Compared to this, he just looked like a grinder this year. I thought he wasn’t awful, but he also was barely noticeable outside of carrying the puck on the powerplay sometimes. No way to predict the future, but I have to wonder how he would look now if he went to the WHL or even just played mostly in U20 Liiga instead of sticking in Liiga the last two years.
C/W Brad Lambert (2022, 30th, WPG) Part 3
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Compared to this, he just looked like a grinder this year. I thought he wasn’t awful, but he also was barely noticeable outside of carrying the puck on the powerplay sometimes. No way to predict the future, but I have to wonder how he would look now if he went to the WHL or even just played mostly in U20 Liiga instead of sticking in Liiga the last two years.
It's pretty interesting. Rather than improving, Lambert's actively getting worse. I think that he was at his best in 19-20, which is now three years ago. So at 16 he was better than he is at 19.
That's not just a hockey IQ issue. Generally people still improve in some manner.
That's not just a hockey IQ issue. Generally people still improve in some manner.
It’s in fact so that if a player that is used to being a very offensive type of player, has pretty low hockey IQ to start with and skating speed is his only real strength, it’s easy to run soon into the kind of trouble that Lambert is running into. This is because he has become an even faster skater during the last three years because of his more developed leg muscles, but unfortunately his low hockey IQ is still as low as before.
With his even faster speed Lambert skates quicker towards the crowds but his poor and slow decision making doesn’t allow him to make the right plays earlier enough that would be needed with his faster speed. This is a common blind speedster problem. These kind of players might be able to carve out a respectable forechecking grinder type of a bottom six career in the NHL, if their attitude is right. Right now I don’t see even any of the needed attitude, so I tend to think that any kind of NHL career is very unlikely. Honestly I’m expecting a Jesse Niinimäki type of career for Lambert.
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Tell it to the coaches. Even a player with low IQ learns that you fail trying the same thing over and over. It’s the coaches duty to correct this. Let him know where the puck is supposed to go when getting hemmed in position. Teach him how to slow the pace of the game down. Get the slower guys into a positive position to make a play. This guy needs some coaching he can trust
Winnipeg has put a lot of faith in having some very young prospects nearby in the AHL and I get it to some extent - they get to have a lot of input and control over training and development. Perfetti is an absolute success. But his talent is on another plane. I can’t help but wonder if Lambert and even Lucius (who could be playing with the Winterhawks) wouldn’t benefit from a less accelerated timeline.
Lambert has seeming “failed upwards” for years now…he’s young so perhaps “fail” is the wrong word but he’s seemingly been treated as if he should be accelerated compared to his peers for some time now - when it seems the WHL right now would be a great environment for him. It’s as if he’s still being treated as a “phenom” when the reality is there’s little about his game that suggests skipping potential steps is beneficial.
Smirnov2Chistov
Fire Greg Cronin!
Scouching right now reading this thread about his Golden Prospect not fulfilling his wild expectations lmao
Ace
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It is a hockey IQ issue. When you’re faster and more skilled than everyone you can blow doors off without having to play smart. As competition gets harder, and smarter, and faster and more skilled…and those windows close quick…you have to think the game as fast as you’re moving. He can’t. He’s not the first player to struggle because of it. He won’t be the last.
He has to play at the lowest level they’re allowed to send him to so he can start to learn from scratch. And by that I don’t mean…hey he scored again he must be doing great….I mean send him there to learn how to play with and against people without relying on speed and skill that is mitigated at the pro level if you don’t know how to play the game
Still think he his toolset is worth the gamble at pick 30. Looked like he was on the cusp of being an NHLer as an 18yo during pre-season, the talent is there just needs to put it together.
I think a mix of confidence, hockey IQ and expectations.
At 16, it’s expected you’ll make lots of mistakes. If you show high end talent, you’ll still get positive media coverage, premium opportunities from your coach, feeds from your teammates, etc., because nobody expects a 16 year old to be perfect. However, there’s an expectation that you’ll rapidly improve your decision making at 17, 18, 19, and if that doesn’t happen, like with Lambert, there’s consequences. Coaches and teammates start trusting him less, the media rips on him, and his confidence gets shot. None of that is good for his on-ice performance.
So I think his issues do stem from hockey IQ, but that leads to him losing confidence, and losing the trust of his coaches and teammates, which leads to regressions in his performances.
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I think he needs to get the confidence from putting the puck in the net a lot. The WHL is the right move for him right now. Let’s hope the Jets agree. (And agree before Jan 11 so I can see him play the ICE)
Laine, Vesalainen, Heinola and Lambert... I think Winnipeg should not pick Finns
Jukurit
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mattihp
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Probably confidence by now. He most likely felt he was ready in his first stint where he actually was useful offensively.
gojetsgo
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Laine was fine with the Jets. It is his problem and his alone that he is not better than he is due to inconsistency in effort and questionable off-season training. If he was willing to make improvements in his game he would have lived up to the hype as a poor-man's Ovechkin.
BB88
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Laine definitely has tried to get better and has spent multiple offseasons dedicating on getting better.
On multiple different fronts.
That’s really not what you can call him out.
Whether did he always get the best advice/help for him is a different conversation
Laine still disappears for long stretches of time and while he has improved some other aspects of his game, it's not all that significant. The lack of improvement falls on him.
mattihp
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Laine still needs to learn how to skate as a big man. There's no way his back will keep the way he does it now.
GermanSpitfire
EU Video Scout for McKeen’s | Rest Easy #13
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Skinnyjimmy08
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That was bound to happen... Not surprising at all.
Good god Seattle they just keep getting better and better
Jukurit
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MrHeiskanen
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Maybe next year he will go to BCHL or OJHL. 
