Catching Up With Top Prospect and Hometown Kid Mario Lucia

Mario Lucia is barely old enough to vote, but the Wayzata High School hockey product is well on his way to a bright future both on and off the ice.

Lucia was drafted in the second round of last year’s NHL draft by his home state Minnesota Wild following a stellar high school career. He’s playing for the Penticton Vees of the British Columbia Hockey League this year and seems to have made a smooth transition to a league he calls “bigger, faster and stronger.”

Lucia has played a pivotal role in propelling the Vees to a No. 1 ranking among Canadian Junior A hockey teams. The Vees currently sport a 46-3 record and haven’t lost a game since early November.

“I never thought we’d win 34 games in a row,” Lucia said. “We’ve got a lot of high-end talent, and I think we have a good chance at winning the (Canadian) national title this year.”

The six-foot-three, 195-pound Lucia has lit the lamp 36 times in 47 games, and his 80 points are fourth best on the squad.

So what’s been the secret to his early success? Lucia says there really isn’t one.

“I worked real hard in the off season and got a lot stronger,” he said. “Doing the Wild development camp really helped me, too. As long as you work hard the points will come, and I’m playing with really good players—which also helps a lot.”

Six of Lucia’s current teammates are from Minnesota—which he says has eased the transition to playing junior hockey far from his familiar stomping grounds. Lucia is living with teammate Mike Reilly, an Edina native who Lucia has been close friends with since the fourth grade.

“Having them here definitely influenced my decision to come to Canada,” Lucia said. “I obviously miss my friends and family, but I know they’re always going to be there.”

Lucia was heavily recruited out of high school by the nation’s top collegiate hockey programs—including the University of Minnesota, coached by his father, Don. After what he says was a lengthy decision making process, Lucia surprised many in the hockey community late last year by committing to play for Notre Dame next season. He will arrive in South Bend this summer to begin classes and workouts.

“Growing up I was obviously always a big fan of the Gophers, and Notre Dame was never really a huge rival of theirs so there was no hatred there or anything,” he said. “I looked at Denver, Colorado College, Boston College and the U of M, obviously, but I liked Notre Dame the most.”

Lucia pointed to a new ice arena, academics and a strong hockey tradition as reasons behind his decision, which he says his father fully supports.

“The education is definitely there, so you always have a back up plan,” he said. “Going there will also make me a better player. There’s no doubt about that.”

Lucia has only been able to come home for Christmas and won’t be back in Wayzata until after the season is complete—which, depending on how far the Vees advance in the postseason, may not be until mid-May.

“It makes you more mature, I think, and gets you ready to play in college,” he said.

Life in Canada

Surrounded by mountains and lakes, Lucia says living and playing hockey in Canada has been a blast.

“Having the experience of playing hockey in Canada is great,” he said. “Hockey is on all the time—even on the news it’s always on. There’s no basketball or anything like that.”

While much of his time and attention has been devoted to hockey, Lucia and his buddies have made a point to get out and explore British Columbia and recently took a ferry to Vancouver Island for some sight seeing.

Staying in touch

He may be hundreds of miles away from Wayzata, but Lucia has kept regular tabs on how his former Trojan teammates are doing this season.

“I’ve been keeping up on every game,” he said. “I watched them play Edina online last week and win 3-2. I’ve got a lot of good buddies on the team still. They’re underdogs going into sections, but if they win their first game I think they can shock that section.”

Lucia never had a chance to play in a state tournament title game in high school but says seeing his former mates make a title run would be the next best thing.

Lucia keeps in regular contact with friends and former teammates back home through Facebook, Twitter, e-mail and phone and says he’s looking forward to catching up with them this summer.

Thinking of Jabs

Wayzata’s hockey program recently found itself at the center of national attention following a tragic accident on the ice. It was during a junior varsity game between the Trojans and Benilde-St. Margaret’s that BSM’s Jack Jablonski was paralyzed after being checked from behind.

Lucia said news of Jablonski’s injury reached him swiftly and said he supports efforts to emphasize the dangers of checking from behind and implementation of new rules making the infraction a major penalty.

“I never really remember anything like what happened to Jack, but I could definitely see how it could happen again,” he said. “It’s sad that it has to happen to one person to get those rules changed, but it’s good because checking from behind is a vicious play. It’s definitely worth it. You never want to see anything like that happen to anyone at any level.”

What’s next?

With his NHL rights owned by the Minnesota Wild, Lucia says arrival at the Xcel Energy Center will hinge on a single, simple gauge: performance.

Unlike sports like football and basketball, where draftees typically sign with the team shortly after draft day, most hockey players’ road to the pros takes years.

“You’re just kind of picked on potential,” Lucia said. “The top-ten guys picked usually go to the NHL right away, but after the first round you really don’t know. It’s an honor to be drafted, but in hockey it’s really just the beginning.”