Winnipeg Jets prospect Brad Lambert finally got a chance to play with players his age in the WHL. Going there from the AHL was certainly no step back.

The fact that Brad Lambert started playing chess recently is quite ironic.

“I saw a Tik Tok about chess, and I thought it’d be pretty cool to learn. It’s got to be good for your mind,” Lambert told The Hockey News. “There’s a lot of different pieces. You have to know where and how they move. You have to think ahead.”

Sometimes, in chess, you have to take a step back before taking a step forward. It's a sentiment that, funnily enough, illustrates Lambert’s 2022-23 season quite well. 

After being selected 30th overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2022 draft, Lambert — long regarded as a top-five pick before his underwhelming 2021-22 draft year — started the season in the AHL. After struggling to produce with the Manitoba Moose, followed by an underwhelming showing at the world juniors, the Jets re-assigned the 19-year-old forward to major junior. 

In the four months since joining the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds, Lambert has raised his stock immensely while playing against players his age for the first time in a while. The Finnish forward recorded 38 points in 26 WHL regular-season games, followed by another 26 points in 16 playoff games so far. The Thunderbirds are currently in the midst of the WHL final, with a chance to win it all on Friday night.

“I knew I could produce when given the opportunity, and I think that I’m showing that now,” Lambert said. “I don’t think it’s ever been a confidence question — it’s more of an opportunity question.”

For Lambert, prime development opportunities have been few and far between over the last few years, having spent the previous two seasons playing in Liiga as a teenager. That’s not something you usually see, but Lambert is a special talent.

“He’s probably one of the most skilled players I’ve ever played with,” said Dylan Guenther, who spent the first half of the season with the Arizona Coyotes before joining Seattle.

Thunderbirds defenseman Luke Prokop says Lambert’s combination of raw speed and quick hands make for a lethal combination that keeps blueliners on their heels.

“He’s very difficult to defend in 1-on-1s and 2-on-1s because you don’t know what his moves going to be and whether he’ll change speed or not,” Prokop said. “He’s really deceptive in that way. For a defenseman, you don’t want to give him too much space because he’s so fast but you also don’t want to too tight on him because he can change speed and he’s got really good hands.”

Lambert's talents took center stage at Jets training camp this past fall, with the youngster recording two points in three exhibition games while showcasing the type of skill set that puts the hype train on a prospect in full force.

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Lambert, however, had a hard time carrying over that pop from training camp into his stint with the Manitoba Moose. 

The AHL was a big transition for Lambert, a player that was not only a few months removed from being drafted but also quite inexperienced playing pro on a North American-sized ice surface. 

Creating offense in the AHL is different than Liiga.

“It’s about learning how to play on the inside,” said Moose coach Mark Morrison. “It’s about not playing on the perimeter, taking pucks on the inside into the scoring areas, which is hard to do with the defense (in the AHL) and how everyone boxes out and plays a physical game.”

After recording three points in his first AHL four games, Lambert was sidelined for four games with an illness. Once he returned, Lambert registered zero points in his next 10 games before heading to the world juniors, where he recorded one point in five games. The latter was an especially telling sign that maybe the AHL wasn’t the best spot for his development.

“I don’t know if it would have been detrimental to him or not,” Morrison said of the prospect of Lambert returning. “I think he would have succeeded here as well, but probably just not to the level that he is now in junior.”

Lambert’s WHL dominance goes beyond him scoring a point-and-a-half per game. In 42 WHL games, Lambert has recorded a 65-percent expected goals-for percentage at even strength and logged 18:43 in ice time per game, according to InStat. That’s a massive step up from his output in the AHL, where he recorded a 48-percent expected goals-for and averaged 14:03 of ice time per game. 

After playing on the wing in Manitoba, Seattle has shifted the natural center back down the middle. Thunderbirds coach Matt O’Dette said he believes it maximizes Lambert’s output.

“He has a knack for being able to pick up pucks from deep in his own zone and carry the puck out of trouble with his speed. There are things he has to work on – there’s more responsibility with play away from the puck and faceoffs — but man, with that type of runway to build up his speed, it fits with his skill set,” O’Dette said.

Lambert has had Guenther on his wing for most of the year, and the two have been arguably the league’s most dynamic duo. Game by game, the little dashes of flare Lambert would showcase every now and then have become commonplace in any given Thunderbirds game. 

It’s been a while since he’s been this dominant, in any given league, for an extended period of time. 

His game is evolving and growing, with the pass-first winger developing more of an attack mentality. Through 26 regular-season games, Lambert averaged 4.23 shots per game — the 10th most in the WHL. While those figures dipped in his first 13 playoff games, he’s been a lethal scorer in the WHL final against Winnipeg – tallying three goals and averaging 4.25 shots through four games.

“When he’s got some daylight on a goaltender, he doesn’t miss often,” O’Dette said.

His newfound attack mentality stems from all this runway he’s getting as a go-to guy.

“At our level, he’s pretty fearless in terms of the physical play and taking hits to make plays,” O’Dette said. “That’s a big factor with guys that have that amount of skill. If you’re willing to go into the traffic areas, take a hit to make a play and go to a scoring area, use your speed to win races and get first touches where you might open yourself up to get hit — he does all that.”

Lambert regained a fire in his game. When he scores, he’s amped up as opposed to relieved. He’s not squeezing his stick so tight.

“He’s gotten the chance to end this season feeling good about himself,” said Thunderbirds GM Bil La Forge. “Brad just loves hockey. He’s one of those kids that just wants to play hockey. He’s having success. Our team’s winning. He’s smiling a little bit more than he was.”

Even when he appears so far ahead of his peers, there’s undoubtedly a benefit to Lambert getting experience as a high-end player that teammates rely on.

“For Brad, it’s a chance to, for once, play with his peers and be a big fish,” said La Forge. “When the going gets tough, he’s one of the guys we count on. He’s a go-to guy on the power play for us. He’s a guy you have out there in the last minute of a game. We count on him and he’s really risen to the occasion.”

In Seattle, Lambert has been able to break out of his shell.

“I’ve always been one of the younger guys in the dressing room,” Lambert said. “Now, I’m with guys my own age, and it’s different. But it’s been a lot of fun. I’m sure I’ve made a lot of lifetime friends here.”

After sharing an apartment with fellow former Jets first-rounder Chaz Lucius while with the Moose, Lambert has been living with his father, Ross, who moved overseas from Finland to be with his son in Seattle. Lambert’s mom, Heidi, works as a flight attendant and couldn’t relocate to Seattle full-time – though she sometimes spends layovers there. Lambert said being able to do things like eat dinner and watch the Stanley Cup playoffs with his dad has provided a source of comfort.

While Lambert was rather quiet at first, it didn’t take long for him to immerse in a room full of teenagers, O’Dette said. Once he did, he quickly became a very popular teammate.

“I think he appreciates being around his age group again and being able to have fun as a kid a little bit more,” O’Dette said. “He’s really blossomed in this environment.”