Brad Lambert (ice hockey)

Brad Lambert
Lambert with the Manitoba Moose in 2024
Born (2003-12-19) 19 December 2003 (age 21)
Lahti, Finland
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 179 lb (81 kg; 12 st 11 lb)
Position Centre / Right wing
Shoots Right
NHL team (P)
Cur. team
Former teams		 Winnipeg Jets
Manitoba Moose (AHL)
HIFK
JYP Jyväskylä
Lahti Pelicans
NHL draft 30th overall, 2022
Winnipeg Jets
Playing career 2019–present

Brad Lambert (born 19 December 2003) is a Finnish-Canadian professional ice hockey forward for the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 30th overall by the Jets in the 2022 NHL entry draft.[1]

Playing career

On 13 December 2019, 15-year-old Lambert made his professional debut for HIFK of the SM-liiga, the top league in Finland.[2] Following the season, in which he scored 38 points in 42 games with HIFK's U20 club and two points in four games with their senior club, Lambert exercised a contractual option to leave the organization.[3]

On 8 May 2020, Lambert signed a two-year contract with Finnish club JYP Jyväskylä.[4] He would score 15 points in 46 games in the 2020–21 season, leading all under-18 players.[5]

Entering the 2021–22 season, Lambert was considered one of the top prospects for the upcoming 2022 NHL entry draft, ranked as high as second overall by some scouts.[6] After a disastrous start to the season that saw him score only six points in 24 games, Lambert's contract was terminated by mutual agreement and he signed with his hometown club, the Lahti Pelicans. In Lahti, his production stalled even further, to just four points in 25 games.[7] Following this tumultuous and disappointing season, he fell in the draft until he was selected by the Winnipeg Jets in the first round, 30th overall.[8]

In June 2022, despite never playing a game in the league and all signs pointing to him playing at the professional level upon arriving in North America, the Seattle Thunderbirds acquired Lambert's Western Hockey League (WHL) rights from the Saskatoon Blades in exchange for draft picks.[9]

Lambert attended Jets training camp prior to the 2022–23 season.[10] On 12 October 2022, he was signed to a three-year entry-level contract and assigned to the Jets' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Manitoba Moose.[11] After 14 games with the Moose in which he scored only three points, the Jets assigned Lambert to the Thunderbirds.[12] With the Thunderbirds, Lambert scored 48 points in 26 games, as well as 26 points in 17 playoff games en route to winning the 2023 Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions.[13] The Thunderbirds then reached the final of the 2023 Memorial Cup, where they were defeated by the Quebec Remparts.[14]

Returning to the Moose for the 2023–24 season, Lambert was named to the 2024 AHL All-Star Game.[15] With multiple Jets regulars not playing the final game of the season to rest ahead of the playoffs, Lambert was recalled to the NHL. He finished the AHL season with 20 goals and 52 points, good for second in rookie point scoring and earning a spot on the AHL All-Rookie Team.[16] In his NHL debut on 18 April 2024, Lambert recorded an assist in a 4–2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks.[17]

International play

Medal record
Men's ice hockey
Representing  Finland
World Junior Championships
Silver medal – second place 2022 Canada
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Canada

Lambert represented Finland at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, as a 15-year-old at the under-18 tournament, where he scored a hat-trick in a 6–0 victory against Switzerland.[18]

Lambert has attended three IIHF World Junior Championships, winning bronze in 2021 and silver in 2022, and finishing fifth in 2023.

