Vivian Leblanc heard his name called from the draft podium three seasons ago in the second round, not by his current team, the Winnipeg Jets, but by the Toronto North Stars. It was the 24th overall pick in a rather shallow, shallow compared to six round extravaganza that would be the S46 Reddit Draft class. As a goalie, Leblanc had known that it would be uncertain who would take a flyer on him. He was the first goalie selected in his draft class...and also the only one selected, something that would make his class rather unusual. Leblanc had no reason to expect to be moved, and so a month passed as he quietly honed his craft as a member of the Toronto organization. To this day, he reflects rather fondly on draft day and the excitement of the uncertainty it brought.

“I think the SHL draft days is one of the best parts of being in the league. I was curious to find out where I would go and when I found out I was going to Toronto I just sort of went with it. I had no idea how high I would be picked but second round is pretty good as far as I know. I knew I had a lot to offer whoever picked me. There were a lot of good other players but I had the advantage of being a player that is in short supply. So many teams reached out and I knew others had interest, but Toronto was just how the cookie crumbled in my case. Canadian teams are always pretty authentic with hockey from what I can tell, so it was a legit first experience with SHL hockey clubs,” said Vivian Leblanc.

But little did he know that over in the other conference, the Winnipeg Jets were on the hunt for goalie to take over the crease for the aging Artom Zhumbayev, who had articulated plans to retire in the near future (and would go on to end his career after S46). Needing an heir to their long-time netminder, the Jets saw a potential solution in Vivian Leblanc. He was a young goalie who, albeit in a shallow draft class, had been drafted within the top 25 and was still actively training to enter the professional level. Winnipeg’s core had aged rapidly, just a shell of the team that had become the S44 Challenge Cup champions, but they knew with new faces, they could commence another era for the franchise.

So with a few players retiring at the end of S45, Winnipeg decided to ship some of them out to other cities. Dynamic offensive forward Pietra Volkova was placed on the block, as a rental for his final season, and within hours, Toronto had phoned expressing interest. The North Stars were agreeable to the idea of including Leblanc as part of a package, along with their S47 first round pick, for Pietra Volkova and Winnipeg’s S47 second round pick. That first round pick would become the 12th overall pick, which was used by the Jets to select winger Noah Gallagher, so looking back on it, Winnipeg got two up-and-coming prospects for their rental. But at the time, Leblanc was startled to receive notifs informing him that he was being moved to a different team; the news had come out of left field.

“Well, I didn’t know what to think but I tried to take it in stride. FlappyGiraffe seemed nice enough and the locker room was welcoming. It was clear that they had high hopes for me, so I was willing to see how this would all turn out. I dare say it’s turned out pretty nicely for my career. It kind of hurts when you get traded. You feel unwanted by your old team a bit, yeah, it stings. Then there’s a lot of change and a big adjustment period to deal with too. Toronto thought it was worth it to move me, but then you think of it like Winnipeg thought it was worth it to get me. And that feels a lot better. It was all very shortly after I was drafted so it took me a little while to get that perspective, but now I’m quite happy to be here in Winnipeg,” said Vivian Leblanc.

Perhaps it was overwhelming for a first draft experience. Leblanc had not gotten to partake in an SMJHL draft; he joined the league after the S44 SMJHL draft and was snapped up by the Kelowna Knights. Leblanc made 19 appearances in his rookie juniors season, posting a less-than-stellar 0.855 save percentage and a 4-12-2 record. Scouts were not scared off by these numbers as he had feared, but his numbers made the days leading up to the draft feel more uncertain. Blue-chip prospects were often standouts in juniors, but in spite of his initial struggles, SHL scouts saw something they liked in Leblanc. His reaction time was like lightning, and many of his saves appeared effortless. 

“I’d say very few players waltz into the league and just instantly know what they’re doing. I wasn’t as ready in that first year as I would be down the road. But it was a good learning experience and it was humbling to say the least. Juniors is a lot more competitive than you would think for something that is basically a minor league, a farm team system, for the SHL. Getting my foot in the door was the first step, and then I could try to get better at goaltending. I was very happy that the Kelowna Knights signed me and gave me a chance in the SMJHL. It was a good team and a good place to start my career. We didn’t start out very strong when I first joined but we were always going to be better the year after, that was the plan. That rookie season was difficult, but we made it through and we were stronger for it,” said Vivian Leblanc.

Leblanc came back to the Knights in S45, ready to prove himself. The trade weighed on his mind shortly after, as he had started the year as property of the Toronto North Stars. It could have distracted even the best of players, but he didn’t allow this to affect his play drastically. He looked like a different goaltender in his sophomore year, posting solid numbers and achieving a winning record. Kelowna had fashioned him into a workhorse; Leblanc shouldered a heavy load that year, starting 46 games, but he did not falter in spite of the strain on his endurance. His save percentage improved to .887 and he finished with a 26-16-3 record. Kelowna was on the rise as well, finishing third in the SMJHL and trailing only 1 point behind the two tied first place teams (the Detroit Falcons and the Anchorage Armada).

“I’ve progressively gotten better as each year has gone by in my opinion. Winning games is really how you judge how good you are as a goalie, I mean that’s your job description right? Stop the puck, don’t let the other team score, win games. And people started to realize in my second year, this guy is the real deal, he can do that goalie stuff as well as anyone. I played most of the season and did pretty well. I hope my GMs, both in the juniors and the pros, were happy with how I was doing that year and how I was developing. I could see noticeable improvement at least myself so that was a good sign that I was going in the right direction. It’s funny how long ago it seems, but from what I remember, it was a good year and a big step forward in my career. There was still room to be even better though, and that was what the next year would be all about,” said Vivian Leblanc.

