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J.C. Lemieux is ready to continue his hockey journey with the Windsor Spitfires.
Three years after his family moved from Quebec to Ontario, Lemieux has now officially signed on with the Spitfires, who made him the first pick of the second round of this year’s Ontario Hockey League Draft.
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“We’re happy he was sitting there at (pick No.) 22,” said Spitfires’ general manager Bill Bowler, who signed Lemieux to a standard OHL player contract on Tuesday. “He’s a competitive, two-way player that can play in all situations.”
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For the six-foot-one, 160-pound Lemieux, Ontario was the land hockey opportunity. His family settled in Ontario where the young centre play two years in Quinte and one in Kingston.
“I think the hockey’s better in Ontario,” said the 15-year-old Lemieux, who still carries an accent. “It’s more fast and physical. In Quebec, there’s not really physical. It’s just a speed game and not much contact.”
He grew up watching the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, but caught London winning the Memorial Cup in 2016 and then the Spitfires winning the title in 2017.
“I cannot believe this,” Lemieux said of now being a member of the Spitfire. “It’s weird, but fun.
“(Signing) was something I was waiting for. I wanted to sign and be part of Windsor for sure. It’s just fun for dreams coming true.”
No one on the Spitfires knows Lemieux better than assistant coach Kris Newbury. The former NHLer coached him in Kingston last season and was coaching him against this year in Quinte when he was hired by Windsor just before Christmas.
“It was hard when he left,” Lemieux said of Newbury’s departure. “He was a big piece. He’s a good coach. He’s positive and gives you everything he can to make you a better player.”
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Newbury did not make the selection, but does remember talking to Bowler and Spitfires’ director of scouting and hockey operations Frank Evola before the draft about Lemieux.
“I had an idea they were interested from where he was ranked and I had a little chit-chat with Bill and Frank,” Newbury said. “By not means did I make the decision, but I was all for it. I was very excited.
“He’s a good kid with a tremendous skill level and a good shot. He plays the game hard and plays better when it gets more physical. That seems to get him more involved and he has elite talent. He makes plays kids his own age can’t.”
Lemieux posted 24 goals and 60 points in 35 games with Quinte last season and, with time, the Spitfires hope to see that production show in the OHL.
“I think he’s real good in tight, small areas,” Bowler said. “He just seems to generate in traffic. He’s got a little bit of an edge to him and can play any style of game.”
But while he’s been a standout in his age group, Lemieux will need time to adjust to playing older and more experienced players that are physically bigger and more mature than he is.
“I like to play with the challenge of people older than me pushing me to be better,” Lemieux said. “I just need to work harder in the gym and next season and next year give 100 ear cent every time. I think I’ll get used to it.”
Lemieux is the second player from a promising 2024 OHL Draft to sign with the Spitfires after first overall pick Ethan Belchetz and the young centre is anxious to see the group grow together.
“I think, in the future, we’ll be a young team that will do a lot of progress together,” Lemieux said.
jpparker@postmedia.com
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