Stephane Leblanc Is Sharks New Director of CHL Scouting

Stephane Leblanc will be the San Jose Sharks’ new Director of CHL Scouting.

There’s no doubt that Chris Morehouse, San Jose’s new Director of Amateur Scouting, knows him well. Leblanc has been with the Columbus Blue Jackets for the past eight seasons, where Morehouse himself scouted for from 2013 to 2019. Leblanc began his scouting career in 2012 as the New Brunswick Region Scout for the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs.

Learn more about Leblanc’s path to the NHL in this 2019 episode of “Sports Inclusive”:

We’ll see how or if Leblanc will replace retiring Sharks amateur scouts Gilles Cote (QMJHL) and Brian Gross (WHL).

The San Jose Sharks’ press release noted that the Blue Jackets had sent 21 draft picks to the NHL since Leblanc’s first Draft with the club in 2015, including current San Jose defenseman Markus Nutivaara. Columbus selected Nutivaara in the seventh round of the 2015 Draft.

While it’s hard to say how much credit an individual like Leblanc should receive for his team’s picks, the Blue Jackets’ 21 NHL graduates since the 2015 Draft is third in the league in this department, trailing just the New Jersey Devils (27) and Philadelphia Flyers (23).

Besides Nutivaara, key Columbus draft picks since 2015 include Zach Werenski, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Vladislav Gavrikov, and Cole Sillinger.

The San Jose Sharks also officially announced today that they’re bringing on Tommy Wingels and Luca Sbisa as development coaches. San Jose Hockey Now reported and confirmed this news last week:

BREAKING: Wingels, Sbisa Joining Sharks as Development Coaches

Marchant on What Wingels & Sbisa Bring to Sharks, How Player Development Has Evolved (+)