Brendan Lemieux
Son of Claude Lemieux; pest and agitator in lower offensive lines.
Brendan Lemieux, a left winger born March 15, 1996, in Denver, currently plays for HC Davos in Switzerland’s National League. Before that, he suited up for the Winnipeg Jets, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, and Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL. The Buffalo Sabres picked him 31st overall in the second round of the 2014 draft. He is the son of the late NHL pest Claude Lemieux, and his first name honors his father’s former teammate Brendan Shanahan. As a kid, he was close friends with Wayne Gretzky’s children. Despite his father’s attempts to steer him away from hockey—worried about the pressure of following a famous enforcer—Lemieux started playing young, showing enough skill that Claude relented. He played minor hockey for the Toronto Red Wings in the Greater Toronto Hockey League and attended The Hill Academy, and also participated in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament in 2008 and 2009 with the Lemieux Academy team.
Lemieux initially committed to two years with the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL starting in 2012, with a plan to then attend the University of North Dakota. But after the Barrie Colts drafted him in the fourth round of the 2012 OHL Priority Selection, he left Green Bay after just 11 games (posting one goal, one assist, and 34 penalty minutes) to join the OHL. His first season was rocky: he started late and served an eight-game suspension in December for an illegal check on Roland McKeown that separated McKeown’s shoulder. In 42 games, Lemieux scored six goals and 14 points with 52 penalty minutes, adding two goals in 21 playoff games before Barrie fell to Belleville in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. The next season, he moved into a top-six role. He notched his first hat-trick on November 13, 2013, against Sudbury, and was selected alongside Aaron Ekblad for the 2014 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game. That year, he recorded 27 goals and 53 points with 145 penalty minutes in 65 regular-season games, plus seven goals and 10 points in 11 playoff games—including a game-winner against the Bulls—before Barrie lost to North Bay in the conference semifinals. His draft stock rose from No. 35 to No. 25 on NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings, but both he and his father were disappointed he wasn’t taken in the first round; Buffalo grabbed him with the first pick of the second round.
- Born
- March 15, 1996
- Birthplace
- Denver
- Position
- Left winger
- Nhl draft
- 2014, second round, 31st overall by Buffalo Sabres
- Nhl teams
- Winnipeg Jets, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, Carolina Hurricanes
- Current team
- HC Davos (National League)
Lore & Background
Lemieux began playing hockey at a young age despite his father's wishes, and spent his minor career in the Greater Toronto Hockey League and The Hill Academy. He agreed to play two years with the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL before attending the University of North Dakota, but abandoned both commitments after being drafted by the Barrie Colts of the OHL in 2012. His strong performance during his second year of junior hockey made him an attractive prospect for the 2014 NHL draft, and his family was disappointed he was not taken in the first round. While still with Barrie, Lemieux was traded to the Winnipeg Jets, with whom he signed a contract in July 2015. He finished his junior career with the Windsor Spitfires after a midseason trade during the 2015–16 OHL season.
Lemieux began his professional career with the Manitoba Moose of the AHL during the 2016–17 season. He was selected to Winnipeg's NHL roster for the 2018–19 season but received limited ice time, and was traded to the Rangers that February for Kevin Hayes. His development during the 2019–20 season was impeded by a fractured hand and the COVID-19 pandemic. During the 2020–21 season, Lemieux was traded to the Kings, where he followed his father into becoming a pest and agitator on the lower offensive lines.
Reader's Guide
Brendan Lemieux's significance lies in his role as a second-generation NHL player who carved out a niche as a physical, agitating forward. The son of Claude Lemieux, a renowned pest and enforcer, Brendan followed a similar path after being traded to the Los Angeles Kings, where he embraced the lower-line agitator role. His career trajectory was shaped by multiple trades—from the Jets to the Rangers for Kevin Hayes, then to the Kings—reflecting his value as a complementary piece rather than a star. His development was disrupted by a fractured hand and the COVID-19 pandemic during the 2019–20 season, limiting his growth. Lemieux's legacy is tied to his family name and his ability to persist as a role player in the NHL, despite not being a first-round draft pick as his family had hoped. His time with the Carolina Hurricanes was one stop in a journeyman career that also included stints with the Jets, Rangers, Kings, and Flyers before moving to HC Davos in the National League.
Did You Know?
- Lemieux was named after his father's former teammate Brendan Shanahan.
- He was a childhood friend of Wayne Gretzky's children.
- He set a Barrie Colts franchise record with 25 power play goals in the 2014–15 OHL season.
- Lemieux was traded to the Winnipeg Jets in a massive deal that included Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford, and Joel Armia.
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