Terrace minor hockey graduate Chapen Leblond has accepted a scholarship offer from Keyano College in Fort McMurray, northern Alberta, for the 2012/2013 hockey season.
Leblond will be joining the Keyano Huskies as the hockey team makes its inaugural debut into the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference.
"I just like that it was a new team and a fresh start," said Leblond, who is interested in the college's power engineering program, another reason he chose the college.
Coach for the Huskies, Paul Strand said the establishment is very excited Leblond has accepted its offer to play for the team.
“He is a very accomplished player ... and that is what we are looking for as we start this program,” Strand said, noting that they expect Leblond to take on a leadership role with the team.
“He definitely has that experience,” Strand explained.
Leblond has spent the last three years playing in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) with the Winkler Flyers. Skating as the captain of the team this past season, Leblond was also the team’s highest scoring player and was ranked third for scoring in the MJHL. He played 62 regular season games and earned 77 points in the 2011/2012 season.
Assistant general manager for the Winkler Flyers, Ernie Sutherland said Leblond improved steadily over his three years with the team, from starting at 17-years-old as a third line player to advancing on to be the number one scorer on the team, as well as its captain.
“He is just a solid player that you would love to have,” Sutherland said, adding Leblond led by example.
Before playing with the Flyers, Leblond spent two years in the B.C. Hockey League with the Cowichan Valley Capitals.
During his Terrace minor hockey career, Leblond was a part of the 2009 provincial victory of the midget rep hockey team.