Pictured above: Lucas (left) and Ryan (right)
When Montreal head coach Martin St. Louis learned his sons Ryan and Lucas had been invited to Penguins development camp, which took place earlier this month, he was thrilled about their opportunity.
“He’s obviously with the Canadiens, but he was really pumped because Pittsburgh is just a great spot for development,” said Lucas, the younger of the two. “They do things really well here. It was awesome to hear that news and know that we would be together here.”
The brothers recognize the uniqueness of their childhood, having a father who played 17 NHL seasons, the majority spent with Tampa Bay. Martin won a Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2003, earned a Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP, and five All-Star nods.
“It was awesome,” said Lucas, a defenseman set to attend Harvard in the fall. “Probably the best environment to grow up in and to have my dad coach us since I was 10. It was great. Just good to be around the game my whole life, really.”
Although both brothers, of course, idolized their father, they also loved watching Steven Stamkos, a teammate of their dad in Tampa Bay. Ryan’s favorite hockey memories were going to Lightning games, with Lucas noting how cool it was seeing how the pros live, allowing them to set an example for him and his brother.
“I remember Fridays and Saturdays, if they were playing at home, our whole family would go,” said Ryan, a forward who is entering his second season with Brown University. “Me and my two brothers, my mom, sometimes my grandparents. It was kind of a whole family event.”
That carried over to the St. Louis household, which was “really competitive,” Ryan said. “A lot of street hockey games, a lot of knee hockey games. Even our grandpa got involved. I feel like since I can remember, I was playing hockey, whether it was on the ice or outside or inside.”
After two years with the Calgary Flames and 13 seasons with the Lightning, Martin finished his career with the New York Rangers. While with the Blueshirts, St. Louis was part of some intense postseason battles against Pittsburgh.
He played a key role in eliminating the Penguins from the First Round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs, with Lucas emphasizing how proud the entire family was, given that Martin’s mother had just passed. Throughout each memory the boys shared, it is clear that family has always had a huge impact on their hockey careers.
As for the decision to attend camp, Ryan shared, “I thought, you know, get this exposure. Anytime I get to be in a facility like this, it's a privilege. So, try to just learn as much as I can. There's great staff here, great guys. So I've had a lot of fun.”
In addition, Lucas noted the franchise's history, emphasizing, “you can just list so many greats that have played here. And just the way they do things here, obviously, has been working.”
The St. Louis boys were reunited with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Head Coach Kirk MacDonald, having both played for him during their junior days with Dubuque of the United States Hockey League. Before heading to Brown, Ryan spent the 2022-23 season there after one year at Northeastern, while Lucas' favorite hockey memory came last year when the Fighting Saints advanced to the Clark Cup Finals.
He was happy to work with MacDonald so soon after that run, saying, “I just think he does a really good job. He's a player coach, for sure. Keeps everyone in check. We had a really good culture, which was awesome.”
Both Ryan and Lucas are looking forward to taking what they’ve learned first back to Vermont, where they spend their summers after their father met their mother during his college hockey days, and then to their respective schools.
“Just want to keep progressing with my game and have a good year next year and just take it one day at a time, really,” Lucas said.
