Sean Blanchard (born March 29, 1978) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...

currently playing for the Brantford Blast in

Allan Cup Hockey Allan Cup Hockey (ACH), also known as the OHA Senior “AAA” Hockey League, is a senior ice hockey league with three teams in Southern Ontario. The league was founded in 1990 as the Southwestern Senior "A" Hockey League. It is governed by th ...

. He was selected by the

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...

in the fourth round (99th overall) of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, and spent most of his professional career in Europe.

Playing career

Junior

Sean Blanchard started his junior hockey career with the Valley East Cobras of the Great North Midget League. Following a successful season with the Cobra's, Blanchard was drafted 13th overall by the

Ottawa 67's The Ottawa 67's are a major junior ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, that plays in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Established during Canada's centennial year of 1967 and named in honour of this, the 67's currently play thei ...

in the 1994 OHL Priority Draft. He would go on to play for the 67's during all four years of his junior eligibility. During his third season in Ottawa, he had a breakout year winning several awards including the

Max Kaminsky Trophy The Max Kaminsky Trophy is an annual award presented by the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Originally (1961–1969) awarded to the most gentlemanly player in the league, since 1970 it is awarded to the OHL's most outstanding defenceman. The award ...

CHL Defenceman of the Year The CHL Defenceman of the Year Award is given out annually to the top defenceman in the Canadian Hockey League. It is chosen from the winners of the league trophies, the Max Kaminsky Trophy of the Ontario Hockey League, the Bill Hunter Memorial ...

, as well as being named as both an OHL and CHL First Team All Star. As a result of his play, Blanchard was drafted in the fourth round of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft by the

. Blanchard returned to the capital as an overage player, where his was once again named as an OHL First Team All Star, and narrowly lost winning his second Max Kaminsky Trophy to fellow OHL All Star Chris Allen. Following the culmination of his fourth year in Ottawa, Blanchard turned professional.

Professional career

North America

Upon turning professional, Blanchard split time between the

Springfield Falcons The Springfield Falcons were a ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) and played in Springfield, Massachusetts, at the MassMutual Center. In 2016, the Falcons' franchise was purchased by the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Arizona Co ...

of the AHL and the

Mississippi Sea Wolves The Mississippi Sea Wolves were a professional hockey team based in Biloxi, Mississippi, and played in the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. The Sea Wolves were members of the ECHL. The Sea Wolves were founded in 1996 and had considerable success ove ...

of the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a minor professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams across the United States and Canada. Competitively, it is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

, both of whom were the Kings' farm teams. He would spend the majority of the season with the Sea Wolves, and helped the team win the

Kelly Cup The Patrick J. Kelly Cup goes to the playoff champion of the ECHL. The Kelly Cup has been awarded to teams since 1997. Prior to 1997, the playoff winner was awarded the Riley Cup, named after former American Hockey League president Jack Riley. Th ...

, beating the

Richmond Renegades The Richmond Renegades were a professional ice hockey team in Richmond, Virginia that played in the East Coast Hockey League from 1990 until 2003. The Renegades played at the Richmond Coliseum, which they marketed in later years as ''the Freeze ...

in the finals. The Kings would change their farm teams in the off-season, and as a result Blanchard would spend the 1999–00 season with both the AHL's

Lowell Lock Monsters Lowell may refer to: Places United States * Lowell, Arkansas * Lowell, Florida * Lowell, Idaho * Lowell, Indiana * Lowell, Maine * Lowell, Massachusetts ** Lowell National Historical Park ** Lowell (MBTA station) ** Lowell Ordnance Pla ...

and the ECHL's

Trenton Titans The Trenton Titans were a professional minor league ice hockey team that played in the ECHL. The team last played in the Atlantic Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. The Titans played their home games at the Sun National Bank Center in Tren ...

. The following season, Blanchard would primarily play for

Florida Everblades The Florida Everblades are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Estero, Florida, in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, Cape Coral-Fort Myers metropolitan area. They play in the ECHL and are affiliat ...

of the ECHL, but would also dress for the

Grand Rapids Griffins The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional ice hockey team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL), playing their home games at Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of t ...

and

Manitoba Moose The Manitoba Moose are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team plays its home games at Canada Life Centre. The fran ...

