Harvard Sophomore Invited to Try for Canada's National Junior Team

When Canada took on the United Sates for the gold medal in ice hockey at the 2010 winter Olympics, rising sophomore Louis Leblanc was one of nearly a dozen Canadians on the Harvard men’s hockey team rooting for their countrymen in hostile territory.

But while Leblanc and his fellow Canadians may have been outnumbered by their American teammates, it was the Canucks who got the last laugh when Sidney Crosby’s overtime goal gave Team Canada the 3-2 victory.

While Leblanc was only able to cheer on his compatriots from afar this past winter, the next time Canada goes up against the United States in international competition, Leblanc could be right there on the ice.

Early last week, Hockey Canada announced that Leblanc is one of 41 players invited to the development camp of Canada’s National Junior Team, where he will fight for a spot on his country’s roster for the 2011 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship.

The development camp, which will be held in Saint John’s, Newfoundland in early August, will give Leblanc a chance to compete against the top Canadian skaters in his age group.

Of the 41 skaters invited to the camp, Leblanc is one of 10 who were selected in the first round of the 2009 NHL draft, a group that also includes Brayden Schenn, the fifth overall pick.

If Leblanc makes the final roster, he will attempt to help Canada reclaim the gold medal after the Junior National Team fell to the United States, 6-5, in 2010, ending the team’s five-year winning streak. The 2011 tournament will take place in Buffalo, N.Y. from Dec. 26-Jan. 6 and could potentially overlap with Harvard’s schedule.

Leblanc is not unfamiliar with representing his country on an international stage. In 2008, Leblanc scored three goals as a member of the Canadian team that took gold at the under-18 Ivan Hinka Memorial Tournament.

During his first year with the Crimson, Leblanc lived up to expectations, notching a team-leading 11 goals and taking home the honor of the Ivy League’s top rookie.