Drew LeBlanc Debut Last Night, What Was His Grade?

Drew LeBlanc the newest Chicago Blackhawk #14 (picture courtesy of sctimes.com)

Drew Leblanc made his first NHL career last night here is the official stat line of the game: 0 goals 0 assists -1 rating 3 shots 12:12 ice time 38% faceoffs. There was no first shift of the season goal for Leblanc like it was for Jeremy Morin but here is the highlights of his first game.

The first period looked like every normal human would look like when taking the ice for the first time in an NHL game, a little in awe and taking in the surroundings.  Not everyone is Sidney Crosby or Patrick Kane and can just step in and feel like they belong.  Even Brandon Saad took a few games to get his skates underneath him before he started out on his quest for the Calder Trophy.

The second period was a bit slow for LeBlanc due to the amount of special teams play in the period. There were three separate minor penalties called and for most of the period it was hard to find #14 anywhere but on the bench.

The third period was a different story and it seemed like LeBlanc was on the ice for most of it.  He got off shots and was in on a couple great shifts with Patrick Kane where you thought for sure a goal was coming soon.

LeBlanc looked to be a very good passer with only one noticeable pass behind Patrick Sharp during the contest and seemed to fit right in with the rest of the Blackhawks and  he did have some noticeably good shifts in the last period. After the game he was just hoping to lace up the skates Friday night and with nothing left for the Hawks to accomplish before the end of the season there isn’t any real reason why LeBlanc shouldn’t be in the lineup for the last two games

I give the LeBlanc debut a solid B. I think like Saad the more games he gets under his belt the more comfortable he would become and the points would start happening for him on the scoresheet.

What is your grade for LeBlanc’s first NHL game?

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