Unexpected gift – Lambert living out special time in Seattle

Brad Lambert is enjoying his time with the Thunderbirds.

Brad Lambert initially took reassignment from the hockey’s professional level to the major junior ranks like most would – as a gut punch.

Lambert, who was born in Lahti, Finland, started the season with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. He put up two goals and one assist in 14 games with the Moose and was held pointless in his final 10 outings with that squad.

The 19-year-old forward proceeded to join Finland’s squad for world juniors, which were jointly held in Halifax, N.S., and Moncton, N.B. Lambert, who stands 6-feet and weighs 183 pounds, had one goal in five games as Finland bowed out falling in a quarter-final 3-2 to Sweden.

Upon returning from world juniors, the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets, who are the parent club for the Moose, assigned Lambert to the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds. The Jets had selected Lambert in the first round and 30^th overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. Lambert’s WHL rights were originally held by the Saskatoon Blades, and the Blades dealt Lambert’s right to the Thunderbirds on June 20, 2022.

With the Thunderbirds, Lambert was playing on a team that topped the Western Conference and finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 54-11-1-2 record. The U.S. Division champions were rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. Seattle’s 54 wins and standings points total of 111 points are new regular season club records.

Shifting from right wing back to his nature centre position, Lambert took off with the Thunderbirds putting up offensive numbers that showed why he was a first NHL Entry Draft selection. In 26 games with the Thunderbirds, Lambert piled up 17 goals and 21 assists to go with a plus-27 rating in the plus-minus department.

As the Thunderbirds marched through the WHL Playoffs posting a 16-3 record to capture the Ed Chynoweth Cup as league champions, Lambert posted six goals and 20 assists to go with a plus-13 rating in 17 post-season appearances. He missed the Thunderbirds last two games of their first round sweep of the Kelowna Rockets due to illness.

The Thunderbirds are set to open play at the Memorial Cup tournament that determines a CHL champion on Saturday against the OHL champion Peterborough Petes at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops, B.C., at 3 p.m. local time. Kamloops is hosting this year’s Memorial Cup tournament and the host Blazers open game action tonight taking on the QMJHL champion Quebec Remparts at 6 p.m. local time.

Brad Lambert has six goals and 20 assists in 17 post-season games.

Lambert said playing with the Thunderbirds has been a good thing.

“We haven’t lost a series yet, so it has been perfect,” said Lambert, with a chuckle. “We’re looking to win it here.

“Yeah, I was disappointed, but I’m just making the most out of the opportunity. It is a great team here we have and a great group of guys. I’ve had a lot of fun.”

Lambert found he had joined a Seattle side where the rest of the team accepted him right away. After making the WHL Championship Series in 2021-22 and falling to the Edmonton Oil Kings in six games, the Thunderbirds were aiming to go all the way this season. He originally played right wing on a line with two star players in Jared Davidson at centre and Kyle Crnkovic on left-wing.

The Thunderbirds made another addition helping increase Lambert’s comfort level with the team. Before the WHL’s trade deadline on January 10, the Thunderbirds acquired the WHL rights to forward Dylan Guenther, who helped the Oil Kings with the WHL title in 2022.

Guenther, who turned 20-years-old in April, started the 2022-23 campaign with the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes. He appeared in 33 regular season contests with the Coyotes putting up six goals and nine assists and played games with the club to January 28.

The Coyotes allowed Guenther to play for Canada at this past world juniors, and he recorded seven goals and three assists in seven games. In Canada’s 3-2 overtime win in the gold medal game against Czechia played on January 5, 2023 in Halifax, Guenther had two goals including the winner in extra time.

On February 5, the Coyotes assigned Guenther to the Thunderbirds. Guenther made his debut with Seattle on February 10 in a 6-1 victory over the Red Deer Rebels at the Accesso ShoWare Centre in Kent, Wash.

Brad Lambert had 38 points in 26 regular season games with Seattle.

He started the contest on a newly created line where he was on right wing, with Lambert at centre and Reid Schaefer, who has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers, on left wing. The Thunderbirds have kept that unit together ever since.

