Dustin Luke Nelson has a short feature on SI.com showcasing the path that Mario Lucia, son of University of Minnesota hockey coach Don Lucia and second-round pick of the Minnesota Wild in 2011, has taken to the pros.
Lucia, who played his high school hockey at Wayzata and starred for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in college, has yet to play in the NHL yet, but registered two goals and two points in nine games with the Iowa Wild last season.
Nelson focuses on Lucia’s patience and even temperament in the piece.
“He doesn’t sound like he feels the pressure, and he certainly hasn’t felt the need to rush into his professional career,” writes Nelson.
“Even at development camp, where he faced the media regularly and acted as a leader for the team’s young prospect group, Lucia appeared calm and expressed a willingness to take the time necessary to continue his development.”
The piece quotes former Wild defenseman Brad Bombardir, now the team’s director of player development, who is encouraged by Lucia’s progress.
“He’s gotten better in certain areas. He has to get better in those areas still, but there has been a progression,” Bombardir told Nelson. “He has had the opportunity to get better and he’s done it.”
It also touches on the pluses and minuses of growing up the son of a coach who is well known in hockey circles in Minnesota, as well as what reasonable expectations are for Lucia going forward.
“Lucia has the tools to eventually land a job with the Wild,” writes Nelson. “His sober perspective on individual progression and his determination to get better should make him a player who becomes an NHL regular in the coming years.”
[Sports Illustrated]
