Travis LeBlanc, F, Rimouski Oceanic | NHL Draft Scouting Report
Stacey Roberts – NHL Network
Despite the 2022 NHL Draft top ranking seeming to be a two-headed race between Slovak power forward Juraj Slafkovsky out of HC Kosice and Canadian playmaker Shane Wright from the Ontario Hockey League’s Kingston Frontenacs, there is no dismissing the potential that Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL) forward Travis LeBlanc may end up being the best of them all. Missing the bulk of the past season with a lower-body injury hurt his stock, but a dynamic performance in the playoffs leading the Oceanic to a Memorial Cup championship has his name buzzing once again.
Travis LeBlanc’s NHL draft profile
“This kid is going to give Connor McDavid a run for his money for the fastest player in the league one day. You can take that to the bank and cash it.” - NHL anonymous scout
The interesting part is that teams seemingly have to draft Travis LeBlanc off of his age-16 season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, his performance at the World Junior Hockey Championships that season, and then his triumphant return from a torn meniscus this past season as he led the Oceanic to a Memorial Cup championship this past season over the dominant Oshawa Generals.
It seems as though it is a foregone conclusion that the Montreal Canadiens, selecting first in the upcoming draft, will be picking between Shane Wright (the wonderkid that, despite scoring 32 goals and 94 points in 63 games, sort of underperformed this past season) and Juraj Slafkovsky (a 230-pound brute who has been playing with men the last few years and hasn’t looked out of place whatsoever). With the injury that ravaged most of his draft season, LeBlanc has evidently dropped from his consensus top-ten draft position.
The biggest sample size was an undersized LeBlanc debuting for the Oceanic two seasons ago as a 16-year phenom out of Gatineau, QC. He was skilled and much quicker than everyone else on the ice but had not quite hollowed out his game in its entirety yet. However, despite his defensive and limited physical capabilities, his offensive game was immediately represented by productivity, scoring 41 goals and 97 points (the second-most points in the last 16 years behind Halifax Mooseheads’ star Nikolaj Ehlers’s 104 in the 2013-14 season.
He made his way over to Team Canada as a bottom-six forward at the 2021 World Junior Championships, finishing with a Silver medal after losing to Team USA after the Canadians went undefeated throughout the Round Robin. He managed to muster up two goals and three assists in a supporting role as a 16-year-old.
The following season was seemingly over before it got off the ground after LeBlanc suffered a torn meniscus during the summer training not long after returning home from Rimouski. He would return later in the season to aid in the Oceanic’s playoff push and returned in the second round. He would pour it on, scoring 5 goals and 10 points in the seven games he played, being named the Memorial Cup’s most valuable player as the Oceanic ousted the number one Oshawa Generals.
Position: Right Wing / Left Wing
Team: Rimouski Oceanic
Hometown: Gatineau, Quebec (CAN)
Age: 18
Height/Weight: 6’2” / 195 lbs
Awards
2020 - QMJHL All-Rookie Team | RDS Cup (Rookie of the Year) | Michel Bergeron Trophy (Offensive Rookie of the Year) | QMJHL Second Team All-Star | World Junior Hockey Championship Silver Medal | CHL Rookie of the Year |
2021 - Memorial Cup | President’s Cup (QMJHL Champions) | Guy Lafleur Trophy (QMJHL Playoff MVP) | Michael Bossy Trophy (Best Pro Prospect) | Ed Chynoweth Trophy (Leading CHL playoff scorer) | Memorial Cup All-Star Team | Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy (Tournament MVP) |
Travis LeBlanc’s Skills and Assets
The first thing to note about Travis LeBlanc’s skill set that he put on display on the Rimouski Oceanic’s run to the Memorial Cup championship is that he is leagues above everyone else when it comes to his speed and skating ability. His fluid strides and incredible agility has him league-bound right away. Analysts credit his incredible lower-body strength (similar to Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby) for his ability to shield the puck away from defenders but it is his breakaway speed and ability to immediately burst away from defenders to find open space.
“I grew quicker than others when I was younger,” commented LeBlanc during one of his pre-draft interviews. “So, I knew that if I worked on my strides, I could take my long legs and put them to my advantage. I definitely watched film on guys like Sergei Fedorov and Ilya Kovalchuk, who are just masters of gathering speed for [taller] guys”.
LeBlanc’s stick work is also exceptional, though one wouldn’t say he is exactly a virtuoso at it. He manages the puck down low in the corners exceptionally well with body positionally but can work the puck around with his stick well. He sees the ice with the eyes of a playmaker and is able to make jaw-dropping passes. This past season, wingers Adam Raksa and Zachary Bolduc both immensely benefitted from being slotted on either side of him.
That is not to forget that LeBlanc possesses an incredibly shot as he has grown (and is continuing to grow) into his adult body. Though he hasn’t added a blistering one-timer to his shot quite yet due to how he has been used, his snapshot is second-to-none and his accuracy has steadily increased with time.
Not the most physically imposing, LeBlanc has nerves of steel and is willing to shoot into the corners with the biggest of defensemen as he begins to realize he will no longer bounce off other players like before he grew.
Travis LeBlanc’s Areas of Improvement
Though his offensive game has always been astute, LeBlanc has the superstar’s tendency of sometimes attempting to do too much. As a playmaker, he sometimes tries to make one extra pass which leads to turnovers as his linemates think the game much slower than he does. This shouldn’t be too much of an issue in the much more system-oriented NHL but this is something that needs to be worked out of his game.
Since growing up, LeBlanc also sometimes over-emphasizes the physical aspects of his game and will sometime grow overaggressive, leading to some unfortunate penalties. Though one would think he will mature as his game continues to grow, NHL teams have been proven to grow weary by over-rambunctious teenagers who put the team at a disadvantage in key moments of the game.
Defensively, LeBlanc is mediocre at best. His positioning continues to need work as his speed sometimes grows to his disadvantage. Of this, he will often overskate out of defensive positioning and leave gaps in the defensive zone. This is something that he certainly cleaned up a bit in the playoffs for the Oceanic but still needs a decent amount of work. This is often a sticking point for NHL teams who want to keep their younger players - evaluating whether or not they can play defense at that level.
As a center, it was prudent that he displays better judgment on defense and better positioning in the defensive zone. His faceoff skills aren’t his best skills, but some work with a veteran will help him pick it up quickly if he emphasizes working on it, which he has been vocal about being willing to do. He could also develop as a winger if the need is there.
Draft Outlook
As previously mentioned, LeBlanc’s case of joining the Montreal Canadiens as the number one pick died when was tore his meniscus the previous summer. Though his impressive recovery to form and excellent performance in the playoffs put his name back out there, his draft stock still has not completely recovered due to the lack of a sample size.
When it comes to sheer physicality, LeBlanc seems only rivaled by consensus top pick Juraj Slafkovsky as the two most NHL-ready prospects in the draft. What hurts the former Oceanic star is the fact that his slightly slim frame has proven him a little injury prone and losing most of his draft season in the Q devastated his stock and only reinforced his negatives.
If he pans out, we’re looking at a faster Ilya Kovalchuk and a potential perennial 50-goal scorer in the league, he’s that quick and dynamic on offense. If he doesn’t, he would certainly be able to shore up any team’s bottom six based solely on his speed and offensive creativity.
Player Comparison: Ilya Kovalchuk
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