Halifax trades Leblanc plus pick to Panther City for Theede

Stephan Leblanc, Halifax Thunderbirds (Photo: Trevor MacMillan)

Less than a week after acquiring Shawn Evans from the Rochester Knighthawks, the Halifax Thunderbirds have made another trade leading up to Tuesday’s National Lacrosse League trade deadline (12pm ET), today dealing Stephan Leblanc and their second-round selection in the 2024 NLL Draft to the Panther City Lacrosse Club for forward Dawson Theede.

Leblanc, who was one of the Thunderbirds prized off-season signings, continues to contend as one of the league’s top clutch scorers in now his 12th NLL season.

Theede spent his rookie season with the original Rochester Knighthawks franchise (now Thunderbirds) and was later selected in the 2019 Expansion Draft by the New York Riptide. Panther City picked up Theede after trading their own expansion selection, Scott Dominey, to New York immediately after loading up their roster.

The newly acquired Thunderbirds forward has been in and out of Panther City’s lineup due to his commitments to the Saint Mary’s Huskies varsity hockey team. The Canadian university’s home is Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Leblanc, a Halifax resident himself, was the Thunderbirds’ fifth leading point producer after the addition of Evans last week.