He’s a harder shooter than I realized too. Nice. He’s exciting to watch and surely ends up a top-6 skill guy.
Getting away from his father and playing in his own age group has done him wonders. I like his game and I think Winnipeg got a steal. Lambert haters are awful quiet now.
He’s a harder shooter than I realized too. Nice. He’s exciting to watch and surely ends up a top-6 skill guy.
Getting away from his father and playing in his own age group has done him wonders. I like his game and I think Winnipeg got a steal. Lambert haters are awful quiet now.
Centers with size and skating like his play in the NHL. He might never be more than a streaky middle 6 player but I still think there's a player in there if he gets the right coaching.
I have to say I'm relieved at his "turnaround". I had him 2nd on my 2022 draft list behind only Cooley.
That looks less ridiculous now, especially when you consider how he looked in preseason and the AHL before getting COVID.
He's t-5th in the WHL in PPG at 1.52 (>10gp), just ahead of Savoie who went 9th over. Stankoven is the only drafted player ahead of him in PPG.
Since he's joined Seattle, he's been the best player on the best team in junior hockey IMO. He's been flat out flying for the last month - since Guenther joined the team, Lambert has been the driver of the best duo in junior hockey:
The fact that he's outproducing a former 9th OA like Guenther is pretty impressive. Had Lambert played junior during his draft year he probably puts up 90+ points. I think he'd have been a top 5 pick ahead of Gauthier and maybe Wright.
Some people bet all their online hockey knowledge points on him busting and hate that he is having a good showing in WHL. Happens with all controversial players tbf
Good that he is performing well. He definitely has potential. But it is still fair to say that he performed poorly in international tournaments for team Finland and thats where a lot of hate comes from.
I hope he provea all the doubters (including myself) wrong and has a great NHL career.
Good that he is performing well. He definitely has potential. But it is still fair to say that he performed poorly in international tournaments for team Finland and thats where a lot of hare comes from.
I hope he provea all the doubters (including myself) wrong and has a great NHL career.
I don't think the hate comes from playing poorly for team Finland. He was playing absolutely horrible in Liiga while getting massive hype. He actually regressed as a hockey player in his draft season. His development needed some time in the CHL, so good to see him producing but I still think he doesn't have the hockey IQ to play as a top 6 player in the NHL. Shame because he has fantastic tools otherwise.
I don't think the hate comes from playing poorly for team Finland. He was playing absolutely horrible in Liiga while getting massive hype. He actually regressed as a hockey player in his draft season. His development needed some time in the CHL, so good to see him producing but I still think he doesn't have the hockey IQ to play as a top 6 player in the NHL. Shame because he has fantastic tools otherwise.
Did he really regress as a player, or was he just playing with no confidence because he was in a terrible situation?
The fact that he played so well in the Jets' rookie tournament, and then the preseason, and then at the start of the AHL season (before injuries and COVID) suggest that maybe he was already pretty good. He was a top 5 forward in the WHL the moment he stepped on the ice...
It's funny you mention his perceived IQ problems, as his vision and passing have been arguably his most impressive attributes. He just flies around setting up teammates all game.
I encourage you to watch his play in Seattle before you write him off.
Here is the highlight reel from his last game. Shows you what I am talking about (a nice backcheck in there as well).
Did he really regress as a player, or was he just playing with no confidence because he was in a terrible situation?
The fact that he played so well in the Jets' rookie tournament, and then the preseason, and then at the start of the AHL season (before injuries and COVID) suggest that maybe he was already pretty good. He was a top 5 forward in the WHL the moment he stepped on the ice...
It's funny you mention his perceived IQ problems, as his vision and passing have been arguably his most impressive attributes. He just flies around setting up teammates all game.
I encourage you to watch his play in Seattle before you write him off.
Here is the highlight reel from his last game. Shows you what I am talking about (a nice backcheck in there as well).
I think he has some offensive vision (mostly regarding offensive positioning and jumping into spots like that one highlight, not so much passing), but obviously when you give players time in juniors vs relatively little time vs men you get the difference in reaction speed and it shows. Maybe he learns to process things faster and gets in habits that produce offense but those things did go away during his last Liiga-season.
He always produced what offense he did produce by his fantastic skating and decent puckhandling. And those opportunities became pretty rare in Liiga at some point.
That's what finns mean by him regressing. I'm sure this has been explained before but there you go.
Did he really regress as a player, or was he just playing with no confidence because he was in a terrible situation?
The fact that he played so well in the Jets' rookie tournament, and then the preseason, and then at the start of the AHL season (before injuries and COVID) suggest that maybe he was already pretty good. He was a top 5 forward in the WHL the moment he stepped on the ice...
It's funny you mention his perceived IQ problems, as his vision and passing have been arguably his most impressive attributes. He just flies around setting up teammates all game.
I encourage you to watch his play in Seattle before you write him off.
He made no improvements as a hockey player for a whole year (on the contrary). The reason why that happened only he knows, but no confidence and situation with dad I'm sure didn't help.
A lot more time to think/process plays in juniors than in professional hockey, which has always been his #1 issue, consistency the other IMO
Maybe he improves with time but until I see him do it on pros I will stick to my projection which was that he will be a Mason Raymond/Michael Grabner type of player. If that's hating then I'm a hater.
He made no improvements as a hockey player for a whole year (on the contrary). The reason why that happened only he knows, but no confidence and situation with dad I'm sure didn't help.
A lot more time to think/process plays in juniors than in professional hockey, which has always been his #1 issue, consistency the other IMO
Maybe he improves with time but until I see him do it on pros I will stick to my projection which was that he will be a Mason Raymond/Michael Grabner type of player. If that's hating then I'm a hater.
I think he has some offensive vision (mostly regarding offensive positioning and jumping into spots like that one highlight, not so much passing), but obviously when you give players time in juniors vs relatively little time vs men you get the difference in reaction speed and it shows. Maybe he learns to process things faster and gets in habits that produce offense but those things did go away during his last Liiga-season.
He always produced what offense he did produce by his fantastic skating and decent puckhandling. And those opportunities became pretty rare in Liiga at some point.
That's what finns mean by him regressing. I'm sure this has been explained before but there you go.
He made no improvements as a hockey player for a whole year (on the contrary). The reason why that happened only he knows, but no confidence and situation with dad I'm sure didn't help.
A lot more time to think/process plays in juniors than in professional hockey, which has always been his #1 issue, consistency the other IMO
Maybe he improves with time but until I see him do it on pros I will stick to my projection which was that he will be a Mason Raymond/Michael Grabner type of player. If that's hating then I'm a hater.
Yet he was excellent in the NHL preseason and in the AHL before getting injured and then getting COVID. There was serious discussion about him cracking the Jets opening roster as an 18 year old.
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