Showing posts with label Louis Leblanc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Louis Leblanc. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Stay in School part three, Louis Leblanc
I am an advocate of college hockey. According to College Hockey Inc., 31 percent of the players in the NHL came from the college ranks. Recently, I have been profiling college hockey players that have left their college teams early, for the lure of the big money in the NHL/professional ranks.
Here’s another example of a player that could have benefited from a couple more years at Harvard. Louis Leblanc was drafted in the first round, 18th overall by the Montreal Canadiens. Last week, Leblanc signed a one-year deal with the Anaheim Ducks.
In 50 NHL games with the Habs, Leblanc scored (5g-5a—10pts). In 163 AHL games, Leblanc scored (34g-34—68pts). In hind sight, I wonder if Leblanc wished he had spent a few more seasons in college? Maybe not!
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Kristo will sign next April after the NCAA Playoffs
After reading this article from the Montreal Gazette, it sounds like Kristo intends to sign with the Montreal Canadians after the UND’s season is over. According to the Sioux forward; Kristo and his teammates have some unfinished business to do.
Based on who UND returns to the lineup and who is coming in, Fighting Sioux hockey fans might have something to be excited about going into the season. What makes the prospects more exciting is an inspired Kristo on a mission and the spark that he could add to this team.
Taking it further, imagine Kristo with another off-season in the gym ready to lead the Fighting Sioux for the 2012-13 season.
Pat Hickey, The Gazette --- [Danny] Kristo said he envisions turning pro next April after what he hopes will be a successful season at North Dakota. The school was one of the top seeds in the NCAA tournament, but missed a berth in the Frozen Four when it was upset 1-0 by Minnesota in the Midwest Regional final.I guess we first need to correct a few incorrect points from the article, UND was beaten by Minnesota 5-2 in the 2012 West Regional Final and Michigan beat the UND 2-0 in the 2011 NCAA Frozen Four Semi-Final, other than that the mess is pretty good.
North Dakota did appear in the Frozen Four two years ago, but lost 1-0 to Michigan in the semifinals.
“I have some unfinished business in North Dakota,” said Kristo, who was Louis Leblanc’s linemate in the USHL. “The past three years we’ve been close, we’ve had a good team. We only lost three guys from last season, so we’re going to have a good team.”
Kristo said he takes some inspiration from former teammates who stayed at North Dakota for four years.
“Just a year ago at North Dakota, we had three seniors who decided to stay,” Kristo said. “You look at (Matt) Frattin, (Brad) Malone and (Chay) Genoway, and they all played in the NHL last season. There are different paths for everyone. It’s (a) pretty close-knit family at North Dakota and going back for one year will make me better.”
Kristo is one of the more entertaining players to listen to in the post-game media scrums This is just more classic Kristo right here.
“You never know until you get there, but I think was ready,” Kristo said. “With everything that was going on in the offseason, I didn’t know if someone (with the Canadiens) was going to get fired or there was going to be a new GM but, in the end, going back to school would be the right decision.”I think that there is a message here – Kristo talked to his former team mates that stayed all four years at UND instead of signing early to play in the professional rank and he decided that it was a good idea personally if he will return to Grand Forks to play his final season for the Fighting Sioux.
Sometimes I think that some of these college athletes are in a hurry to get to the next level and sometimes these athletes miss out on a great opportunity to play out their college eligibility as well as live the college experience. With the present CBA the money is going to be about the same whether they stay and play three or four season in college. One has to wonder if former Fighting Sioux forwards Jason Gregoire and Brett Hextall regret leaving early to play in the minors last season.
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