Chris LeBlanc

Hometown:

Winthrop Massachusetts

Team:

Ottawa Senators

Currently Playing In:

NCAA

Birthday:

1993-09-12
Position:

RW

Eligible for draft:

2011
Shoots:

Right
Drafted:

2013
Height:

6-3
Acquired:

6th round (161st overall), 2013
Weight:

195 lbs.
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History

2009-10: Chris LeBlanc skated for Winthrop High School in Massachusetts as a sophomore. Winthrop finished 18-3-3 and reached the Division 2 North semifinals.

2010-11: LeBlanc played for Winthrop in his junior season. Winthrop reached the Division 2 North quarterfinals, falling 5-4, to Beverly.

2011-12: LeBlanc was one of two captains for Winthrop in his senior season and was the team’s leading scorer. He scored 24 goals with 22 assists in 24 games as Winthrop reached the Division 2 North final against Wilmington.

2012-13: LeBlanc committed to playing college hockey at Merrimack in 2013-14 in September after making a successful impression with the Eastern Junior Hockey League’s South Shore Kings during their summer camp. Playiing for the Kings, Leblanc scored 13 goals with 20 assists in 45 games and had 38 penalty minutes. South Shore finished second in the Southern Division but lost to the Valley Warriors in the playoff quarterfinals. LeBlanc had 1 goal in the two games against the Warriors. LeBlanc, who will turn 20 in September 2013, was not among the 210 North American skaters in Central Scouting’s final rankings prior to the 2013 NHL Draft. He was selected by Ottawa in the sixth round (161st overall).

2013-14: LeBlanc skated in 23 of 33 games for Merrimack College in his freshman season. He scored 6 goals with 6 assists and was -3 with 8 penalty minutes, suffering a season-ending knee injury in a game against Maine in February. Merrimack finished last in Hockey East and lost to Maine, 2-0, in the conference tournament play-in game.

2014-15: LeBlanc had a challenging sophomore season for Merrimack after returning from off-season knee surgery. Skating in 28 of 38 games for the Warriors, he made his season debut in a November 8th game against Providence and scored three goals in his first six games. Playing both center and wing, he finished the year with 5 goals and 4 assists and was -3 with 18 penalty minutes. He did not have a point in the Warriors’  final 12 games after scoring a goal against Massachusetts-Lowell on January 30th. Merrimack, after getting off to a 10-4-1 start,  finished 11th in Hockey East. The Warriors swept sixth-place Northeastern in a best-of-three first round series before falling to Boston University in the conference quarterfinals.

Talent Analysis

Chris Leblanc is a hardworking two-way forward with high compete and a well-rounded skillset. He is a magician in the faceoff circle and a brute along the boards. He has the hockey sense to find great scoring opportunities, and the heavy shot to bury them.

Future

Leblanc was gamble pick for the Senators—one the team may have lost. He has been injury prone during his NCAA career, and has failed to make an impact when healthy. Now a college junior, he returned to Merrimack this fall—where he will have to make some serious strides to show that he belongs in Binghamton in 2017.

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