Olivier LeBlanc

History

2011-12: Olivier LeBlanc played in Quebec midget AAA hockey as a 15-year-old; skating for the Seminaire St-Francois Blizzard. He scored 3 goals with 12 assists and 24 penalty minutes in 40 regular season games. The Blizzard reached the Quebec finals, falling to College Esther-Blondin four games to one and missing out on a trip to the Telus Cup. LeBlanc scored 1 goal with 4 assists and 6 penalty minutes in 20 playoff games. He was selected by St. John in the first round (11th overall) of the 2012 QMJHL Entry Draft.

2012-13: LeBlanc played for Saint John and was an assistant captain for Canada Quebec at the 2013 U17 World Hockey Challenge. LeBlanc skated in 60 regular season games for the Sea Dogs and scored 4 goals with 14 assists; finishing -32 with 41 penalty minutes. Saint John slipped to fifth in the Maritimes Division one season after winning back-to-back QMJHL championships. The Sea Dogs made the playoffs despite having the league’s third worst record and LeBlanc was -4 with 4 penalty minutes in the four-game series with Memorial Cup-bound Halifax. He scored 1 goal with 3 assists and 4 penalty minutes in six games at the WHC for Canada Quebec.

2013-14: LeBlanc skated in 56 games for Saint John in his second season — missing nearly a month after suffering an injury in February. An assistant captain and the leading scorer among Sea Dogs defensemen, he scored 7 goals with 26 assists and was minus-15 with 58 penalty minutes. Saint John missed the playoffs after finishing last in the Maritimes Division. LeBlanc was ranked 126th amongst North American skaters in the Central Scouting final rankings and was selected by Columbus in the seventh round (197th overall) in the 2014 NHL Draft.

2014-15: LeBlanc competed for the Columbus squad at the Traverse City rookie tournament and attended his first training camp with the Blue Jackets before being returning to Saint John for his third QMJHL season. A team captain for the Sea Dogs, he skated in 37 games with Saint John before being acquired by Cape Breton at the QMJHL trade deadline in January 2015. In 58 regular season games between the two clubs he scored 7 goals with 27 assists and was +21 with 63 penalty minutes. The Screaming Eagles finished fifth in the Maritimes Division, taking Quebec to seven games in a first-round playoff series. A season-ending injury suffered in March kept LeBlanc out of the playoffs. 

2015-16: LeBlanc received an invitation to Canada’s U20 camp for the 2016 World Juniors and attended training camp with the Blue Jackets before returning ton Cape Breton. He also played for the QMJHL All-Stars in the 2015 Subway Series against Russia. He scored 5 goals with 31 assists and was +30 with 70 penalty minutes in 59 regular season games, receiving a three-game suspension in January. The  Screaming Eagles finished third in the Maritimes Division, facing Chicoutimi in a first-round series.

Talent Analysis

Leblanc is a smooth skater, which primes him to join the rush and skate confidently with the puck. He has good vision and can quickly change zones with crisp passing. A long range prospect, he is a bit slight at this point and will need to add bulk and strength to compete at the pro level but he shows no hesitance when it comes to mixing it up physically. His offensive skills are impressive and he is working on becoming a more defensively responsible player so that can stay with opposing forwards in one-on-one battles.

Future

LeBlanc skated for Cape Breton in 2015-16 and was the second-leading scorer amongst Screaming Eagles' defensemen behind Loik Leveille. He was not signed by the Blue Jackets and will re-enter the 2016 NHL Draft. His lack of bulk will certainly be an issue at the pro level but his desire and production in junior hockey are plusses.