The Winnipeg Jets were surprised and elated when Brad Lambert was still on the board when it was their turn to pick at the 2022 NHL Draft.
They expected him to be gone when it was time to make the 30th pick of the first round, but he was there, and 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."
The 18-year-old (6-foot, 175 pounds), showed impressive offensive ability at several amateur levels, bringing him into the early focus of NHL scouts. Through the past few seasons, expectations were for Lambert to eventually be a top-5 or top-10 selection.
"We think he's the best skater in the draft," Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said. "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."
It's possible Lambert's stocked dropped for many NHL teams because of his numbers in SM-Liiga, the top league in Finland, last season. He had six points (two goals, four assists) in 24 games with JYP and four points (two goals, two assists) in 25 games with his hometown Lahti Pelicans.
Numbers, for an offensively productive player at every other level, raised questions about Lambert's ability to translate his game to the professional level.
"It's 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," Cheveldayoff 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, Lambert's offensive talent was on display at the 2022 World Junior Championship. Playing for Finland in the under-20 tournament, 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 was first played in December. He had five points (one goal, four assists) in two games before the tournament was postponed due to 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, 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 from here on speak for themselves."
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