Game On Magazine - April 2017 Game on Preview Edition | Page 82

they had a defenseman
(Anthony Kehrer, 30th
overall) drafted in the second
round of the WHL Draft this
year. Lambos is a heck of a
prospect.”
The WHL 14-year-old
Draft is an important step for
any young player hoping to
become a professional player
one day. It’s not the be-all
and end-all, but it’s still an
important part of any good
player’s development. Despite
what some teams might want
people to believe, high draft
picks do get a better shot to
make a WHL team’s lineup
than late picks or free agents.
Still, despite the
importance of Lambos’
2017-18 season, the Grade 9
student at Shaftesbury High
School, is trying his best to
ignore the draft and ignore
any pressure that might be
inadvertently placed on him.
After all, in the spring of
2016, his brother Jonathan
(2001) was selected in the
third round (49th overall) by
the WHL’s Victoria Royals.
Jonathan, who now plays with
the Omaha Lancers in the
Elite U-16 NAPHL, is a former
U-16 Team Manitoba member
who played age-advanced City
Midget with the Monarchs as
a 14-year-old.
“Sure, the thought is always
there, you can’t ignore it
completely,” he said. “With
the Internet and social media,
it’s always out there. But I try
not to think about it. If you
think about it too much, the
pressure will get to you. I just
go to the rink every day and
work as hard as I can.”
This year, although Jonny
will be 16 and Carson 14, the
br others are close. In fact, they
even share the same birthday
– Jan. 14.
Lambos is trying his best to ignore
the draft and any pressure that might
be inadvertently placed on him
Not surprisingly, they have
played hockey together all
their lives. When Jonny was
six and Carson was four, they
both played Timbits at Tuxedo
Community Centre.
“Easiest year of our hockey
lives,” said their mom, Simone,
with a laugh. “All we had
to do was take them to the
community club together.
Those were simpler times.”
It didn’t take long for
things to change. They were
both good players almost from
the start and while they went
through the minor programs
at Tuxedo (Carson played age
advanced to 10-A1), Jonny
played two years with the
Rangers and two years with
the Monarchs before heading
off to Omaha. Carson played
two seasons with the Peewee
Rangers and then joined
RHA as a Grade 8 student
at Laidlaw School last year.
As a result, mom Simone
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and dad Steve have had a lot
more driving and a significant
amount of travel time away
from Winnipeg.
However, all the driving and
all the effort has been worth
it. Both players are solid and
both have bright futures.
“Our goal as parents is to
put our kids in a position to be
successful,” said Steve back in
2015. “Education is No. 1, but
we certainly want to give them
the tools to take hockey as far
as they possibly can.”
Last season, Carson was
outstanding. He was the
third leading scorer with the
Nationals – as a 2003 player.
In 30 games in the CSSHL, he
had 15 goals and 38 points,
three power play goals, a
shorthanded goal and four
game winners (tied for the
team lead). The only players
ahead of him in team scoring
were forwards Seth Jarvis
(selected in the first round,
11th overall by Portland)
and Ty Thorpe (selected in
the third round, 54th overall
by Victoria). The 6-foot,
175-pound Lambos was more
than just a surprise.
Last year, Carson not only
played hockey with RHA,
he also played basketball for
Laidlaw School and intends
to play Club Basketball this
season. During the summer,
he played baseball with the
Charleswood AAA Bantams
(first baseman). Not only
is he a great young hockey
player, but a terrific all-around
athlete. That’s why, this
coming season, Coach Purdie
expects to see both a team
leader and dominant player
wearing No. 7 for RHA.
“We are expecting bigger
and better things from Carson
this season, but at the same
time, we expect that he’ll be a
leader and a team-first player,”
said the Nationals head coach.
“He will certainly be getting
lots of attention from the
other teams this season and it
will be exciting to watch him
continue to develop.”. ❍