadiens | ||
Playing career | 2011–2016 |
Louis Jean Joseph Leblanc (born January 26, 1991) is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre. Leblanc played minor hockey in the Montreal region before he moved to the United States in 2008, playing one season with the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League (USHL) and becoming Rookie of the Year. Eligible for the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, he was selected 18th overall by the Montreal Canadiens. He then enrolled at Harvard University and spent one season with the Crimson, being named Ivy League rookie of the year, before he signed a contract with the Canadiens in 2010. Later that year Leblanc joined the Montreal Juniors, who had earlier acquired his Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) playing rights.
Leblanc spent three seasons with the Canadiens, mainly playing for their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, before being traded in 2014 to the Anaheim Ducks, who kept him in the AHL. In 2015, Leblanc moved to Europe, joining HC Slovan Bratislava of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), though he played only seven games for them before being released. After appearing in four games for Lausanne HC of the Swiss 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.