Personal life

Lambert was born in Lahti, Finland to a Canadian father and a Finnish mother, and he is a citizen of both countries.[19] His uncle Lane Lambert is a former NHL player and coach.[20] His father Ross played for the Saskatoon Blades and professionally in the American Hockey League (AHL) and in the United Kingdom's Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), where his uncle Dale also played. His cousin Jimmy played for the University of Michigan.[6]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2018–19 Lahti Pelicans U20 17 2 9 11 18 10 1 1 2 6
2019–20 HIFK U20 42 18 20 38 28 — — — — —
2019–20 HIFK Liiga 4 0 2 2 0 — — — — —
2020–21 JYP Jyväskylä Liiga 46 7 8 15 18 — — — — —
2021–22 JYP Jyväskylä U20 1 0 1 1 0 — — — — —
2021–22 JYP Jyväskylä Liiga 24 2 4 6 31 — — — — —
2021–22 Lahti Pelicans Liiga 25 2 2 4 12 3 0 0 0 0
2022–23 Manitoba Moose AHL 14 2 1 3 8 — — — — —
2022–23 Seattle Thunderbirds WHL 26 17 21 38 12 17 6 20 26 8
2023–24 Manitoba Moose AHL 64 21 34 55 38 2 0 1 1 0
2023–24 Winnipeg Jets NHL 1 0 1 1 0 — — — — —
Liiga totals 99 11 16 27 61 3 0 0 0 0
NHL totals 1 0 1 1 0 — — — — —

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2019 Finland U17 7th 5 1 5 6 2
2019 Finland HG18 4th 3 3 0 3 0
2021 Finland WJC 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 7 1 3 4 0
2021 Finland U18 4th 5 0 5 5 2
2022 Finland WJC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 5 1 0 1 4
2023 Finland WJC 5th 5 1 0 1 4
Junior totals 30 7 13 20 12

Awards and honours

Award Year Ref
AHL
All-Star Game 2024 [15]
All-Rookie Team 2024 [16]

References

  1. ^ "Brad Lambert at eliteprospects.com". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  2. ^ @HIFKHockey (13 December 2019). "Uusia Kolleja edareissa! Liigadebyytit illalla Porissa Brad Lambertille ja Wiljami Myllylälle. #HIFK #Liiga #Kollit" [New Kolls in edares! League debuts in the evening in Pori for Brad Lambert and Wiljami Myllylä. #HIFK #Liiga #Kollit] (Tweet) (in Finnish). Retrieved 9 November 2023 – via Twitter.
  3. ^ Salin, Kim (30 April 2020). "TIEDOTE: Brad Lambert ei jatka HIFK:ssa". HIFK (in Finnish). Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  4. ^ Mari (8 May 2020). "Huippulupaus Brad Lambert sopimukseen JYPin kanssa". JYP Jyväskylä (in Finnish). Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  5. ^ "Elite Prospects – Liiga Stats 2020–2021". www.eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Why Brad Lambert is one of this year's most intriguing NHL prospects". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  7. ^ Rasegård, Anton (13 June 2022). "2022 NHL Draft prospect profile: Brad Lambert is one year removed from being a top-three prospect". Habs Eyes on the Prize. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  8. ^ "Winnipeg Jets Prospect Report: How Brad Lambert's doing after draft year slide". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  9. ^ "Blades Trade Forward Brad Lamberts Rights to Seattle". OurSports Central. 30 June 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  10. ^ Hurley, Kieran (20 September 2022). "Winnipeg Jets 2022 Training Camp Roster Features No PTOs". Jets White Out. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  11. ^ "Jets sign forward Brad Lambert". Manitoba Moose. 13 October 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  12. ^ Eide, Andy (10 January 2023). "The rich get richer – Winnipeg Jets send first-round pick Brad Lambert to Seattle Thunderbirds". Sound Of Hockey. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  13. ^ "Lambert staying up to speed on way to Jets | NHL.com". www.nhl.com. 9 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  14. ^ "Québec Remparts cap off impressive season by winning 2023 Memorial Cup". Canadian Hockey League. 5 June 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  15. ^ a b "Rosters announced for 2024 AHL All-Star Classic". AHL.com. American Hockey League. 10 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  16. ^ a b Thomas, Jamie (8 May 2024). "Jets Prospect Report – May". National Hockey League. Winnipeg Jets. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  17. ^ Kepke, Cami (18 April 2024). "WHL Stars & NHL Debuts: Lambert earns first NHL point in Jets debut". chl.ca. Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  18. ^ "IIHF – Is third time charm for Lambert?". IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  19. ^ O'Brien, Derek (8 August 2019). "Lambert in lion's clothing". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  20. ^ Matheson, Jim (30 December 2020). "Brad Lambert plays for Finland but has deep Canadian ties". edmontonsun. Archived from the original on 30 December 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Winnipeg Jets first round draft pick
2022 		Succeeded by