, both of the IHL. In Florida he would have a decent season, scoring 30 points in 51 games.

Europe

Following his time in Florida, Blanchard moved the Europe in order to play for the

London Knights The London Knights are a junior ice hockey team from London, Ontario, Canada, playing in the Ontario Hockey League, one of the leagues of the Canadian Hockey League. The Knights started out in 1965 as the London Nationals but changed to their ...

of the BISL. His first season with the Knights saw the team qualify for the playoffs, before narrowly losing to the

Sheffield Steelers The Sheffield Steelers are a professional ice hockey team located in Sheffield, England. They were formed in 1991 and play their home games at the Utilita Arena. They are currently a member of the Elite Ice Hockey League. The club's main (tit ...

in the semi-finals. In his second year with the Knights, the team would make it to the playoff final, ultimately losing to the

Belfast Giants The Belfast Giants (known officially as the Stena Line Belfast Giants due to sponsorship) are a professional ice hockey team based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. They compete in the UK's Elite Ice Hockey League, Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL). T ...

. Following the culmination of the 2002–03 season, the team would fold as a result of their rink, the

London Arena The London Arena (also known as London Docklands Arena) was an indoor arena and exhibition centre in Millwall, on the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England which was inaugurated in 1989 as part of the redevelopment of the London Docklands and ...

, being sold to developers. This, coupled with the

Ayr Scottish Eagles The Ayr Scottish Eagles were a professional Scottish ice hockey club, from Ayr, Scotland. They were formed in 1996 and played their home games at the Centrum Arena. The team competed in the Ice Hockey Superleague and the club's main (title) s ...

and Manchester Storm also folding, and the

Bracknell Bees The Berkshire Bees are an ice hockey team from Slough, Berkshire, UK. They compete in the National Ice Hockey League (NIHL) National League, the second tier of English Ice Hockey. History Early years The Bracknell Bees were formed in 1987, un ...

deciding to drop down to the BNL, culminated in the demise of the BISL. Following the dissolution of the Knights, Blanchard moved to Italy, signing with

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

side SV Ritten for the 2003–04 season. In his first season in Italy, Blanchard would have a great season, scoring 49 points in 41 games, tying Kent Simpson as the team's top scorer. He would remain with the team for the following season, tallying 24 points in 36 games. For the 2005–06 season, Blanchard moved across the border to

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

. There, Blanchard played sparingly for

ZSC Lions The Zürcher Schlittschuh Club Lions are a professional ice hockey team located in Zürich, Switzerland, playing in the National League (NL). Their home arena is the 12,000-seat Swiss Life Arena. The team was founded in 1930 and played at the ...

of the NLA, but also played for GCK Lions of the NLB, ZSC's affiliate team. Blanchard returned to North America for a season, splitting time between the AHL's

Portland Pirates The Portland Pirates were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). Their home arena was the Cross Insurance Arena in downtown Portland, Maine. The franchise was previously known as the Baltimore Skipjacks ...

and their ECHL affiliate

Augusta Lynx The Augusta Lynx were a minor-league professional ice hockey team based in Augusta, Georgia. The Lynx played their home games at the James Brown Arena. The Lynx, who played in the ECHL, had affiliations with the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL a ...

; he had a strong season with the Lynx, scoring 47 points in 57 games, and was named as a Second Team All-Star. For the 2007–08 season, Blanchard returned to Europe in order to play for

DEL Del, or nabla, is an operator used in mathematics (particularly in vector calculus) as a vector differential operator, usually represented by the nabla symbol ∇. When applied to a function defined on a one-dimensional domain, it denotes ...

side Iserlohn Roosters, where he had a solid season, tallying 24 points in 46 games, helping the team to a 5th-place finish. At the culmination of the season, Blanchard remained in Germany, but moved to the

Hamburg Freezers The Hamburg Freezers were a professional men's ice hockey club from Hamburg, Germany that played in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The club announced its withdrawal from the DEL and ceased operations on 24 May 2016 when Anschutz Entertainment Group, ...

