Gatineau hoping Brodeur family line cashes in for son Anthony

Anthony Brodeur, son of Marty, is ready to move on to bigger and better things after graduating from Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Minnesota. He will find out if an NHL team will come calling this summer at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft at home in Newark, N.J.

No matter what, he’ll have a new team next year, and it’s not the one his head coach expected. Shattuck coach Tom Ward told NHL.com he thought that Brodeur would go to college next season, but instead he’s going to the Gatineau Olympiques of the QMJHL.

Brodeur is not listed in NHL’s Central Scouting list, but is eligible for the draft. He went 21-5-2 in his senior year at Shattuck, with a GAA of 2.48 and a .923 save percentage.

Brodeur will battle with three-year veteran Robert Steeves and sophomore Eric Brassard for the starting job with the Olympiques. Steeves, an overager next season, will likely get the lion’s share of the starts at the beginning of the year, while Brodeur gets used to bigger and faster players. He describes himself as a goaltender similar to his father in a lot of ways; relying on his butterfly and his unflappable attitude in the net, though he admits he uses his butterfly a little more than his father.

Brodeur was born in Essex Fells, N.J., near Newark, during dad Marty’s second full season with the Devils. New Jersey falls under territory for the Ontario Hockey League, but he passed waivers without being claimed. Gatineau scooped him up, hoping to capture some of the Brodeur family magic.

Martin Brodeur’s, Athony's father, is the Devils legendary netminder who suited up in the QMJHL for three seasons with the Saint-Hyacinthe Laser. His grandfather, NHL photographer Denis Brodeur, played parts of two seasons for the Chicoutimi Saguenéens in the QSHL and the QHL. Anthony is the start of the third-generation of Brodeur netminders who’ve played professional hockey. Denis made it as high as the AHL, though he played for the 1956 Canadian Olympic team.

Anthony’s younger twin brothers Jeremy and William Brodeur, both 16, are also goalies playing at Shattuck.

Family magic didn’t work so well for the other goaltending royal family in the last twenty years. Jonathan Roy, son of NHL legend and current Colorado Avalanche coach Patrick Roy, had two middling seasons with the Quebec Remparts as a backup netminder. Now, Jonathan is a recording artist. Other son Frédérick also played for the Remparts, but as a forward. He’s playing for the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League.

Another family, the Luongos, have had two brothers, NHLer Roberto and Fabio, play for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, and Leo, who was the Titan goalie coach for five seasons. Roberto led the Val-d’Or Foreurs and the Acadie-Bathurst Titan to QMJHL crowns.

Brodeur spent three seasons with Shattuck’s top team, splitting time each season. His highest workload in three years was 27 games.