“I’ve got two great shots on my wings,” said Lambert, who father, Ross, played with the Blades in 1982-83. “I just use my playmaking to get them the puck.

“They’re doing a good job of finishing.”

Lambert found he had good chemistry playing with Guenther and Schaefer and added both wingers bring different dynamics to the table.

“I know when I give him (Guenther) the puck I’m going to get it back, or he is going to create something,” said Lambert. “Just the give and goes and playing together it harder for the other team to stop.

“Reido (Reid Schaefer) is great in front of the net. He has a big body. He is great on the forecheck and a fast skater too.

“It has been a good line.”

Thunderbirds head coach Matt O’Dette has enjoyed having Lambert as part of the Thunderbirds. The bench boss said the young forward has surprised the Seattle coaching staff with how well rounded he has been in all parts of the game.

“He (Lambert) has been great for us,” said O’Dette. “Obviously, he is a highly skilled player.

Brad Lambert loves his teammates with the Thunderbirds.

“He really integrated himself well with our team right away. He was proud to be a T-bird. He is a great skater and dynamic player.

“He also competes and plays in the hard areas. That was a pleasant surprise for us. Obviously, we knew of him, but now that we’ve had him for a while here, he is a much more complete player than what we thought.”

O’Dette said Lambert rolled during the regular season with the Thunderbirds and has continued that roll in the post-season even with opposing clubs keying more on him and his line.

“He (Lambert) has picked up in the post-season right where he left off in the regular season,” said O’Dette. “He has been real good.

“Obviously, he is probably keyed on a little bit more in the playoffs. He has handled that real well. The height and physicality of the playoffs hasn’t bothered him at all.

“He has been really good for us.”

Lambert said the best about the Thunderbirds is he found he joined a group of good players, who are characters who have character. He enjoys coming to the rink, because he knows something fun will happen along with work getting done on the ice.

He has enjoyed playing with all his teammates on the Thunderbirds including the likes of Guenther, Schaefer, Davidson, Crnkovic, Thomas Milic, Luke Prokop, Nolan Allan, Colton Dach, Lucas Ciona, Jordan Gustafson, Kevin Korchinski, Jeremy Hanzel and Nico Myatovic.

Like himself, Guenther, Prokop, Allan, Crnkovic and Dach were all acquired via trades by the Thunderbirds since the club fell in the 2022 WHL final. Lambert said it has been cool to see the newcomers and the existing core of players come together.

“You wouldn’t know this team has been put together kind of throughout the season,” said Lambert. “You would think we have been together for many years.

Brad Lambert hopes to enjoy some good time at the Memorial Cup.

“Everyone is great and close with each other, so it is nice.”

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Blazers force Game 6 with third period surge

Thunderbirds still lead Western Conference final 3-2

Will Blazers HC/GM Shaun Clouston guide a team to a 3-1 series rally?

The Kamloops Blazers pre-empted any celebration plans the Seattle Thunderbirds and their fans may have had.

On Saturday at the Accesso ShoWare Center in Kent, Wash., the host Thunderbirds went into Game 5 of the WHL’s Western Conference Championship Series looking to close out the best-of-seven set. The visitors played the role of spoiler.

The two sides were locked in a 1-1 draw after 40 minutes, and the Blazers opened the third scoring three times in the first 5:31 of the frame to jump ahead 4-1. The Thunderbirds answered back scoring once 18 seconds after that surge, but the hosts wouldn’t score any more to the disappointment to most of the 5,063 spectators in attendance.

The Blazers made the 4-2 score hold up as the final outcome of the contest to cut the Thunderbirds lead in the series to 3-2. With the win, the Blazers force the series to go to a Game 6 that will be held on Monday at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops at 7 p.m. local time.

If the Blazer are able to win Game 6, that will force a series deciding Game 7 to be held on Tuesday back at the Accesso ShoWare Center at 7 p.m. local time. Last year, these two clubs went to a series deciding Game 7 in the Western Conference final that was won 3-2 by the Thunderbirds in Kamloops. The Thunderbirds trailed that series 3-2 before rallying to take the set in Game 7.

