Lambos back and better than ever

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This article was published 17/10/2022 (1120 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Carson Lambos was everything a first-round NHL draft pick should be in 2021-22. He was a smart, tough defensive leader with an appetite for heavy ice time and a penchant for big plays.

Fortunately for the Winnipeg Ice, the 19-year-old version of Lambos is probably even better than the previous model.

In four games since returning to the WHL from an extended pre-season look with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, the club’s newly minted captain has averaged 28:28 of ice time while registering four assists and a staggering number of big plays in the defensive zone.

The Ice, who are 7-1-0-0 and play the eighth of 12 consecutive road games to start the regular season Tuesday night in Victoria, are relying on Lambos and overage defender Ben Zloty for mammoth minutes while an otherwise younger group of blue-liners labours to establish itself.

“I think it’s gone pretty well so far,” said Lambos via telephone from Victoria Monday afternoon. “I’m playing more minutes than I had last year but I also have another year of experience and then just kind of the physical maturity as well.

“I think especially at this age, one year makes a big difference that way — I’m feeling that now. I feel fine playing the minutes I’m getting and I’m the kind of guy that always wants more.”

In the short term, Lambos is likely to get his wish, but head coach James Patrick does not expect the extreme workload to last indefinitely.

However, with four road games in the next five nights (Victoria, Vancouver, Kamloops and Kelowna), it could be the toughest stretch of the regular season and Lambos will be on high alert.

With defenceman Ashton Cumby out day-to-day with an upper-body injury, expect fellow rookie Josh Medernach to slot into the lineup.

Veteran blue-liner Max Streule, sidelined since suffering an upper-body injury in the regular-season opener, has been placed on injured reserve and will not play on the trip.

“Especially with the travel we’re going to be doing it doesn’t make it easy,” said Lambos. “But I think we have a really good team here and we just have to embrace that challenge and know it’s going to be hard. It’s really good test to see where we’re at and see what we can handle.”

Lambos, drafted 26th overall by the Minnesota Wild in the 2021 NHL Draft, was the last player to be reassigned to the junior ranks by the Wild. He played three pre-season games, impressing the NHL team’s brass, and came away with a new-found admiration for the work done in the big leagues.

“I really like the way Matt Dumba plays — just the way he is,” said Lambos of the Wild veteran. “He’s so hard defensively and he kind of has that mean factor, skates so well, a hard shot and I don’t know if it’s his primary focus during a game, but he still has an impact offensively.”

The NHL hangover so often experienced by players returning to junior has not materialized for Lambos.

“Since we got him coming out of Minnesota, he’s looked strong, fast, super confident,” said Patrick. “He’s shown all that and his defence has been good, really high end. He’s just really focusing on playing the game the right way, playing the game quick, moving the puck quick, joining as a fourth man (on the rush) and not overhandling the puck.

“You can never question Carson’s work ethic, his focus and his drive. He pushes himself harder than I do.”

Blue-lines: Head coach James Patrick said No. 1 goaltender Daniel Hauser could play three of the next four games. The 18-year-old is 6-0-0-0 with a 1.48 goals-against average and a .944 save percentage to start the season.

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14