Very much like Matt Finn in Part 26 of this series, Jesse Blacker was a highly ranked Toronto Maple Leafs draft selection that failed to work out.

The Toronto native began his junior with the Windsor Spitfires and won a Memorial Cup with that club in 2009.
Blacker would be drafted 58th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs that same summer and turned fully professional in 2011, a year after signing an Entry-Level contract.

The defenseman would spend two full seasons with the Toronto Marlies through 2011-2013 but never made the impact you would have expected of such a highly touted OHL defenseman.

There was never any chance of an NHL call-up and after 130 games for the Toronto Marlies, Blacker was traded to the Anaheim Ducks along with a conditional third-round draft pick and the Ducks original seventh-round pick (which was previously traded to Toronto) in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for Peter Holland and Brad Staubitz.

Immediately reassigned to the AHL, Blacker spent the rest of the season with the Norfolk Admirals and made a strong impression with 24 points in fifty games.

On November 28, 2014, Blacker was recalled by the Ducks and made his NHL debut against the Chicago Blackhawks.
That high was followed by another change of location as the blue-liner was traded to the Florida Panthers along with a conditional draft pick in exchange for Colby Robak.

Having not being tendered a qualifying offer in the summer of 2015 it was no surprise that no NHL offers were on the table and Blacker opted to pen a one-year AHL deal with the Texas Stars.

Following a further 45 games in the American League, Blacker opted for a new start and signed with the Nürnberg Ice Tigers of the German (DEL) for the 2016-17 campaign.

The initial experience of European hockey proved a positive one for the Ontario native as he helped himself to 34 points in 46 games, leading all DEL defensemen in scoring.

An opportunity then presented itself to join a KHL team with a difference.

Namely HC Kunlun Red Star of China.
During the 2017–18 season, Blacker registered 9 points in 49 games from the blue line in Russia and that encouraged Barys Astana to sign the Canadian defensemen.

Blacker has remained in Kazakhstan with Barys since 2018 and has now taken citizenship of the country.
This allowed him to suit up for Kazakhstan in an Olympic Qualification tournament last year and in three games he scored a first international goal.

The 29-year-old appears to be enjoying life in his new environment with his wife and young daughter.

Blacker has already racked up 200 KHL appearances and with Barys set for another playoff berth, the form Leafs draft pick still holds a dream of winning a first professional championship.

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