Of course, the Blazers are trying to rally back from a 3-1 series deficit to take the Western Conference final, and Shaun Clouston, who is the team’s head coach and general manager has experience with making a 3-1 series comeback.

Back in the 2014 WHL Playoffs, Clouston was the head coach and general manager of the Medicine Hat Tigers when they fell behind the Cranbrook, B.C., based Kootenay Ice 3-1 in a best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series. The Tigers roared back for three straight wins to take the set 4-3 for the only 3-1 series comeback to date in team history.

Medicine Hat would proceed to bow out in the Eastern Conference final in five games to the eventual WHL and Memorial Cup champion Edmonton Oil Kings. Clouston joined the Blazers organization on June 17, 2019. The Ice moved from Cranbrook to Winnipeg, Man., before the start of the 2019-20 campaign.

Jared Davidson is Seattle’s career leader in post-season goals.

As for Saturday’s encounter between the Blazers and Thunderbirds, Blazers left-winger Matthew Seminoff scored his second of the contest 43 seconds into the third to give the visitors a 2-1 edge with a shot from the front of the net on a delayed penalty call. Seminoff converted a nice backhand pass that came from the left side of the Seattle goal from left-winger Caedan Bankier.

Just 23 seconds later, the Blazers pushed their lead out to 3-1 thanks in part to an error by Thunderbirds star goaltender Thomas Milic. Blazers import centre Jakub Demek was cruising around behind the Seattle net, and Milic was expecting a wraparound and shuffled from the left post to hug the right post of his goal.

Demek centred the puck just before passing the left post to Blazers star 20-year-old centre Ryan Hofer, who was about three feet out front of the left post. Hofer fired one shot off the post before putting his own rebound into an empty cage to give the visitors their two-goal advantage.

At the 5:31 mark of the third, the Thunderbirds were working on the power play, but the Blazers were able to break into the Seattle zone on a two-on-one break. Hofer jetted down the right wing, deked around Thunderbirds star defenceman Kevin Korchinski and snapped home a shot for his second tally of the contest that put the Blazers up 4-1.

Just 17 seconds later, Thunderbirds star left-winger Reid Schaefer scored on that same power play to cut the Blazers lead to 4-2. Seattle wasn’t able to get any closer even with having the benefit of being on the power play for the final 1:54 of the third including being down two men for a short span of 16 seconds.

The teams played through a scoreless opening frame with the Blazers holding a 12-7 edge in shots on goal.

At the 3:06 mark of the third, Thunderbirds star left-winger Kyle Crnkovic, who turned 21-years-old in January, appeared to have scored the first goal of the contest. The goal went to a video review, and it was disallowed after video determined there was a hand pass made by Thunderbirds captain Lucas Ciona in the puck possession sequence that led to Crnkovic’s tally.

Matthew Seminoff

The Thunderbirds did get the first goal of the contest as 20-year-old star centre Jared Davidson scored his ninth of the post-season to give the hosts a 1-0 lead. The tally was Davidson’s 22^nd career post-season goal with the Thunderbirds, which set a new team record. The old mark of 21 goals was held by centre Scott Eansor, who played for the Thunderbirds from 2013 to 2017 helping them win a WHL title in 2017.

Davidson has 22 goals and 26 assists in 41 career post-season games with the Thunderbirds.

With four minutes remaining in the second, Seminoff sniped home his first goal of the contest from inside the right faceoff circle to even the score at 1-1. That set the stage for the dramatics in the third.

Dylan Ernst stopped 36 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blazers. Milic turned away 26 shots to take the setback in net for the Thunderbirds.

Offensive-defenceman Jeremy Hanzel had a pair of assists for the Thunderbirds.

The series between the Thunderbirds and Blazers was expected to be a heavyweight battle.

The Thunderbirds topped the Western Conference and finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 54-11-1-2 record. The U.S. Division champions were rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. Seattle’s 54 wins and standings points total of 111 points are new regular season club records.

The Blazers finished second overall in the Western Conference and third overall in the WHL regular season with a 48-13-4-3 mark. The B.C. Division champions were rated ninth in the final CHL Top 10 rankings.

