Prospect Info: Brad Lambert, 30th Overall, 2022 NHL Draft

[Channelcat]

I'm glad everyone else is starting to see why I was so high on this kid last year despite what the critics were saying.

He may never be a power forward, but if he can ever develop some physical presence in the O zone, he'll be a handful. His skill level is clear. His problem lately, seems like there are no complimentary players out there who can react to his playmaking. And as you've stated, his entries are excellent.

He's definitely more of a shoot first kind of player. That is sometimes not a bad thing if you can make the snap decision of when to shoot to score and when to shoot for rebounds. I wish more players could make that distinction on the fly. If you see nothing and are under pressure shoot low, not high.

I like the shoot first mindset. Unless he's going to get bigger and be able to hold possession, it's probably the best way to go.

 

[Jet]

Seems like a bigger Ehlers?

 

[Daximus]

He may never be a power forward, but if he can ever develop some physical presence in the O zone, he'll be a handful. His skill level is clear. His problem lately, seems like there are no complimentary players out there who can react to his playmaking


I like the shoot first mindset. Unless he's going to get bigger and be able to hold possession, it's probably the best way to go.

Yeah he was never going to be the kind of player that mucks it up in the corners but he has obvious elite skating and stickhandling and a good enough shooting arsenal. He may not be a center at the NHL level but he certainly shouldn't have any trouble making the league as a winger if he keeps on improving.

 

[BoneDocUK]

Some nuanced praise from his HC in this Athletic article, that matches up with what Jets Prospect Chief Foreign Correspondent @superdeluxe had been reporting on:

When he first arrived, Thunderbirds head coach Matt O’Dette tried him at both the wing and at centre. After some experimenting, though, he felt Lambert was a better fit down the middle.

“Just the fact that he can grab pucks deep in our zone, have the skating ability to wind it up and transition pucks out of our zone efficiently, was a good use of his assets,” O’Dette explained. “Of course with the centre position, there’s more responsibility away from the puck, there’s the faceoff responsibility, but he’s getting better at those things. I was pleasantly surprised with his defensive play and his compete. Like he competes really hard. He works hard, he competes hard, he’s not afraid of the physicality. For a guy with that type of skill, he doesn’t shy away from using his speed to get to pucks first and potentially taking a hit. That’s a very valuable asset that he has. There’s no real fear of going to a danger area and he’s got a lot more grit to his game than people might think.”

The old Brad Lambert might be back and that could be a big deal for the Jets

Lambert has relished the opportunity to play with his own age group for the first time in a long time with the Thunderbirds.

theathletic.com

 

[BoneDocUK]

Seems like a bigger Ehlers?

Similar game for sure. I have tried to watch him as much as possible during this PO run, and while he doesn't have Ehlers' high-end shooting yet or maybe even his insane edgework (yet), he has elite speed and acceleration, and to my eyes at least stronger playmaking than I'd read about from some commenters. And his workrate seems consistently high -- all over the ice.

I actually think his skillset and potential match up well to this initial report I looked at on draft day:

 

[Whileee]

Elite shift from Lambert. He's looked good tonight, just needs more skill around him.

Agree. He made a couple of high-risk passes that created problems for his team, but he really used his speed and agility to create chances and drive play. He continues to show that he'll move the puck quickly and efficiently, which will be important to transition to the NHL where he'll play with good players.

 

[Daximus]

Agree. He made a couple of high-risk passes that created problems for his team, but he really used his speed and agility to create chances and drive play. He continues to show that he'll move the puck quickly and efficiently, which will be important to transition to the NHL where he'll play with good players.

When we drafted him I envisioned a line with him down the middle, Ehlers on one wing and a trench warfare specialist on the other. Obviously someone like a Tkachuk or a Bennet would be nice but even just finding ourselves another Tanev, Copp or someone like Hyman would work. Someone that can muck it up in the corners and retrieve pucks and get it to the two dynamos.

 

[B33R LEAGUE]

I watched Lambert live a couple times during the Winnipeg ice series.

The Bad:
-He was invisible defensively.

-The odd chance that he decides to pass the puck, his passes were low IQ. There were a couple drop passes to players not expecting it.

-Many of his dekes would easily get picked off in the Show.

The Good:
-Skates like the wind down the wing on the rush.

-Great shot.

-Scores Goals.

In Summary:
His confidence is back, but he has not taken steps in the right direction. I was hoping he would focus on developing two major gaps in his play.

