The NHL booking ceremony was a big bang for Slovakia. The Nordic countries and Canada, the homeland of ice hockey, were assigned a seat in the back row, writes Urheilu’s NHL editor Tommi Seppälä.
It was a different kind of NHL draft event. Already in advance, the pack was spread out in an exceptional way, and no one seemed to have a clear idea of who would be booked first. Canadian Shane Wright was considered the biggest favorite for the number one booking of the event for a long time, but no matter what.
The first day of the booking event in Montreal became a big bang for Slovakia!
Montreal, who booked first, didn’t choose the Canadian Wright, but the one who represented Turku Palloseura last season by Juraj Slafkovsky. The selection was also historic for Finns, as the winger became the first SM league top pick in the NHL ever.
The Slovakian pack was completed right away in the second inning, when the New Jersey Devils booked a large Slovakian pack By Simon Nemec. In total, no less than three Slovaks were booked in the first round, which is an excellent thing for the development of a passionate hockey country.
The situation was different for the Nordic countries.
Finland and Sweden had to wait for their first selection until halfway through the first round. Vancouver captured a Swedish striker who was profiled as a goal scorer Jonathan Lekkerimäki as the 15th player of the occasion. Right after Noah Östlund went to Buffalo and JYP Joakim Kemell To Nashville.
The last time the Nordic countries had to wait this long was in 2008. At that time Erik Karlsson was booked in Ottawa from the 15th shift.
And Canada fared no better.
Seattle only picked up the pre-favorite Wright in the fourth. In the 2000s, the first Canadian has descended this way only once, in the summer of 2018. Rasmus Dahlin, Andrei Svetshnikov, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Brady Tkachuk was booked before those who visited Ilves since then Barrett Hayton.
Of course, eight more Canadians were selected after Wright.
What does Brad Lambert do?
From a Finnish point of view, the first round of the booking event went pretty much as expected – Kemelli and the third last selected to Winnipeg by Brad Lambert we were told to go already on Friday. Of course, Kemell fell short of expectations, as he had been tipped even in the top ten in many places.
As for the duo’s future prospects, the NHL booking is just one small step toward the big bucks. Neither of the duo is ready to challenge for an NHL spot next fall, hardly even a year from now.
Among Finns, Lambert is definitely more interesting as a name. A couple of years ago, Lambert was even considered the number one name in the entire booking event. His stock plummeted in the eyes of NHL clubs due to the extraordinary twists and turns of the last few years.
Lambert is known for his skating skills and instincts as a forward, but just as much for his father who pulls strings in the background. RossBy the way, the father knows the Jets GM through Saskatchewan relations By Kevin Cheveldayoff, which brings its own spice to the reservation. Lambert’s family has not been satisfied with practically anything in Finland, and the player has changed clubs like socks.
Many have asked with tongue in cheek in the early hours of the morning how long Father Lambert’s relationship with Winnipeg will last.
We will also be interested to see where Brad Lambert plays next season. The latest stories are about a move to the WHL, a junior league in Western Canada. Lambert is reportedly considering playing south of the border in Seattle, for the local Thunderbirds.
Such a move could be considered at least special after 100 SM league games?
Why would Lambert go to the WHL instead of the tough SM league to play sloppy junk hockey? The demand and response to the game in the SM league is like from another planet compared to the WHL. The grass is not greener in Canada in this regard. Aleksi Heponiemi previously beat the WHL tremendously after his NHL booking, but where did that take the player?
After the WHL, Heponiemi drifted to Kärpp, AHL and from there through Sweden to AHL and NHL.
Lambert has everything to become a quality NHL player. Some called the Finnish skater the best skater of the NHL’s booking event, among other things. But there are too many variables in the background that throw big question marks over the great potential.
And that’s exactly why Lambert’s journey is worth following closely.