Seattle’s roster contains 10 players who have been drafted by NHL teams, while Kamloops has nine NHL drafted players on its roster. The Thunderbirds have seven players who participated in the last world juniors, and the Blazers have three players who took part in this past world juniors.

Reid Schaefer scored for the Thunderbirds on Saturday.

The Thunderbirds were without standout centre Jordan Gustafson for a third straight game. It is suspected Gustafson was injured as part of the celebration for Hanzel’s overtime winner in Game 2 of the series claimed by the Thunderbirds 4-3. The Blazers were without defenceman Ryan Michael.

Kamloops rearguard Logan Bairos returned to action after missing three games due to injury, and blue-liner Ryan Nolan was healthy scratched to allow Bairos to return to the Blazers lineup.

The winner of the series between the Thunderbirds and Blazers advances to face the Winnipeg Ice in the best-of-seven WHL Championship Series. The Ice swept the Saskatoon Blades 4-0 in a best-of-seven Eastern Conference Championship Series.

Winnipeg topped the WHL regular season standings with a 57-10-1 mark and was rated third in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. The 57 wins and 115 standings points are new franchise records for the Ice.

The Ice are likely watching the Western Conference final intently and have to enjoy the fact the Blazers and Thunderbirds are going to a Game 6. The winner if the Western Conference title series will have reduced rest before playing the WHL final.

The Ice will host Game 1 of the WHL final on Friday at 7 p.m. local time at the Wayne Fleming Arena.

Winnipeg would gain a further bonus of the Blazers do in fact rally to win the Western Conference final. The Blazers host the Memorial Cup tournament that determines a CHL champion from May 26 to June 4 at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops, so the WHL’s Eastern Conference Champion would make that event, if Kamloops makes the WHL final. In that scenario, the Ice would earn a berth to the Memorial Cup.

Ryan Hofer

For now, the Blazers are hoping to play in the third series in these WHL Playoffs that goes to seven games, and the Thunderbirds will do what they can to avoid a winner takes all contest.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Thunderbirds in command of Western Conference final

Blazers fall in OT heartbreaker in Game 2

Jeremy Hanzel had the OT winner for Seattle on Sunday.

When it comes to the WHL Playoffs, Seattle Thunderbirds fans can rightfully break into chants of “undefeated,” if they wanted to.

The Thunderbirds opened the WHL’s Western Conference Championships series against the Kamloops Blazers winning the first two contests at home to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven set. The Thunderbirds claimed a 5-1 victory in Game 1 on Saturday and rallied from being down 3-1 to pull out a 4-3 overtime victory in Game 2 on Sunday.

With those wins, the Thunderbirds have a perfect 10-0 record in the WHL post-season outscoring their opposition 48-13. The Blazers, who will host the Memorial Cup tournament to determine a CHL champion, were 8-0 in the post-season before facing the Thunderbirds in the first two games of the Western Conference final held at the Accesso ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington.

In Game 1 played before 6,023 spectators on Saturday, Thunderbirds star centre Jared Davidson opened the contest’s scoring with three minutes remaining in the first period, and standout Thunderbirds right-winger Nico Myatovic tallied at the 13:44 mark of the second to give the hosts a 2-0 advantage. With 3:49 remaining in the second, Blazers star offensive-defenceman Olen Zellweger netted his eighth of the post-season to cut the Thunderbirds lead to 2-1.

The 2-1 score held up until the Thunderbirds rolled off a three-goal surge starting at the 10:19 mark of the third to round out the game’s scoring. Star centre Dylan Guenther started the surge scoring at the 10:19 mark of the third, Davidson added his second of the contest just over four minutes later and standout rookie centre Gracyn Sawchyn, who turned 18-years-old in January, closed the surge with a single on the power play with 3:47 remaining in the third.

Davidson had an assist to go with his goal for a three-point night, while Guenther had an assist to go with his goal for a two-point night.

Logan Stankoven

Star netminder Thomas Milic made 24 saves to earn the win in goal for the Thunderbirds. Star netminder Dylan Ernst turned away 30 shots to take the setback in net for the Blazers.

