Brad Lambert is still without a player contract, but there is no shortage of alternative teams.
Brad Lambert was reserved to the Winnipeg Jets in the summer with reservation number 30. PDO
Finnish-Canadian ice hockey player Brad Lambert doesn’t let the high reservation number of 30 disturb you too much. In the past few weeks, the talented player reserved for the Winnipeg Jets has had time to impress his NHL club at the rookie camp, which will surely please the club’s leadership position and may upset the clubs that passed the Finn.
In the rookie tournament, Lambert managed to score against both the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames. It’s still too early to say if Lambert is ready for the NHL level at this point. Most likely, the forward’s season will be spent in the AHL, the North American junior league or in Europe.
Born in 2003, Lambert’s excerpts have also been noted in the hockey news publication The Hockey News. The magazine praises Lambert’s quick adaptation to the North American way of playing and believes that Finnish skating and skills are well suited to the NHL playing environment.
– Lambert is one step ahead of most of his European peers, the Hockey News article comments.
Lambert’s family background gives the young man an advantage over other Europeans. His Canadian roots have enabled trips to get to know Canada and the local hockey culture in his childhood. Winnipeg itself was not a very familiar city.
– I’ve been to Winnipeg once before. I was ten years old, so I don’t remember much about it. But when we landed in Winnipeg, I felt right at home. The place has a lot in common with Saskatoon.
Lambert’s last seasons in Finland could have gone better. The future top hockey player went to play League matches in HIFK, Jyp and Pelicans with varying degrees of success. Last season there was little responsibility and sometimes none at all. It may be that Lambert is not interested in returning to the SM league, where the style of play is different from that in North America.
– There is more speed here, it is more difficult to tackle and so on. In the Finnish way of playing, we play a little bit and play träppi.
Lambert did not elaborate on where the trail leads after the camps. The ultimate goal is the NHL, where you can’t go underprepared.
– I’m going to give my all here (in the rookie camp) and then in the training camp to earn my place in the team. We’ll see where they (Jets) want to send me then, Lambert said.
Finns also participated in Winnipeg’s newcomers’ camp Henri Nikkanenwho was Lambert’s teammate in the Pelicans, as well as in Jukurei last season was impressed Oskari Salminen.