On Tuesday, Slovakian-based KHL club HC Slovan Bratislava announced it signed Louis Leblanc, the 18th overall pick at the 2009 draft.
Leblanc, 24, was selected by Montreal amid great fanfare in ’09 -- the draft was at the Bell Centre in Montreal that year, and Leblanc was born and raised in Quebec.
Following a brief stint in the USHL, Leblanc spent one year starring for Harvard before signing with the Habs and forgoing his college eligibility.
That proved to be a defining moment. He only played briefly in the QMJHL, before embarking on a pro career that saw him bounce back and forth between Montreal and the club’s AHL affiliate.
In 2013, Leblanc made headlines when his girlfriend took to social media to complain about him being cut from training camp. Months later, the Habs shipped him to Anaheim but Leblanc never played for the Ducks, spending all of his time with AHL Norfolk.
This summer, the Ducks chose not to qualify Leblanc, who was then signed by the Islanders.
The Isles agreed to release him after he failed to make the team out of training camp.