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Brad Lambert is a 2022 NHL draft-eligible prospect who was once in consideration of being a top-3 pick in next month’s draft. But after an underwhelming season in Liiga, he’s been falling down some draft boards. Could he fall to the No. 19 overall pick for the LA Kings? Based on his recent mock draft, The Athletic‘s Scott Wheeler seems to think so. There always seems to be one player that falls further than they should. Could Lambert be this year’s Jesper Wallstedt?
Lambert hails from Lahti, Finland, a town approximately 90 minutes north of Helsinki. He spent this past season with JYP but left halfway through to return to his hometown Lahti Pelicans club.
“It was fine there. Nothing bad happened. I had great coaches and teammates there,” Lambert said via Elite Prospects’ Russ Cohen. “I think it was more the Pelicans needed a player, and they were in a playoff position. Playoffs are my favourite time of the year. I thought this would be a great opportunity. I’m trying to help this team make the playoffs. It’s my hometown team, and I knew most of the players beforehand. Everyone I talked to had nothing but good things to say about the Pelicans. That helped me make my decision.”
Between the two teams, Lambert accumulated four goals and six assists for 10 points in 49 games. Prior to joining JYP, he spent time with the Pelicans U16, U18, and U20 clubs during the 2018-19 season, tallying a combined 12 goals and 13 assists in 29 games.
It’s a shame that the 2022 World Juniors were prematurely canceled. Lambert was off to a red-hot start, scoring one goal and four assists in just two games.
Lambert is a high-end athlete. His skating ability is explosive. He has great speed and edgework, allowing him to cut away from pressure easily. You combine his skating with strong hands and he’s a go-to guy for zone entries. He can make tough plays in motion and shows O-zone creativity. He can use his skating to circle too much at times but this season showed more willingness to attack directly. He’s full of potential, even though I’ve seen him take a lot of nights off. I think he will be a top-six winger in the NHL but he may frustrate coaches.
He plays pucks into space beautifully, gets to the interior (against his peers, at least), splits lanes, cuts off the wall aggressively (though again, more often against his peers than pros), and has a low base to his stride that allows him to extend plays (though he does have a bit of a hunch to his posture, which can put him off balance). He’s excellent on the point and half wall on the power play because of his puck skill, dangerous wrister off the flank and playmaking instincts but he’s going to have to make plays more consistently at even strength to fulfill his top-six upside.
He’s such a dynamic player that often he leaves his teammates out of the play which can cost him at times. That could be a major reason as to why consistency has been an issue for the young Finn. Still, the move to the men’s league this seasons could be the best development move for the draft-eligible forward as he’s faced a lot more of a physical game that should ready him for the jump to the NHL at some point in the next couple of years.
Lambert is a bit of a boom or bust prospect at this point. His skating and puck-handling skills are amongst the best in this draft. However, there are concerns that he doesn’t make the most of these skills. His vision and decision-making as a playmaker are questioned and his wrist shot needs to improve to be a goal scorer. If a team is able to help him develop those areas, they could have a real gem on their hands. However, if they don’t come along, he will be a bottom-six forward, whose speed will be used to kill penalties and play an up-tempo energy game. In terms of style, Lambert reminds me of Michael Grabner, but this is a stylistic comparison only and not one based on skill and ability.