Former Ontario Hockey League and Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League coach Denny Lambert is back in the OHL.
Lambert, who spent the 2020-21 season as head coach of the NOJHL’s Soo Thunderbirds, has been hired by the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves as a scout with a primary focus on Northern Ontario.
The 51-year-old Lambert, who also played three seasons in the OHL with the Greyhounds prior to a lengthy pro career that saw him play in 487 NHL games, said the opportunity with the Wolves is an exciting one for him.
“I look forward to working with head scout Mike Taylor and the rest of the scouting staff,” Lambert said in a prepared statement. “Hockey is always a big part of my life and I look forward to this next chapter in my hockey journey.”
Lambert’s OHL career with the Greyhounds saw him play in 181 games, scoring 65 goals and 148 points.
Following his playing career, Lambert joined the Greyhounds as an assistant coach prior to the 2004-05 OHL season.
Lambert then took over as head coach prior to the 2008-09 season and remains in the role for three years.
Last season, Lambert led the Thunderbirds to a 13-6-1-2 (wins-losses-shootout wins-shootout losses) record.
“Denny and I have known each other since our days competing in the late 80’s in the Great North Midget League and I have always respected him both as player and as a person,” Wolves VP hockey operations and general manager Rob Papineau said. “He was always a fierce competitor who had a never quit mentality and attitude. He had an incredible hockey career and is a terrific example to all young players that staying committed and never losing sight of your goal can pay off as he was amazingly never drafted into the OHL or the NHL, yet he persevered and had a great professional hockey career. He has a great eye for talent and was the person who had initially identified and was a huge supporter of the Pilon twins (Darien and Drake).”
The Pilon twins, who spent the past two years at the University of Prince Edward Island, each played three seasons with the Wolves from 2016 to 2019.
Taylor said that Lambert “has been a person in the north that we have built a great relationship with over the past few seasons and his experience, and insight will immensely help our staff with identifying the type of players we covet from all over the province and U.S.”
