But before he sets foot in the NHL, Leblanc will have a chance to develop his game while playing for the Crimson.

“Harvard is a great place,” he said in an email. “I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to come here. Coach Donato is a great coach and he knows his hockey.”

Alex Biega, a fifth round draft pick in the 2006 draft, made a similar decision.

“You have four years to develop and get bigger and stronger,” Biega said. “Obviously there’s the insurance of getting an education from one of the most prestigious schools.”

For Biega and Leblanc, both undersized players, the college schedule, which has fewer games than the professional schedule, allows for more time spent lifting at Palmer-Dixon.

But Harvard’s captain cites another benefit.

“You really grow as an individual [in college],” Biega said. “You come in a boy and come out a man. He’s really opened his eyes, seen what the world is really like.”

—Staff writer Christina C. McClintock can be reached at ccmcclin@fas.harvard.edu.