Dobber Prospects:
A potential minute-eating two-way defender at the NHL level. An intriguing combination of speed, strength, and skill on the backend with top-pair upside.
LWOS:
Lambos excellent skating ability helps him to play a strong two-way game. He has a great first step and excellent acceleration reaching top speed in just a few strides. His top-end speed is very good and allows him to carry the puck past forecheckers and out of the defensive zone. This strong speed is also true of his backwards skating. Lambos has very good agility and edgework. This helps him to maintain good gap control defensively and to walk the line laterally in the offensive zone. His pivots are crisp which help him to transition from offence to defence and vice-versa. Lambos has good lower body strength. He is strong on the puck and capable of winning battles along the boards and in front of the net.
Steve Kournianos:
Lambos possesses excellent mobility and quickness for a defenseman with a powerful, sturdy frame. He isn’t a consistent end-to-end rusher like most high-end defense prospects but eluding or out-pacing forecheck pressure is one of Lambos’s major strengths. His movements are incredibly efficient, especially when forecheckers try to fix him into a tough situation. Upon retrievals, Lambos will peel back multiple times, using his edges and balance (and quick shoulder checks) to keep the puck away from the side of the opponent’s blade. His turns are both sharp and rapid, but Lambos drops a quick first step when he decides to head north and accelerate with a long, powerful stride.
McKeen's:
First, let's discuss the positives as there are many of them. Lambos is a smooth skating defenseman with quick feet, very good mobility and strong edges. He has a powerful stride and can skate with the puck out of trouble. Along the offensive blueline he shows shifty and strong footwork. He can jump into the play on the ice and possesses the speed to recover in time. I wouldn't call his skating excellent, but it is definitely an area of strength.
SmahtScouting:
If we focus on his lateral movements for a brief second, one of the qualities that I am fond of is Lambos’ “happy-feet”. For those who are unaware of what I mean by “happy-feet”, it is Josh Tessler lingo for a defenseman who deploys a rapid stride that allows him to go from side to side at a quick pace. With Lambos’ happy-feet, he can quickly skate along the blue line and find teammates to pass to even in traffic. Lambos can use his speed to dodge traffic, find an open lane, pass the puck or take a shot.
Now again, no one is saying that Carson Lambos skates like Luke Hughes -- he doesn't. But his skating is -- without any doubt -- a strength, and a reason
why you can project his upside as huge, not why you wouldn't. When combined with a tremendous shot, terrific size and strength, a fantastic set of hands and the ability to make high-end passes, you get "upside". The question is whether his poor draft-eligible season and oft-questioned compete/decision-making create an untenable risk factor. This is why I've slotted Lambos at #19 overall, rather than inside my top 10. But to me -- and to most of the people I've read assessing Lambos -- upside is
the reason you draft him.
I'll leave you with a link to Steve Kournianos prospect profile on Carson Lambos. Kournianos currently ranks Lambos #4 overall, and his prospect profiles are free so it's an easy link to give:
2021 Draft Profile: LHD Carson Lambos - The Draft Analyst
