The New York Islanders hold the 13th overall selection in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, the highest they will choose since 2018, when they took Oliver Wahlstrom at 11 and Noah Dobson at 12. It is also the first time they have picked in the first round since 2019. Over the next few weeks, we will be taking a look at some of the players that the Islanders could draft with that pick. The first player we will dive deeper into is Brad Lambert.

Lambert, 18, was born on Dec. 19, 2003 in Lahti, Finland. From birth, he was surrounded by hockey as he was born into a traditional hockey family. His father is Ross Lambert, who spent most of his career playing in England. His uncle, Dale Lambert, also spent the majority of his career in England. Dale’s son, and Brad’s cousin, Jimmy Lambert, spent four years at the University of Michigan prior to signing with the Bridgeport Islanders for the 2022-23 season.

His other uncle is someone who Islanders fans are very familiar with—the Islanders’ new head coach, Lane Lambert, who played in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, and Québec Nordiques.

The 6’0″, 179-pound center’s youth team was Pelicans 2000, and he went through their system, while also playing one game for the Saskatoon Generals U15 AA (SAAHL U15) in 2015-16. He made his debut with the Pelicans U16 team in 2017-18, scoring 28 goals and 48 points in 20 games. The following year, he played for the Pelicans U16, U18, and U20 teams, combining for 12 goals and 25 points in 29 games. He also played for Finland’s U16 and U17 national teams, scoring 13 goals and 26 points in 19 games. It was around this time when he started to pop up as a top name in the 2022 NHL Draft, and his stock would only rise from here.

Prior to the 2019-20 season, Brad Lambert signed a one-year contract with HIFK with two option years. He spent the majority of the season performing up to expectation on their U20 team, scoring 18 goals and 38 points in 42 games. He also added a four-game stint with the first team, tallying two assists. He also spent time with the Finnish U17 and U18 teams, combining for four goals and 11 points in 15 games.

HIFK declined his option following the season, allowing him to sign a two-year contract with JYP Jyväskylä. It may look like he had a tough time adjusting to full-time play in the Liiga, scoring seven goals and 15 points in 46 games, but to play 46 games as a 16-year old in the Liiga is a tough task to endure. He also played for the U18 and U20 Finnish national teams, scoring one goal and nine points in 12 games.

Coming into the season, his stock was still at a high as it was. He started the year slow with JYP, scoring two goals and six points in 25 games, one of which was for the U20 team, where he did not play for the year prior at the age of 16. Lambert definitely needed a fresh start, and got it when he moved to play for Pelicans, going back to his youth team. Since re-joining the club, he has scored two goals and four points in 25 games, and was held scoreless in three playoff games. This has not impacted his status as a top prospect in the 2022 NHL Draft.

I reached out to Will Scouch to ask for an opinion on Lambert and how he is as a player. Scouch is a McKeen’s Hockey contributor and founder of Scouching, where he takes both aspects of the “eye test” and advanced analytics to give a different perspective on the game to fans. He contributed to my “Digging Into the Islanders’ 2021 NHL Draft Class” series. I would like to thank Will for adding his insight and make sure to check him out on Twitter, Youtube, on his website, and maybe even consider supporting him on Patreon!

“Lambert brings one of the best combinations of speed and skill you’re going to find in this draft. Applying it to create offense at high levels is still an issue, but an issue I believe has been overblown. He’s a player that needs quality linemates to work off of and work with, and in my view has not been deployed in the right situation or tactical approach that suits his speedy, pace-filled style of play. Like Aatu Räty, he’s a player who I think is far more talented than the thoughts that are out there and has a ton of headroom to develop. He’s naturally gifted with speed, and utilizes it all over the ice at his best to drive some of the best transition results I’ve seen when he’s used in the middle of the ice as a breakout pass target and primary puck carrier. He’ll almost certainly go lower than his ceiling should dictate, and while he has flaws, his strengths still put him right up at the top of the draft in my view.”

Check back in next week for another look at a potential draft target for the New York Islanders.

SEF