Former Hockey Player Called Up by Canadiens

Back in 2009, Louis Leblanc was the 18th name called in the NHL draft, taken in the first round by the Montreal Canadiens. A little more than four years later, the former Ivy League Rookie of the Year heard his name called again, this time to tell him that he’d been called back up to the NHL squad.

After a year in the developmental AHL league playing for the Hamilton Bulldogs, Leblanc will get another shot with the Canadiens after being cut early in training camp. The 6’0” right-winger/center played in 42 games for the top pro squad two seasons ago, but a high ankle sprain in October of 2012 kept him out of action and off the Canadiens roster.

Cut to this season, where in his two week stint playing for Montreal in late October and early November, Leblanc did not notch a point in five games. Though he was sent down on Nov. 5, it seems as though the Canadiens management is taking another chance on the former first-rounder, who had scored nine goals in 36 games for the Bulldogs.

The Habs sit in third in the Atlantic conference and hope Leblanc can fill the spot vacated by 19-year-old third-line center Alex Galchenyuk, who is out for at least another four weeks with a broken hand. In the meantime, Leblanc projects to get his fair share of shifts as long as Galchenyuk is out.

The past few years for the former Crimson forward have been somewhat of a disappointment. Leblanc led Harvard with 23 points in his decorated freshman season for the Crimson and recorded three game winning goals.

Rather than completing his time at Harvard, Leblanc decided to heard straight to the NHL, signing a three-year contract with the Habs. He played a year in the Canadian Hockey League in 2010 before playing in the Habs organization, posting 58 points in 51 games for the Montreal Junior Hockey Club.