Olivier Leblanc THW Close-Up:
Date of birth: 2/17/1996
Place of birth: Quebec, QC, CAN
Ht: 5’11” Wt: 159 lbs
Shoots: Left
Position: D
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2014
Twitter: @3LeBlanc
THW The Next Ones Rankings (January 2014): not ranked
Other Rankings:
THW War Room Rankings (April): not ranked
Future Considerations: not ranked
Craig Button: not ranked
CS Final Rankings for North American skaters: 126
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The Saint John Sea Dogs seem to have draft talent every year. Olivier Leblanc is hoping to be another Sea Dog selected in an NHL draft this season. On the backend, Leblanc was a creative puck-mover for the QMJHL team. He led all defensemen on the team with 33 points in 56 games. He’s brisk on his skates and can accelerate with little effort. His speed leads to rushes up the ice and scoring chances in the offensive zone. He’s poised with the puck and can set up plays easily.
Unfortunately, he does have many issues to work on defensively. He pinches too frequently and often gets caught out of position. In the defensive zone, he focuses on when he’ll get the puck to transition the game instead of being in position to make a strong defensive play. His shot from the point isn’t all that great. He’s going to need a great deal of time to find a happy medium between his offense and defense, but should be an entertaining player to watch.
Where Will He End Up In June:
Leblanc will be a late round pick – either 5th or 6th round.
Scout’s Honor:
“‘Leblanc is a smooth skating puck moving defenseman who sees the ice extremely well and makes crisp tape-to-tape passes. Skates well and is poised with the puck but needs to gain strength and improve defensively. (November 2013)“
Aaron Vickers – Future Considerations
“Undersized lightweight defenseman with good vision, puck moving ability. Passes the puck well handles his defensive responsibilities despite the fact he may be a long term guy who needs weight and muscle to ascend up the ladder.“
Bill Placzek – Draftsite.com
Statistics:
International Tournaments:
Leblanc played for Team Quebec in the U17 World Hockey Championships. He had four assists in six games.
ETA:
3-4 years
Risk/Reward Analysis:
Risk: 3/5 Reward: 3/5
NHL Potential:
2nd pairing puck-moving defenseman that can play on the powerplay
Strengths:
Speed
Poise
Passing
Leads the rush up ice
Acceleration
Offensive instincts
Flaws/Aspects He Needs To Work On:
Defensive play
Pinches too frequently
Positioning
Getting stronger
Fantasy Hockey Potential:
Offensive: 6/10 Defensive: 2/10
NHL Player Comparison:
– NHL comparison: Mark Streit
Videos:
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THW’s The Next Ones prospect profile template design architect: Chris Ralph
