Leclerc gets fresh start

From The Daily News of Monday, Aug. 27, 2007 . . .

Justin Leclerc wanted a fresh start.
The Kamloops Blazers were more than willing to give it to him.
Leclerc, an 18-year-old goaltender, was acquired from the Lethbridge
Hurricanes for a second-round 2008 WHL bantam draft pick Thursday.
“We talked about me moving forward,” Leclerc — that’s with two small c’s and
it’s pronounced leclare — said Saturday while watching the final scrimmage
of the Blazers’ rookie camp at Interior Savings Centre. “It just seemed like
a good time for a fresh start. The Hurricanes really respected my wishes and
went ahead with it.”
Leclerc was Lethbridge’s third-round pick in the 2004 draft. He put together
a strong rookie season (2005-06), going 10-12-6 with a 3.32 GAA and a .896
save percentage for a team that went 27-42-3.
He then was named to Canada’s under-18 team for the annual August tournament
in Europe. He saw only 80 minutes of action, though, as the team’s other
goaltender, Trevor Cann of the OHL’s Peterborough Petes, got “real hot.”
Last season, however, Leclerc struggled, going 15-19-1 with a 3.62 GAA and
.872 save percentage as he split time with Mike Maniago, who had been
acquired from Kamloops on Oct. 24. Perhaps it was fitting, then, that
mononucleosis ended Leclerc’s season with 10 games remaining.
Today, he’s healthy. And the fresh start he so badly wanted began Sunday
with fitness testing at The ATM and an evening skate at Memorial Arena.
He had been at home in Saskatoon — he was born in Hamilton, but his family
moved to ŒToontown when he was about 18 months of age — when he got word of
the trade. He had told the Hurricanes that he would report to their camp no
matter his status and was to leave Monday. Instead, he found himself on his
way to Kamloops. He wasn’t surprised; it just happened a bit sooner than
expected.
“I didn’t expect to be traded before camp,” he said. “But I knew it was a
possibility. When the call came, I wasn’t disappointed. I wanted a fresh
start and a good situation, and I feel I’ve gotten that.”
Hurricanes general manager Roy Stasiuk told the Lethbridge Herald: “We knew
we had two really good goaltenders with Justin and Michael Maniago, but
Justin wasn’t sure he wanted to commit to our goaltending rotation again
this season.”
While Leclerc said Kamloops would have been on a list of desirable places in
which to play, he added that “of all the teams in the league this is the one
on which I know the fewest players. I’m sure I know two or three players on
most of the other teams.”
The only Kamloops player with whom he is familiar is centre Jimmy Bubnick,
who also is from Saskatoon. In fact, the two worked out together this
summer. (Leclerc also worked as an instructor at a goaltending school; one
of the clients was Josh Thorimbert, one of the Blazers‚ 2007 draft picks and
a rookie camp attendee.)
“I heard this is a hockey city,” Leclerc said with a straight face, “but
I’ve only played here once.”
Actually, Leclerc was on the bench as the Hurricanes, with Kevin Opsahl in
goal, dropped a 2-1 decision to the Blazers here on Oct. 14, 2005.
“I know the team was good last season, and everything seems to be in place
now,” Leclerc added.
Time will tell whether he is one of the final pieces in the puzzle, but his
arrival certainly provides general manager and head coach Dean Clark with a
few more options.
Prior to Thursday, Dustin Butler, 20, was the unquestioned No. 1 goaltender.
While Butler still is atop the depth chart today, his hold is a little
shakier. The Blazers are allowed to play three 20-year-olds and Butler is
one of five in camp. Before the acquisition of Leclerc it was pretty much a
given that one of those spots would go to Butler. That isn’t the case now.