MIKE LECLERC
Date of Birth: 1976-11-10Date of Induction: 2026-10-03
Mike Leclerc was born in Winnipeg in 1976, playing his minor hockey in Transcona and St. Boniface. At just 14 years of age, he was determined to play Junior rather than go back to AAA hockey. He’d suit up with the St. Boniface Saints for the 1991/92 season.
His above average hockey skills, good size, and the ability to arrive at the opponent's net just before the puck did would attract the attention of the Western Hockey League’s Victoria Cougars in 1991. He’d use his intelligence and his big body to score on deflections, tap ins, and rebounds.
After 2 ½ seasons with the Cougars, he was traded to the Brandon Wheat Kings. With the Wheat Kings in 1994/95 and 1995/96 he went to two straight Memorial Cup tournaments. His best season in junior was the 1995/96 season, when Brandon won the WHL championship and he led the team in scoring.
In 1995 Leclerc was drafted by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, and he began his pro career with the AHL Baltimore Bandits in 1996/97. After three years in the American Hockey League, he made the jump to the NHL Ducks in 1999 and spent five seasons there with his best season in 2001/02 when he scored 20 goals and 44 points.
In 2005 he was traded to Phoenix, and in the spring of 2006, to Calgary. Mike Leclerc retired in 2006, having played 341 NHL games, with 64 goals, 94 assists, and 288 penalty minutes.