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Newly acquired NHL draft prospect talks big trade from Windsor, warm welcome in Sudbury and the chance to honour Mario Lemieux once again
Published Jan 06, 2026 • Last updated 4 hours ago • 5 minute read
Windsor Spitfires’ Jean-Cristoph Lemieux (22) squeezes past Sarnia Sting’s Hughston Hurt (77) at Progressive Auto Sales Arena in Sarnia, Ont., on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. Photo by Mark Malone /Chatham Daily NewsArticle content
Jean-Cristoph Lemieux was born more than two years after Super Mario hung up his skates, but the Gatineau native was well aware from a young age of his fellow Quebecer’s massive impact on the game of hockey.
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It seemed a natural move, then, for the youngster to wear the No. 66 during his rise through the minor hockey ranks.
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“In my U15 and U16 years, I wore 66 and I got drafted with 66, so I wanted to take that number again,” explained the 17-year-old centreman, roughly 24 hours after the Sudbury Wolves acquired him in a multi-player deal with the Windsor Spitfires.
“I wanted to keep the same number in Windsor, but Liam Greentree had it.”
With his arrival in the Nickel City, he was free once again don those familiar digits for his first games in a Wolves jersey this week, including a visit to the Soo Greyhounds on Wednesday and a home game against the Niagara IceDogs on Friday.
Having arrived in Sudbury the night before, Lemieux took part in his first practice with his new OHL team on Tuesday morning.
On the OHL
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“It feels great,” he told The Sudbury Star. “It was a tough 48 hours, but since the moment I got here, everyone made me feel like part of the group.”
Even if he didn’t predict the blockbuster that saw Wolves veterans Nathan Villeneuve and Alex Pharand head to the Western Conference leaders in exchange for Lemieux and a package of eight draft picks, the 2026 NHL Entry Draft prospect knew he might be on the move with the trade deadline drawing close this Friday.
“I was trying not to think about it,” Lemieux recalled. “I was trying to nap and my agent called me and said you’re part of the trade.
“About 18 hours after I was told, I left my house to come to Sudbury.”
He welcomed the opportunity, with the departure of big-minute players such as Pharand and Villeneuve freeing up more ice for younger forwards. Lemieux played a depth role on a star-laden Spitfires squad, but the skilled, speedy 5-foot-11, 176-pounder still managed to score 10 goals and assist on eight others in 33 games this season.
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“I feel like it will be good in Sudbury,” he said. “They’re young and they’ve got a good group out there. Windsor was a great group, great people and a great organization, so I want to thank Windsor for that, but I’m excited to start in Sudbury.”
A second-round pick in the 2024 OHL Priority Selection, Lemieux made the Spits roster as a 16-year-old and posted totals of nine goals and 10 assists in 46 outings. He was named to Canada White for the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and helped the team win a gold medal while recording seven points in five games.
He also suited up for Canada’s national U18 team at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last August, capturing bronze.
“Last year, I tried to adapt my game with the level of pace on the ice and everything,” Lemieux said. “This year, I’m trying to do a little bit more, trying to be a role guy and stuff like that.”
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He described himself as a 200-foot player those shot, skating ability and competitiveness are among his best attributes.
He knows Sudbury sophomore Ethan Dean, who was his teammate at the OHL Combine in 2024. He also played with Kieron Walton’s twin brother, Conor, for the last two seasons in Windsor, but most of the Wolves are new faces.
“It’s a really good group and everyone here is tight,” he said. “We’ll make playoffs, for sure. I’m pretty confident of that. We’re working our ass off on the ice and it will pay off in the games.
“I’m really excited. I like the system with the coaches and it’s really exciting to be able to play a lot and everything. I’m looking forward to it.”
Season of change
Scott Barney might miss leaders such as Villeneuve and Pharand, both of whom were key members of his leadership group, but Sudbury’s head coach was excited to welcome Lemieux and newly signed import Adam Nemec to the fold on Tuesday.
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Both forwards are rated prospects for the NHL draft this summer, along with Wolves winger Rowan Henderson.
“They’re both smart hockey players,” Barney said. “Lemieux has a great shot out there and he’ll need to use it a little bit more, but he’s pretty offensive type of hockey player who also plays 200 feet. He skates well and he moves the puck when it needs to be moved.
“Nemec is another guy with pretty high hockey IQ, who is strong on the walls like (Jan) Chovan is and thinks the game at an elite level. He doesn’t get beat on too many one on ones.”
Barney praised Pharand and Villeneuve as “tremendous for this organization” and predicted they would find continued success in Windsor and beyond.
“I told the guys in there it’s OK to be emotional. They’re losing two guys you have been around for a long time and they learned a lot from those guys. We wish them all the best, but we’ve got two great players coming in at the same time and the standard doesn’t change for us. We want to win every game.”
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He’s eager to watch a new core continue to develop and to take ownership of the team. Henderson has already been named as an alternate captain and others will receive letters once the roster has been settled next week.
“There’s an opportunity for other guys to step up,” Barney said. “I can’t tell you which ones are going to do it, but the guys who do are going to show us they can take that role.
“You’re losing your captain and an assistant, your first- and second-line centre and that’s a big loss, but like I said, these players have learned a lot from them over the last two years and now, it’s time for them to bring some of that leadership every day at the rink.”
Friday’s game against Niagara is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. The Ottawa 67’s will visit Sudbury Community Arena on Sunday at 2:05 p.m.
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