When it comes to the Calgary Flames lineup for the 2024-25 NHL season, there are going to be some new additions, some young names hoping to etch themselves into the opening night roster, and veterans who are looking not only to continue their upward trend set in motion during 2023-24 but also help mentor the young players who do make the roster.

It’s easy to focus on the bigger names in the top six, like Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri, mentoring the young players, but there are other players in other roles that general manager Craig Conroy and his staff have brought in that can provide some leadership qualities both on and off the ice. One of those players is Ryan Lomberg.

Even though he will be playing somewhere in the bottom six of this Flames lineup card, Lomberg has the chance to provide some more of what the Flames players and Flames fans enjoyed last season with a player like Martin Pospisil. He’s not as skilled as Pospisil is, but he brings the physical game that makes players think twice before making decisions with and without the puck. And even though he may not be as skilled of a passer or scorer as Pospisil, he makes up for it with the fact that he is a Stanley Cup champion with the Florida Panthers. He was in those locker rooms during games with the high NHL playoff intensity we all know and love.

In 75 games played last season, Lomberg scored five goals and two assists for a total of seven points. He played an average of just under nine and a half minutes per game. However, in the two seasons prior, the numbers look a bit different.

In the 2021-22 season, which was shortened to 56 games due to COVID-19, he played in 55 games and registered nine goals and nine assists for 18 points. Then, during the next season, he scored a career-high 12 goals and tallied eight assists for 20 points in 82 games.

There are some stark differences between this past season and those two, primarily focusing on his average ice time and shooting percentage. Lomberg averaged 11:24 and 11:19, respectively, over the course of those two seasons, and his shot totals were vastly different, especially in 2022-23.

In 2023-24, Lomberg registered 134 shot attempts, 68 of which were shots on goal. He scored on five of them for a shooting percentage of 7.4. But, in 2022-23, Lomberg attempted 218 shots with 134(!!!) hitting the net. He scored 12 goals, putting his shooting percentage at 9.0 for the year. In fact, his shooting percentage the year prior was higher at 9.9 percent.

The 29-year-old depth forward’s analytics are relatively favourable. On a three-year scale, he hovers around the average mark, with offense slightly below average and defence above average. The numbers are mostly weighed down by his not-so-impactful last season.

Below are his two best years, during which he received more ice time and shot the puck more. First is the 2021-22 season, where his play on the defensive was well above average:

And here is the 2022-23 season, highlighted by the extremely high number of shot attempts he was taking under then-Panthers head coach Andrew Brunette, known for teaching a style that emphasizes throwing pucks on the net from anywhere a player can find a lane.

And here is his 2023-24 season, just to provide the context on a year-by-year basis and how it affected the three-year chart:

So what does all this mean? Why does it matter?

Well, even if you aren’t a super big believer in analytics, it’s clear that putting Lomberg in a position where he can receive more ice time than he got in his last year with the Panthers will be paramount for his success. Not only that, but encouraging him to shoot the puck in the right positions and playing a style that suits him, such as firing the puck toward the net, will benefit the team tremendously.

Additionally, while there is a possibility that Lomberg struggles on the offensive side of the ice with the Flames, the good news is that his defence has been either above average or within the margin of error in the analytics to be considered average. For fans of the plus-minus stat, it might be beneficial to know that while he was a minus player two of the last three seasons, it was only -1 both years, with his highest being +4 in 2021-22.

Finally, the Flames have brought in a player who should be given a chance to succeed in the bottom six of the lineup and a player who isn’t a liability on defence, but they brought in a familiar face. After going undrafted, it was Calgary who gave Lomberg his first shot in the NHL. He played mostly in the American League for the then-Stockton Heat, but he played 11 games in a Flames uniform over those first seasons, and from all accounts, he’s excited to be back as a more mature player who is willing to take a beating so the players around him can succeed.

He is a decent-defending, bottom-six forward with Stanley Cup-winning experience and without worry about putting his body on the line both for his linemates and star players. He’s the perfect character guy for a young team looking to develop and find their way. It’s an exciting time for the Flames for many reasons, and the hope for Coach Huska, Conroy, and his staff is that Lomberg can deliver some exciting moments along the way.

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