On Christmas Day the 2021 World Junior Championship kicks off, and on Team Finland there is one player that all of the Hockey World, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, need to keep an eye on.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have targeted a good amount of Finnish Prospects over the years – in fact, they’ve drafted 6 of them over the past two years – Kyle Dubas and Co. should look to continue that trend. “Who with?” you may ask. 17-year-old Finnish Phenom, Brad Lambert.
Brad Lambert was only 16 at the time of being selected to be apart of Team Finland this year and for good reason, the kid is flat out skilled.
Lambert started playing professional hockey last year at the ripe young age of 15 with HIFK Helsinki of the top Finnish League, the Liiga where he put up 2 assists in 4 games. This year, still in Finland, Lambert has been with JYP Jyväskylä and was producing at almost a 0.50 PPG pace before leaving for the World Junior selection camp earlier this month.
Lambert is the youngest player currently in the Liiga and for all the right reasons. Standing at 5’11” – 165 lbs, this kid has the speed to slingshot past players, the hands to go through them, then the shot to beat the goalies. This kid is straight up dangerous when given the space and time to work with.
Toronto Maple Leafs and Finland at WJC
On December 22nd, the Finns participated in their one and only pre-tournament exhibition vs. the US and fell 3-2. Lambert recorded assists on both goals
Topi Niemelä knows how to get pucks to the goal. Two assists for Brad Lambert so far, just to put it out 👀 https://t.co/hAxT2l2EXd
— yp (@jrabane) December 23, 2020
Finland kicks off their official tournament action at 6:00 PM EST on Christmas Day against Tim Stuetzle and the Germans. In the preliminary round, the Finns also take on Switzerland on Sunday (2:00 PM EST), Slovakia on Wednesday (2:00 PM EST), and Canada on Thursday (6:00 PM EST). Schedule available via tsn.ca)
With a slightly below average Group A (besides Canada), Finland will likely put away the competition with ease and qualify for the playoff round.
17-Year-Old Lambert will be playing alongside three other Toronto Maple Leafs Prospects on the ice, Centre Roni Hirvonen and Defensemen Topi Niemela and Mikko Kokkonen, the latter of whom recently cracked our top ten prospects list.
Lambert is eligible for the 2022 NHL Entry Draft and is projected to go in within the top-5. Perhaps a strong performance from the young winger will have him in contention with Canadian stud, Shane Wright for the top spot.