1) Defensive Zone Play
2) Playmaking

All together, In the 6 games I watched. Neither of these skills were developed.

I don't see him making the Jets next year.

 

[LowLefty]

When we drafted him I envisioned a line with him down the middle, Ehlers on one wing and a trench warfare specialist on the other. Obviously someone like a Tkachuk or a Bennet would be nice but even just finding ourselves another Tanev, Copp or someone like Hyman would work. Someone that can muck it up in the corners and retrieve pucks and get it to the two dynamos.

I'd have him on a line that didn't include Ehlers -
I think he needs guys that can work at a high tempo - but I'd rather see Ehlers driving the zone on another line -
I agree that it would be great if we can work him into a center role - maybe with a couple of wingers that can keep up with him (one shooter and another that is comfortable around the front of the net with good hands).

That would give us a new dynamic - more offense off the rush with potentially 2 lines.
Less cycle generating our offense - less of a need for a dump/chase game
I wouldn't abandon the hard work along the walls - but I'd try to shift to more off the fly.
And all of this is just what I'd like - it likely comes down to what we have on the roster that works with him and that could include a number of different approaches to him creating offense.

I like this player so far - hope he continues to grow.

 

[Daximus]

I watched Lambert live a couple times during the Winnipeg ice series.

The Bad:

-He was invisible defensively.

-The odd chance that he decides to pass the puck, his passes were low IQ. There were a couple drop passes to players not expecting it.

-Many of his dekes would easily get picked off in the Show.

The Good:

-Skates like the wind down the wing on the rush.

-Great shot.

-Scores Goals.

In Summary:
His confidence is back, but he has not taken steps in the right direction. I was hoping he would focus on developing two major gaps in his play.

1) Defensive Zone Play
2) Playmaking

All together, In the 6 games I watched. Neither of these skills were developed.

I don't see him making the Jets next year.

The only thing I disagree with here is the following.

"but he has not taken steps in the right direction. I was hoping he would focus on developing two major gaps in his play.

1) Defensive Zone Play
2) Playmaking"

That is absolutely not what he should have been focusing on. The Pelicans were an absolute joke of a team and he was certainly not ready for the AHL yet. I am fairly certain that the Jets told him to focus on one thing and one thing only this year. Getting his confidence back. Go out there and score and score and score.

Now that he has some swagger and confidence back in his game he can give the AHL another shot and play a full season there, if he's still not ready another season in Seattle won't hurt at all.

If you were expecting him to be NHL ready next year then I think you need to temper your expectations. He probably another year maybe 2 out from making the Jets.

 

[surixon]

The only thing I disagree with here is the following.

"but he has not taken steps in the right direction. I was hoping he would focus on developing two major gaps in his play.

1) Defensive Zone Play
2) Playmaking"

That is absolutely not what he should have been focusing on. The Pelicans were an absolute joke of a team and he was certainly not ready for the AHL yet. I am fairly certain that the Jets told him to focus on one thing and one thing only this year. Getting his confidence back. Go out there and score and score and score.

Now that he has some swagger and confidence back in his game he can give the AHL another shot and play a full season there, if he's still not ready another season in Seattle won't hurt at all.

If you were expecting him to be NHL ready next year then I think you need to temper your expectations. He probably another year maybe 2 out from making the Jets.

Agreed. Confidence was the biggest thing. He has that back and next year they can work on refining elements of his game on the Moose.

 

[Daximus]

I'd have him on a line that didn't include Ehlers -
I think he needs guys that can work at a high tempo - but I'd rather see Ehlers driving the zone on another line -
I agree that it would be great if we can work him into a center role - maybe with a couple of wingers that can keep up with him (one shooter and another that is comfortable around the front of the net with good hands).

That would give us a new dynamic - more offense off the rush with potentially 2 lines.
Less cycle generating our offense - less of a need for a dump/chase game
I wouldn't abandon the hard work along the walls - but I'd try to shift to more off the fly.
And all of this is just what I'd like - it likely comes down to what we have on the roster that works with him and that could include a number of different approaches to him creating offense.

I like this player so far - hope he continues to grow.

That would be good too.

Having two guys that can gain the zone efficiently would work wonders for a two-headed powerplay. Ehlers on one and Lambert on the other. If we end up keeping Scheif have him as triggerman on one and Connor as triggerman on the other. It's likely another few years before Brad will be in the NHL if he even makes it and the team will look much different than but it's fun to dream.

