The Winnipeg Jets were surprised and elated when Brad Lambert was still on the board when it was time for them to make their second pick in the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft.
They expected Lambert to be gone by the time their choice at No. 30 came around. But when he was still there, they grabbed him.
“We had him ranked quite a bit higher,” Jets director of amateur scouting Mark Hiller said. “We didn’t think he’d be there, and we couldn’t get up to the stage fast enough to announce his name.”
Added Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, “We think he’s the best skater in the draft. At 30, things like this always happen. You’ve got a guy higher on your list and you’re waiting to see, waiting to see, waiting to see. You get a good feeling.”
The 18-year-old (6-foot, 175 pounds), showed impressive offensive ability at several levels during his development, bringing him into the early focus of NHL scouts. Through the past few seasons, expectations were that Lambert could become a top-five or top-10 selection.
But it’s possible Lambert’s stock dropped for many NHL teams because of his struggles last season in Liiga, the top league in Finland. He had six points (two goals, four assists) in 24 games with JYP and four points (two goals, two assists) in 25 games with Pelicans, which plays in his hometown of Lahti, Finland.
His struggles to produce when he’d been an offensively productive player at every other level raised questions about Lambert’s ability to translate his game to the higher levels.
“[Liiga] is a very defensive league, a very tough league to play in as a young guy,” Lambert said. “I had my struggles in producing, but I’m not too worried about that. … I’ve kind of always been a guy that produced, and last year obviously didn’t go my way. I’m just really looking forward to next year and bouncing back.”
Cheveldayoff said the experience of playing in a men’s league can only help Lambert.
“He’s played over in a European men’s league, which is tough,” he said. “It’s hard for young players to get different types of opportunities to really accentuate their talents over there. But the positive is he’s played with men, so he knows what it’s like to play in a men’s organization and in a men’s league.”
Facing players his own age, however, was a different experience. Playing for Finland at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship, he scored a power-play goal on a one-timer in a 6-1 win against Latvia on Tuesday.
Lambert also impressed for Finland when the 2022 WJC first was played in December. He had five points (one goal, four assists) in two games before the tournament was postponed after four days due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.
“The World Juniors at Christmas, I saw his first two games where he had five points and was the best player in the tournament before it got cancelled,” Hiller said. “If that tournament had proceeded and completed, we would not have got him at 30. … Unfortunately [the World Juniors] was cut short, but maybe it was good for us in the long run.”
Lambert, a dual citizen of Finland and Canada, has deep-rooted family ties in pro hockey. Brad’s uncle, Lane Lambert, was named coach of the New York Islanders on May 16, and his father, Ross Lambert, played in the American Hockey League and professionally in England.
“[Their advice is] the draft is behind me, and what’s important now is what you do from here,” Lambert said. “Everyone wants to be one of the best but not everyone is willing to do what it takes. That’s a big thing [my father] always says.
“[Falling in the draft] motivates me. I don’t need to say anything to that. I’ll let my actions speak for themselves from here on.”
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