Spitfires alum could create quite a stir
Lemieux trying to crack Jets lineup with mix of grit and scoring, writes Paul Friesen.
The Winnipeg Jets and their 22-year-old shift disturber of a prospect, Brendan Lemieux, are at a crossroads.
On one hand, you’d think the former Windsor Spitfire (201516) would be inching closer and closer to earning a spot with the Jets.
Two seasons in the minors have ripened his largely acidic game, while sharpening the sweet aspects: 19 goals and 170 penalty minutes in the American League last season say it all. “His game hasn’t changed a lot, but he’s got better at what he does,” occasional training camp linemate Nik Ehlers said Wednesday. “And that’s getting on the puck and creating battles down low. And he’s got one hell of a shot, too. It’s exciting to see what he’s doing right now.” What Lemieux has done this training camp is almost everything you’d want, minus a goal or two.
He has banged his way to scoring chances, done plenty of the dirty work for linemates, planted himself in front as a screen — all at a higher level than at any time before.
“Works his a-- off every single shift, every single game,” Ehlers said. “A really good team guy.” Yet, this Jets lineup is getting harder and harder to crack, loaded with young talent as it is. So you wonder if Lemieux is really getting closer, competing with the likes of first-round pick Kristian Veselainen for a roster spot this year.
Lemieux has an interesting take, one that shows an unusually keen understanding of his unique talents and their place within the organization.
It’s not really about cracking a more talented lineup, Lemieux said.
“There’s not another player in this dressing room that plays the way I do,” he said. “I’m not, per se, competing against another power forward, another guy who plays with an edge, another guy who just plays the way I do. There isn’t one in this organization, really.
“They have skill. They have guys that are able to score goals. They have one of the best forward groups in the NHL. It’s if they want what I bring. And if I’m ready to bring what I bring at the highest level.” Lemieux may have got to the heart of the matter. Do the Jets want what he brings over another skilled player like Veselainen? The decision may be more about philosophies than anything, made against the backdrop of a game that keeps moving away from its physical past and toward a more finesse future. “He’s got a real interesting mix there of belligerence, maybe, and a really quick release and a good shot,” Jets coach Paul Maurice said. “He can make some plays.” He has also worked himself into the kind of shape he needs to be in to play his demanding style, increasing his strength and speed, the coach said.
“So he doesn’t have a graceful stride, but it’s powerful,” Maurice added. “There’s not a physical limitation to speed for him in the NHL, in my mind.”
One potential limitation with Lemieux is discipline, an issue that hangs in his background and occasionally jumps to the forefront like a Jack-in-the-Box. Crank that handle long enough, and it’ll pop.
“He’s been focused on just playing the game and that’s really important,” Maurice said. “Because he can’t be in the penalty box for undue reasons. But he is going to agitate the game in a positive way.
“Being an agitator alone doesn’t keep you in the NHL. It just makes you a pain in the ass for both teams. You’ve got to be able to do something. And he’s got some game.”
Is it enough?
Going into his third pro season, Lemieux tries not to worry about the outcome. He tries to focus on the process, a continuing effort to prove himself trustworthy, “that I’ve grown, that I’m responsible enough, that I’m going to help this team win games this year.” Is his game ready?
“Yes. I believe it is,” he said. “I think I’ve proven that it is. But I’m not proving it to myself. I’m proving it to other people. So it’s up to them to judge.
“It’s not like I go in there and ask, ‘How close am I?’ But it does feel close.”
So close, he can almost taste it. The four-year climb since Buffalo drafted him in the second round has been arduous. The trade to prospect-rich Winnipeg hasn’t exactly sped it up.
The hardest part might be staying patient.
“Yeah. It is,” he said. “It’s been trying. But we’re almost home.”