 

[LowLefty]

He may never be a power forward, but if he can ever develop some physical presence in the O zone, he'll be a handful. His skill level is clear. His problem lately, seems like there are no complimentary players out there who can react to his playmaking. And as you've stated, his entries are excellent.


I like the shoot first mindset. Unless he's going to get bigger and be able to hold possession, it's probably the best way to go.

I'm hoping he is not a shoot first player and can grow into more of a playmaker.
Guys that can gain the zone as well as this guy, should be making plays and being less predictive.
Set him up with other shooters and make the complete line more dangerous.

 

[Daximus]

Agreed. Confidence was the biggest thing. He has that back and next year they can work on refining elements of his game on the Moose.

Yeah he just needed some structure back. I don't know if anyone here watched him playing on the Pelicans last year but it was some of the most abysmal hockey I've ever seen and I don't just mean the players were bad but the coaching was atrocious. There's peewee coaches who understand the game more. I'm just glad he has that team structure to work in now, has some confidence back in his game and has proven that he can play with players in his own age group and shine. If he works hard this summer and makes some more gains he could come into camp looking really good and might even force a hard decision by the Jets but I'm hoping he will at least be ready to take a full time spot on the Moose and run with it for a year.

I'm hoping he is not a shoot first player and can grow into more of a playmaker.
Guys that can gain the zone as well as this guy, should be making plays and being less predictive.
Set him up with other shooters and make the complete line more dangerous.

He definitely leans more shoot first, which is fine but he has some decent playmaking skills as well just needs to refine them as he goes. He makes some crazy passes that his teammates just aren't expecting but I just think they can't really play at the speed that he does.

 

[surixon]

Yeah he just needed some structure back. I don't know if anyone here watched him playing on the Pelicans last year but it was some of the most abysmal hockey I've ever seen and I don't just mean the players were bad but the coaching was atrocious. There's peewee coaches who understand the game more. I'm just glad he has that team structure to work in now, has some confidence back in his game and has proven that he can play with players in his own age group and shine. If he works hard this summer and makes some more gains he could come into camp looking really good and might even force a hard decision by the Jets but I'm hoping he will at least be ready to take a full time spot on the Moose and run with it for a year.



He definitely leans more shoot first, which is fine but he has some decent playmaking skills as well just needs to refine them as he goes. He makes some crazy passes that his teammates just aren't expecting but I just think they can't really play at the speed that he does.

Same here. I don't expect him to be an NHL player next year but if he puts in the work and has a good year in the AHL he might be ready to take a top 9 spot the year after.

Very possible we graduate both him and McRroaety in the 24-25 season.

 

[B33R LEAGUE]

The only thing I disagree with here is the following.

"but he has not taken steps in the right direction. I was hoping he would focus on developing two major gaps in his play.

1) Defensive Zone Play
2) Playmaking"

That is absolutely not what he should have been focusing on. The Pelicans were an absolute joke of a team and he was certainly not ready for the AHL yet. I am fairly certain that the Jets told him to focus on one thing and one thing only this year. Getting his confidence back. Go out there and score and score and score.

Now that he has some swagger and confidence back in his game he can give the AHL another shot and play a full season there, if he's still not ready another season in Seattle won't hurt at all.

If you were expecting him to be NHL ready next year then I think you need to temper your expectations. He probably another year maybe 2 out from making the Jets.

If the Org only outlined one goal, Confidence, then Mission Accomplished.

But completing one assignment isnt progress imo. I was underwhelmed.

My comment about him not making it next year is in response to some of the other posts questioning if he has it in him. Not my expectation.

Having said that, there is plenty of time for him to start working on his playmaking and defensive game.

Hopefully this is his focus in Phase one and two of his development within the A.

 

[Whileee]

I watched Lambert live a couple times during the Winnipeg ice series.

The Bad:
-He was invisible defensively.

-The odd chance that he decides to pass the puck, his passes were low IQ. There were a couple drop passes to players not expecting it.

-Many of his dekes would easily get picked off in the Show.

The Good:
-Skates like the wind down the wing on the rush.

-Great shot.

-Scores Goals.

In Summary:
His confidence is back, but he has not taken steps in the right direction. I was hoping he would focus on developing two major gaps in his play.

1) Defensive Zone Play
2) Playmaking

All together, In the 6 games I watched. Neither of these skills were developed.

I don't see him making the Jets next year.

He won't make NHL next year, in my view. He needs further development physically and in his approach.

