The Winnipeg Jets have had an up-and-down opening to the 2023-24 season, but when it comes to their AHL affiliate – the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League, there are a handful of players off to scorching hot starts.
Their scoring leader through six games is 2022 first-round pick Brad Lambert, who has four goals and five assists early on in the season. In his AHL action a year ago, he had just three points in 14 games. This is an incredible sign for the Jets organization as Lambert’s development seems to have taken a huge leap forward.
Brad Lambert Looks Comfortable at Centre
When Lambert was re-assigned to the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League (WHL) last season, they moved him to his natural position of centre and saw the elite production follow suit. He posted 38 points in 26 regular season games for the Thunderbirds and followed that up with 26 points in 17 playoff games.
Now that Lambert is developing on a team within the Jets organization, it’s only right that they see for themselves whether or not his production at centre in the WHL was a fluke, and the early returns say it wasn’t, as his personal success has led to a 4-2-0 record to start the young season for his club.
When asked about being moved back to centre on Winnipeg Sports Talk, Lambert had an insightful answer, he stated “I played centre growing up until I played pro in Finland and they moved me to the wing, but that’s where I feel the most comfortable and I feel like I can use my speed the best. Obviously some things I need to work on, faceoffs, down low, battles, stuff like that, getting stronger, and I’m working on those every day trying to get better.”
Latest THW Headlines
That quote from Lambert is interesting, because from a handful of “way too early” rankings, he was a top-five talent in the upcoming draft heading into his draft year. Then he gets moved to the wing, which results in a dip in production and he slides to the end of the first round, and the Jets select him as a “high-risk high-reward” prospect. An interesting “what if?’ is if Lambert would have been picked that late if he had stayed down the middle his entire junior career.
Lambert spending the full year in the AHL developing those skills he mentioned is likely in his best interest, and barring injuries, it’s likely the route that the organization will take with the 19-year-old centre. Lambert is the type of prospect who may need more time to develop in the minors to refine his game.
Lambert Headlines Jets’ Forward Prospects Thriving
Lambert has gotten off to an incredible start in his 2023-24 campaign, but he is not the only Jets prospect to do so this season. The Jets organization has four first-round forward prospects who are not currently on the big club but seem to be crushing expectations elsewhere.
Rutger McGroarty, the Jets 2022 first-round pick, is currently tied for the NCAA lead in points with 15 in eight games played. Last year he put up a stellar 39 points in 39 games, but he has taken his offensive production to a different level early on this season. These are incredibly impressive numbers for a player who projects to be a power forward with skill at the NHL level. Being labelled as that is one thing, but leading the NCAA in scoring is another.
Another first-round forward is Colby Barlow, who has 12 points in 10 games for the Owen Sound Attack of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Outside of the first-round forwards, Nikita Chibrikov has eight points in six games for the Moose alongside Lambert. He is another dynamic winger who unlike Lambert, is best suited for the wing.
All of this is to say, that the Jets’ forward core has the potential to be a loaded group in about three to five years. They have clearly invested heavily in that position with their draft capital as of late, and it seems to be on the right trajectory to paying off in the long run.
