Brendan Lemieux
Position: LW
Current Team: Barrie Colts, OHL
Date of Birth: March 15th, 1996
Place of Birth: Denver, Colorado
Height: 6′ 1″ / Weight: 209 lbs.
Shoots: Left
When your dad is Claude Lemieux, people are probably going to expect a few things. Grit. Size. Speed. The ability to collapse into a protective shell within .5 seconds of someone dropping the gloves.
Well, OK, maybe not that last part – the son seems a bit more likely to mix it up than his father was. But Brendan Lemieux certainly has a family legacy that he will be compared against as he tries to make his way into the NHL. To his credit, he’s lived up to it, stepping up in his first full season in the OHL to become one of the top scorers on his club, and establishing a reputation of an agitator who isn’t afraid to back up his physical play. (Note the 145 penalty minutes from last season!)
Scouting Reports:
Lemieux plays a no fear and borderline reckless game. His offensive skills are underrated as he has shown an ability to finish off plays with a soft touch. Lemieux is an impact forward that rivals despise playing against and the fact that he can play several roles up and down the lineup is certainly appealing. – MyNHLDraft.com
In addition to his strong offensive talent, Lemieux plays very well in the dirty areas of the ice. Find a battle for the puck along the boards and Lemieux will be in the middle of it; need a guy to go muck it up in front of the net, you have a ready volunteer; want a guy who can finish in those spots as well? Lemieux is there for you. The place where Lemieux’s game is weakest is in his own zone. His defensive game definitely needs to improve before he jumps to the NHL level as he can be caught puck watching often. – The Hockey Writers
Why He’d Be A Good Fit in Columbus:
Lemieux strikes me as very similar to Boone Jenner when he was taken by the Jackets in the 2011 draft: A big, heavy player who has a real gift for mixing it up, and isn’t afraid to go to the net and get chippy to make a play happen. There are some concerns about his puck watching and his defensive game is still a work in progress, but there’s no doubt that Lemieux can play a really valuable role for an NHL club. With the identity this club has formed over the past three seasons, I think he’d be an excellent addition to the pipeline.
It’s a virtual lock that we’ll hear his name on draft day. Why not see how he looks in Union Blue?