But I think you're a bit harsh. I've watched about 15 games now with Seattle, and he's as involved as most junior Cs, and I would say that he's a much better playmaker than you suggest. He sees the ice well, and moves the puck quickly to teammates. I think he'll actually adapt well to offense with good pro players because he plays at a very high pace.

 

[surixon]

He won't make NHL next year, in my view. He needs further development physically and in his approach.

But I think you're a bit harsh. I've watched about 15 games now with Seattle, and he's as involved as most junior Cs, and I would say that he's a much better playmaker than you suggest. He sees the ice well, and moves the puck quickly to teammates. I think he'll actually adapt well to offense with good pro players because he plays at a very high pace.

I doubt he even plays much C as a pro. His game and skills are likely better utilized on the wing.

 

[surixon]

My view on Brad hasn't really changed. I still feel that if he makes it could fall anywhere from a top line winger to a third line guy.

My view on his talent hasn't changed. I don't think he has anything in his talent repioire that is at a top line level or likely to be a top line level.

His shot is good but not elite, and he hasn't really shown elite level finish.

His hands are good and he has good puck skills but i wouldn't peg them as elite either.

Passing has been better then expected but I still wouldn't peg it as elite.

So if I were to grade out his skill level I'd put it on a second line caliber player level.

The kicker is he has all world speed and explosiveness. He also has a very projectable frame once he fills out. It's the later two physical attributes that gives my hope that as he fills out and gets more structure in his game he could potentially maximize the talent he has and become a 30 goal 30 to 40 assist first liner.

 

[superdeluxe]

Some nuanced praise from his HC in this Athletic article, that matches up with what Jets Prospect Chief Foreign Correspondent @superdeluxe had been reporting on:

When he first arrived, Thunderbirds head coach Matt O’Dette tried him at both the wing and at centre. After some experimenting, though, he felt Lambert was a better fit down the middle.

“Just the fact that he can grab pucks deep in our zone, have the skating ability to wind it up and transition pucks out of our zone efficiently, was a good use of his assets,” O’Dette explained. “Of course with the centre position, there’s more responsibility away from the puck, there’s the faceoff responsibility, but he’s getting better at those things. I was pleasantly surprised with his defensive play and his compete. Like he competes really hard. He works hard, he competes hard, he’s not afraid of the physicality. For a guy with that type of skill, he doesn’t shy away from using his speed to get to pucks first and potentially taking a hit. That’s a very valuable asset that he has. There’s no real fear of going to a danger area and he’s got a lot more grit to his game than people might think.”

The old Brad Lambert might be back and that could be a big deal for the Jets

Lambert has relished the opportunity to play with his own age group for the first time in a long time with the Thunderbirds.

theathletic.com

100%. While Lambert does have things he can work at, the guy turned out to be a more well rounded player than I thought we were getting, never thought I would see the physicality/grit that I’ve witnessed in game.

I posted this in the jets general prospect board. But this is perhaps my favorite photo of all the boys. Look at the faces, even the NHL guys, this matters.

 

[Daximus]

Same here. I don't expect him to be an NHL player next year but if he puts in the work and has a good year in the AHL he might be ready to take a top 9 spot the year after.

Very possible we graduate both him and McRroaety in the 24-25 season.

Yeah that is my expectation as well. 24-25 season he should be up with the big boys if things go the way I think.

If the Org only outlined one goal, Confidence, then Mission Accomplished.

But completing one assignment isnt progress imo. I was underwhelmed.

My comment about him not making it next year is in response to some of the other posts questioning if he has it in him. Not my expectation.

Having said that, there is plenty of time for him to start working on his playmaking and defensive game.

Hopefully this is his focus in Phase one and two of his development within the A.

That's a massive amount of difference though. He went from one team in an entirely different country where he had no idea what he was supposed to be doing to a team with championship expectations. The goal always should have been just assert yourself as a good player in this league and we can work on progressing your game further. Who cares about defence when you could barely score where you were before. Get that back on track and then worry about shoring up your defensive game.

He won't make NHL next year, in my view. He needs further development physically and in his approach.

But I think you're a bit harsh. I've watched about 15 games now with Seattle, and he's as involved as most junior Cs, and I would say that he's a much better playmaker than you suggest. He sees the ice well, and moves the puck quickly to teammates. I think he'll actually adapt well to offense with good pro players because he plays at a very high pace.