Leblanc was back in S46 for one final year in the juniors with Kelowna before heading up; the Jets would be in need of his services since their starter intended to retire at the end of this year. He continued his juniors success, appearing in 40 games as the Knights’ starter, and improving his save percentage to .895, nearly at the 90% mark. He got a 22-12-4 record, and within Leblanc defending the fort, the Knights captured first place in the SMJHL. Kelowna carried their success to the postseason, heading to the Four Star Cup finals to face the St. Lous Scarecrows and falling just short of a victory. It was tantalizingly close, with the series going to 7 games, and Kelowna lost the final game by only a goal. Leblanc did everything humanly possible to put his team ahead, posting a .910 save percentage. His playoff performance was valiant and admirable, and, after witnessing that this young goaltender had another gear, Winnipeg knew he was ready to face the big leagues.

“Oh boy, there’s a lot to talk about in S46. Kelowna did so good that year and we were all so proud of ourselves. I guess I’ll never know what it’s like to win an SMJHL championship, but it’ll feel a lot better to look back and be an SHL champion. St. Louis was the better team there, but I loved how I played and I knew it wasn’t my fault. So losing there didn’t hurt me really, I was confident I could be a good goalie after that season. The Jets wanted me to come up and I knew they needed me. I couldn’t pass up a chance to play in the pros and I wanted the bigger challenge. I just hoped I wasn’t getting more than I could bargain for. I was taking nothing for granted, and I trained hard to be ready to tackle the big leagues,” said Vivian Leblanc.

But who knew if Leblanc’s junior success would actually carry over to the SHL? After all, goalies were often the SHL rookies that struggled the most; few would have faulted Leblanc for a rocky initial season. It was a different grade of competition, and the players in the pros had years and years of experience. Somehow though, his S47 SHL regular season numbers were better than those he had posted in his final year with Kelowna. Leblanc and Cédric Moreau comprised Winnipeg’s tandem, with starts split between them, and the idea of a more rested Leblanc worked. He appeared in 27 games, putting up a 15-12-0 winning record and a .905 save percentage. The winning record is all the more impressive considering that the Jets were not a winning club in S47. Leblanc was quite the surprise and the bright spot in what was otherwise a forgettable season.

“It was great to be in the SHL after all this time and to play well. I think I’ll be able to help the Jets get the ball rolling with winning just like I did in Kelowna. My stats look pretty good and now I have the rookie year out of the way so it’s probably, hopefully only up from here. Winnipeg looks like they’re really starting to trust me and I feel excited about the upcoming season. I want to improve on those 15 wins, maybe get a few more starts but really I’m pretty happy with how things went. I didn’t want the Jets to second guess me, I needed to play well, and I did. Stopped a lot of shots and played as well as pretty much any goalie in the league could, not bad for a rookie,” said Vivian Leblanc.

The Winnipeg Jets just locked up the majority of their core, and it looks as though an extension for Vivian could be down the road. They entered free agency with a big splash, signing a star forward in Crossfit Jesus, but they did not look for a goaltender in free agency or acquire one via trade. It appears as though they will continue to trust the crease to Leblanc, who has exceeded all expectations. He has earned 561 TPE this far, and is quickly approaching Cedric Moreau’s total of 707 TPE. After he catches Moreau in that regard, he will be the clear cut #1 goalie in the duo; becoming a full-fledged starter is the next step for his Jets tenure. Nearly two years after the trade that altered his career path, Leblanc has settled down in Manitoba, flourished under the guidance of their management, and found happiness in his new location.

“Being traded to Winnipeg was the best thing that could have happened to me. I really love it here and it’s starting to feel like home. I’ve had so much opportunity here that I don’t think I would have had anywhere else and I’m very thankful, I really am. Everyone in Winnipeg is great, from the GMs to the players to even the younger guys and the alumni. Staying here awhile, staying here longer doesn’t sound so bad, doesn’t sound bad at all. We have a lot of our guys sticking around and everything about our roster short term and long terms looks so good on paper. I believe we have a good shot to win a ton of games and make some Cup runs, and that’s something I want to be a part of. There’s a good feeling in Winnipeg at the moment and I think success is right around the corner. I’m going to continue to play my best in the crease and try not to let anyone down,” said Vivian Leblanc.

The Jets added some new young faces on the team to join Leblanc and the rest of its young core a few days ago through the S48 SHL entry draft. Their first pick was forward Calogero Crudelli at 5th overall, followed by forward Tah Puhcheese over 30 picks later at 37, and goaltender Theo Haas at 53. Leblanc may now have a potential rival coming up the goalie pipeline in Theo Haas, but it is unlikely Winnipeg has plans to surmount him; that late in a shallow draft, any chance to get an active must be taken, even if it’s a real shot in the dark. Finding value in those later picks is an efficient way to better a franchise, and that is how the Jets have discovered many of their finest gems in the past. Haas currently has 205 TPE, is highly regarded for his locker room presence, and he could be a potential backup for Leblanc once Moreau starts regressing if the pick works out.

“I’m not worried at all about having another goalie as a Jets prospect. I’m not going to get self-assured just because I had a good year this year. I plan to keep working, it’s just extra motivation to keep my spot. Winnipeg always gets good value prospects in the draft from what I seen, and I have a feeling we did that this year. The new guys look solid, Crudelli has already been a huge locker room presence so that’s a major plus. And if the latter two work out, well we hit a home run and that’s good for the team. It is a good question who will back me up down the road, and of course I will retire one day and someone will follow me. But that’s a long ways away, not something I want to think about right now when my career is just starting. For now, it’s just more pieces on a young team that are going to combine when we are all good in a few years to make us a force to be reckoned with. I think the draft went pretty well this week and I can’t wait to see what the new guys have to offer,” said Vivian Leblanc.