Feature Story
LeBlanc enjoying time in Windy City
As the USHL has evolved over the last 15
years, something that has become prolific is the underage players that are
honing their craft in the league. Simply, the league is getting younger.
Something that comes with such an infusion of youth is a number of kids that
are leaving home earlier, while still in high school, to play hockey in
One such player is
“Obviously it was a tough decision to
leave my friends and my family, the people that supported me all the way up
through youth hockey,” LeBlanc said. “The deciding factor was developmental.
The pace of the USHL is so fast and everyone is so big and strong that it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me.”
Another thing making the decision tough
for LeBlanc was the fact that his high school team, the Hermantown Hawks, is
coming off a Minnesota Class A state championship. The chance to play for a
repeat was forced by the wayside in the name of development.
“When I first got to Hermantown, the
hockey program was decent. They had made it to the state tournament and I think
they took second one year and that really generated interest in the program,”
said LeBlanc, who played his first years of hockey in Proctor, Minn. “Once the
interest increased then you saw Hermantown become a hockey powerhouse. We were
fortunate to get there twice and then finally win it last year. It was the
first state title in any major sport for Hermantown.”
LeBlanc parlayed his run through
“To be honest, I was kind of surprised to
be ranked at all. I was hoping for the best, but expecting the worst on draft
day,” LeBlanc said. “Not getting picked is a real motivator. There are people
who think that I can play there someday, but there are obviously things that I
need to work on to do it. I’ve trained harder this year and hopefully I can do
all the right things this year to get chosen.”
The Steel are off to a good start in
2007-08, establishing themselves as one of the best offensive teams in the
USHL. LeBlanc is nearly on a point-per-game pace, with five points in the first
seven contests. As a result, LeBlanc was one of the players chosen to represent
the United States in the 2007 World Junior A Challenge, being held November
5-11 in Trail and Nelson, British Columbia.
“I was just so shocked to be picked.
Growing up, I never really had success in the USA Hockey festivals and wasn’t
picked for their teams, so when I got the email it was really a big deal for
me,” LeBlanc said. “I’m looking forward to representing the country. I’m
looking forward to having a good time and hopefully being a part of a successful
team.”
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