Yeah I'm not sure how one can actually watch Lambert and think he's not a good playmaker. He's not Marner out there but that was never his game anyways. He's got a great shot and hands so he should be using those more than anything right now.

I doubt he even plays much C as a pro. His game and skills are likely better utilized on the wing.

I doubt it as well but you never know, He will fill out a bit more as he goes and it's not like there aren't other 6'1, 190 lb, blazing fast centers in this league.

My view on Brad hasn't really changed. I still feel that if he makes it could fall anywhere from a top line winger to a third line guy.

My view on his talent hasn't changed. I don't think he has anything in his talent repioire that is at a top line level or likely to be a top line level.

His shot is good but not elite, and he hasn't really shown elite level finish.

His hands are good and he has good puck skills but i wouldn't peg them as elite either.

Passing has been better then expected but I still wouldn't peg it as elite.

So if I were to grade out his skill level I'd put it on a second line caliber player level.

The kicker is he has all world speed and explosiveness. He also has a very projectable frame once he fills out. It's the later two physical attributes that gives my hope that as he fills out and gets more structure in his game he could potentially maximize the talent he has and become a 30 goal 30 to 40 assist first liner.

I think his hands are pretty elite, maybe not among the best in the game right now but certainly not bad by any stretch. Consider that he's doing it at top level speed, with what is arguably the most elusive cutting ability in the entire WHL and I think it puts a bit more of a bow on how well he can actually handle the puck. He makes it look pretty effortless but when the motor is running that fast, the hands and brain have to be as well. He definitely could use some refinement in the way he picks his spots but I think that will come as he learns where and when to shoot or pass. When everything is happening that fast the brain needs to catch up and identify. McDavid is elite at it now but it took him awhile to get there. He was generally more of a pass first kind of guy and is starting to see the spots where he should shoot rather than pass. Obviously Lambert is unlikely to ever get to McDavid's level of ability to react at high speeds but I think he can get to some level of improvement over where he currently is.

 

[BoneDocUK]

He won't make NHL next year, in my view. He needs further development physically and in his approach.

But I think you're a bit harsh. I've watched about 15 games now with Seattle, and he's as involved as most junior Cs, and I would say that he's a much better playmaker than you suggest. He sees the ice well, and moves the puck quickly to teammates. I think he'll actually adapt well to offense with good pro players because he plays at a very high pace.

That's what I see also.

And to me this is pretty significant, because among the criticisms we heard from a few posters who'd watched him in Liga were that he wasn't able to think the game at the speed required, that he wasn't contributing if he didn't have the puck on his stick -- but that he consistently threw away possession by picking the lower-percentage play because deficient hIQ.

I think he pushes the pace really well, and is a quick and decisive distributor -- sure it doesn't always pay off, but that's pretty common in juniors even with the most talented teams. Higher risk / reward ethos, wider talent spectrum, where pretty much every player has stuff to work on.

And sometimes there's a "vision gap." How many grade-A setups was Perfetti making even early on for teammates who weren't yet on the same page with him and didn't convert? As they started to mesh those setups started to turn into higher-danger chances.

Pending a continuing upward dev trajectory, I can see a few interesting combos with BL, especially with players who can think the game at a high enough pace to know where he's going to pass or set up for a shot.

Def a nice change of pace in this weird Jets offseason. Watching interesting prospects start to put things together and prepare for takeoff is a whole lot more fun than worrying about which disaffected core player wants out soonest.

 

[superdeluxe]

I'm hoping he is not a shoot first player and can grow into more of a playmaker.
Guys that can gain the zone as well as this guy, should be making plays and being less predictive.
Set him up with other shooters and make the complete line more dangerous.

He definitely isn’t a shoot first player, look at his goal to assist ratio in the playoffs I think it was a 4 to 1 ratio

 

[Whileee]

One point to note about Lambert; he's a D+1, which is a year earlier in development than some of the other top players in the CHL playoffs (e.g. Stankoven, Othmann, Guenther, Zellweger). Imagine how he'd look competing at the CHL level a year from now at the end of his D+2 season, which is the stage those players are at.

 

[Heldig]

Agree. He made a couple of high-risk passes that created problems for his team, but he really used his speed and agility to create chances and drive play. He continues to show that he'll move the puck quickly and efficiently, which will be important to transition to the NHL where he'll play with good players.

I find it a little odd the comments about Lambert needing better players to play with.

Guenther is a great prospect. Ostapchuk is quality too. It is not like he is playing with undrafted scrubs.