, registering 20 points in 51 games as the team finished 8th. He then joined another DEL side

Frankfurt Lions The Frankfurt Lions were a German professional men's ice hockey club from Frankfurt, Germany that played in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The club ceased operations in 2010 due to financial difficulty. History * The hockey team was founded as a ...

for the 2009–10 season. The Lions had a strong season, finishing 2nd during the regular season before losing to 7th seed

ERC Ingolstadt ERC Ingolstadt (''Eishockey-und-Rollschuh club'', ) is a German professional ice hockey club that plays in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Commonly known as the Panthers, the team plays its home games at the Saturn Arena in Ingolstadt. Histor ...

in the first round the playoffs. For the 2010–11 season, Blanchard moved to the

Nürnberg Ice Tigers The Nürnberg Ice Tigers are a professional ice hockey club located in Nuremberg, Germany. They play in the country's premier league, the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. History The roots of the team can be traced back to SG Nürnberg, an ice hockey clu ...

, helping the team finish 10th. He then returned to Iserlohn for the 2011–12 season, however, the team struggled, finishing 10th. One more season in Germany would follow, with Grizzlys Adams Wolfsburg. The team would also finish 10th, however would qualify for the playoffs, before losing to

Kölner Haie The Kölner Haie (English: ''Cologne Sharks'') are an ice hockey club based in Cologne, Germany, that plays in the professional Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). The team was one of the founding members of the DEL. The ''Kölner Haie'' play their ho ...

in the semi-finals. Following his 6th season in Germany, Blanchard retired from professional hockey.

Allan Cup Hockey

Despite retiring as a professional, Blanchard continued to play, signing with the newly formed

senior hockey Senior hockey refers to amateur or semi-professional ice hockey competition. There are no age restrictions for Senior players, who typically consist of those whose Junior eligibility has expired. Senior hockey leagues operate under the jurisdicti ...

team Stoney Creek Generals, of

. Upon joining the Generals, he reunited with former Knights teammate Dennis Maxwell. Between 2016 and 2019, the Generals would win the league four times on a trot, and in 2018 would go on to win the

Allan Cup The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the senior ice hockey champions of Canada. It was donated by Sir Montagu Allan of Ravenscrag, Montreal, and has been competed for since 1909. It was most recently won by the Wentworth Gryphins ...

, beating the Lacombe Generals in the final. Following the culmination of the 2018–19 season, the Generals were sold and relocated, thus becoming the Brantford Blast. Blanchard was named team

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

- a position he held for the previous two season in Stoney Creek - and the team made it to the ACH Finals against the Hamilton Steelhawks. The finals were cancelled, however, as a result of the ongoing

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. As of July 2020, Blanchard is the sole remaining active member of the former

International

Blanchard was named to the

team for the 1998 World Junior Championships. The team lost in the quarterfinals to

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, during which game Blanchard registered his only point of the tournament, assisting on a Daniel Tkaczuk goal. Blanchard dressed for the Canadian National Team for 2005 editions of the Loto Cup and the Deutschland Cup. He was again a member of the national team during the 2008 Deutschland Cup, which Canada won, and would again dress for the team in the 2010 edition of the tournament.

Awards

(1997) *

(1997) * CHL First Team All-Star (1997) * OHL First Team All-Star (1997) * OHL First Team All-Star (1998) * ECHL

Champion (1999) * ECHL Second All-Star Team (2007) *

Champion (

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

)

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Personal life

Blanchard's cousin is fellow professional hockey player Neal Martin, who also played for the London Knights.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blanchard, Sean 1978 births Living people Augusta Lynx players Canadian ice hockey defencemen Grizzlys Wolfsburg players Florida Everblades players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Frankfurt Lions players Grand Rapids Griffins (IHL) players Hamburg Freezers players Iserlohn Roosters players London Knights (UK) players Los Angeles Kings draft picks Lowell Lock Monsters players Manitoba Moose (IHL) players Mississippi Sea Wolves players Ottawa 67's players Portland Pirates players Ice hockey people from Greater Sudbury Springfield Falcons players Trenton Titans players