In Game 2 played before 4,677 spectators, the Blazers got a good jump out on the Thunderbirds. With 39.2 seconds remaining in the first, Blazers star left-winger Caedan Bankier gave the visitors a 1-0 lead.

Just 59 seconds into the second, Zellweger potted his ninth of the post-season scoring on the power play to push the Blazers lead out to 2-0. He potted home a loose puck sitting in front of the Seattle net after a rebound from a long shot taken by star centre Logan Stankoven.

At the 7:33 mark of the second, Thunderbirds star left-winger and captain Lucas Ciona tallied on the power play to cut the Blazers lead to 2-1.

Momentum proceeded to swing back in favour of the Blazers at the 12:30 mark of the second, when Thunderbirds star 21-year-old left-winger Kyle Crnkovic was given a double minor for high-sticking. The infraction will automatically be reviewed by the WHL office for a possible suspension.

The Blazers pushed their advantage out to 3-1 when star right-winger Matthew Seminoff scored on the ensuing power play goal at the 12:53 mark of the second. Seattle managed to kill of the second part of Crnkovic’s double minor.

With 4:04 remaining in the second, the Thunderbirds got a key traction goal from power-forward Colton Dach to trim the Kamloops lead to 3-2.

Brad Lambert had the equalizer for Seattle on Sunday.

The Blazers would proceed to take an undisciplined penalty with 4.1 seconds remaining in the second that would prove to be costly. After the play was whistled down for an offside call, Bankier used his shoulder to deck an unsuspecting Dach dropping the Thunderbirds centre behind the ice away from the play. Bankier was given a minor penalty for roughing, and Dach stayed in the contest.

Just nine seconds after Bankier’s penalty expired in the third, the Thunderbirds were still buzzing with the puck in the Blazers zone. Thunderbirds offensive-defenceman Jeremy Hanzel cycled down the left side boards in the Kamloops zone and fed a pass across the face of the net to Thunderbirds star centre Brad Lambert. Lambert tapped home the puck backdoor at the right post of the Kamloops net to even the score at 3-3.

Milic and Ernst slammed the door on their respective goals for the rest of the way in the third to force overtime.

At the 6:21 mark of overtime, Lambert won a two-on-two battle for the puck in the left corner boards of the Kamloops zone. Lambert passed the puck to the left point to defenceman Sawyer Mynio. Mynio fed the puck to the right point to Hanzel who one-timed home the winner to give the Thunderbirds a 4-3 victory.

The only down part for Seattle on the winning goal was it appeared Thunderbirds standout centre Jordan Gustafson, who turned 19-years-old in January, injured himself during the winning goal celebration. He was the first Thunderbirds player to leave the ice seeking out the team’s trainer.

Olen Zellweger

Milic made 39 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Thunderbirds. Ernst turned away 35 shots to take the setback in net for the Blazers.

Hanzel, Lambert and Dach each finished the contest recording one goal and one assist. Crnkovic had a pair of assists for the host side. Stankoven had helpers on all three Blazers goals, while Zellweger finished with one goal and one assist.

The series between the Thunderbirds and Blazers was expected to be a heavyweight battle.

The Thunderbirds topped the Western Conference and finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 54-11-1-2 record. The U.S. Division champions were rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. Seattle’s 54 wins and standings points total of 111 points are new regular season club records.

The Blazers finished second overall in the Western Conference and third overall in the WHL regular season with a 48-13-4-3 mark. The B.C. Division champions were rated ninth in the final CHL Top 10 rankings.

Seattle’s roster contains 10 players who have been drafted by NHL teams, while Kamloops has nine NHL drafted players on their roster. The Thunderbirds have seven players who participated in the last world juniors, and the Blazers have three players who took part in this past world juniors.

The series now shifts to the Sandman Centre in Kamloops for Games 3 and 4. Game 3 is set for Tuesday at 7 p.m. local time, and Game 4 is slated for Thursday at 7 p.m. local time.

Kyle Crnkovic had a pair of assists for Seattle on Sunday.

If Seattle can get to 11-0 in the post-season, the Thunderbirds might be bound for the WHL Championship Series. If the Blazers can get Game 3 at home on Tuesday, a marathon series may yet materialize.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.