Austin Lemieux can relate to Harry Potter.

Both had fame thrust upon them at an early age, not of their own doing although there is that whole killing curse rebound thing off Harry thanks to his mother’s sacrifice. 

“You’ve made a mistake. I can’t be a wizard,” the 11-year-old Potter tells Rubeus Hagrid, who was sent to deliver him to Hogwarts. “I mean I’m just Harry.” 

And Lemieux is just Austin, not his father Mario, chosen in 2017 as one of the NHL 100 greatest players and current owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Yet Austin plays hockey too and must find a way to make his own mark in that world, same as Harry in large wizarding footsteps of his father James.

At Arizona State, where Lemieux is a redshirt freshman forward, coaches and teammates do all they can to treat him as just Austin. Not that it’s hard to do by now. Lemieux is so unassuming that he easily fits into the mosaic of a team collectively striving to break into the NCAA Tournament for the first time. 

“Austin knows filling the shoes of Mario Lemieux is next to impossible for anybody ever,” ASU coach Greg Powers said. “He’s realistic about that and being his own person.”

As if his father’s shadow isn’t long enough, Austin also grew up with current Penguin’s superstar Sidney Crosby living in the Lemieux home for years.

“Sid was essentially his brother,” Powers said. “It was a benefit for him. He brings a level of professionalism for being in that environment.”

Premature at birth

Lemieux is Mario’s only son and the third youngest of his four children. He was born three months premature, weighing less than three pounds, and has been working to put on weight ever since. Today, he’s 185 pounds with room for more on his 6-foot-3 frame.

“That’s one the main things I tried to do redshirting (in 2017-18) was put weight on and really work hard in the gym,” Lemieux said. “I’m still trying to do that now. I’m pretty happy where I”m at right now, but certainly I’m only going to get bigger and stronger.”

To redshirt in college hockey is a bit unusual, but for Lemieux it was a necessity academically, because of gaps in his education from leaving school at age 18 to play for the USHL Omaha Lancers in 2015-16. 

That season wasn’t a huge success — Lemieux had just six goals and 14 points — but the next season in the lower level USPHL was. He had 20 goals and 74 points in 45 games with the Islanders Hockey Club and committed to ASU in December 2016. 

Breakout season 

Alex Hicks had a five-year NHL career including two in Pittsburgh as a teammate with Mario Lemieux. He joined ASU’s coaching staff in 2014, a year before the program was elevated to varsity status, and had a key role in recruiting Austin.

“When I saw him the first time (playing with Omaha), I thought he looked really good,” Hicks said. “I was surprised he wasn’t committed or playing as much as I thought he should. I kept an eye on him and talked to his dad, who said he keeps getting better.

“He did what he needed to do (with the Islanders) and was arguably the best player in that league that year. We said let’s bring him in and give him a chance.”

Lemieux credits Islanders coach Sean Tremblay for giving him the “opportunity to find myself” and land a college scholarship. “It all worked out because I wanted to play DI because I found my way here. They gave me an opportunity, and I’m just trying to make the best fit here.”

Time to develop

ASU doesn’t need Lemieux to be a go-to scorer. Not with sophomore Johnny Walker leading the nation with 17 goals. And not with junior goalie Joey Daccord pitching a shutout every fourth game on average.

That gives the 22-year-old space to find his role with less pressure.

Powers initially had an all-freshman line of Lemieux, Jordan Sandhu and Demetrios Koumontzis. For the last five games, he’s been paired with freshman PJ Marrocco and junior center Brett Gruber.

Against Colorado College on Dec. 15, Lemieux assisted on ASU’s first goal and scored the second in a 4-0 win. He’s up to four goals and 11 points going into the Desert Hockey Classic, which begins Friday, and has been a solid contributor on a 14-6 team that would be in the 16-team postseason if it began today.

Lemieux also scored goals against Alabama-Huntsville and Nebraska-Omaha (twice) and had a meaningful assist in a win at Penn State, with his family in attendance, on Nov. 3. 

“I was trying to get anything going at that point,” Lemieux said. “It was certainly nice to get an assist in front of the family. That was great for them to see.”

His father comes to games frequently, even in Tempe, but keeps a low profile and steadfastly turns down interview requests to talk about Austin. 

Hicks sees similarities in the 6-foot-4 Mario and Austin in their skating style, especially how they hunch over at the waist.

“People don’t realize how good his dad was until you see him practice every day,” he said. “He was at a completely different level than everybody else. Austin does some things once in a while that are pretty special. He’s definitely got his dad in him. We’ll see how much more he can pull out.”

Coping with a lengthy shadow

Lemieux began skating when he was 3 and was playing on a youth hockey team by 5. 

“I fell in love with hockey by the time my dad told me he was coming with a pair of skates and my equipment,” he said. “I loved it from Day 1 and I still love it. It’s great I stuck with one sport.”

Austin reviews games with his father, who often watches online when he can’t attend. 

“When I took a year off, I was kind of slow at the start and sluggish, and I was wondering on a few things,” Lemieux said. “He remembers every shift that I was on just like that, and he’ll start telling me what I did wrong and right and what I can do better.”

Harry Potter carries that lightning bolt scar as his family legacy, and because he plays hockey Lemieux no doubt has some scars too. But not obvious ones from being Mario’s son.

“You kind of what to be your own person, but it certainly has its good qualities,” Lemieux said. “You want to do well when you have the name on your jersey, but he doesn’t put any pressure on me to live up to what he’s done. It would be pretty difficult to do that. He sees I love the game and I’m working hard, and he’s just trying to help me out any way possible.”

Powers sees big things ahead for a bigger and strong Lemieux in ensuing seasons. “He has a really smart hockey mind, and he’s a great presence in every way. He’s quiet but over time he’s let everybody see his real personality. He loves to laugh and tell jokes.

“He’s dedicating himself to being just as good defensively as offensively, and he’s fully capable of doing that. When he become a complete player, he’s going to be one of the best in college hockey.”

Desert Hockey Classic

When: Friday-Saturday.

Where: Gila River Arena.

TV: Pac-12 Network.

Pairings: Friday, No. 3 Minnesota State vs. No. 4 Minnesota Duluth, 4:30 p.m.; No. 15 Arizona State vs. No. 19 Clarkson, 7:30. Saturday, Clarkson vs. Minnesota State or Minnesota Duluth, 4:30 p.m.; ASU vs. Minnesota State or Minnesota Duluth, 7:30.

MORE SPORTS