George Richards, FHN Publisher
On the day the Florida Panthers signed Ryan Lomberg as a free agent, general manager Bill Zito made a bold prediction.
“The fans are going to love him,” Zito said. “He is an energy forward who can fly and is an in-your-face, hard forward with hockey sense. He is a very fast, speedy wing who plays with an edge.”
Lomberg indeed became a fan favorite in the second half of this season once he got a real chance at some playing time.
One of his biggest moments came in April when he and Columbus’ Kole Sherwood squared off at center ice.
After Lomberg got the takedown, he pulled off his helmet to flip his long hair, a mischievous grin shown on the big screen as he went directly to the penalty box.
Yeah, the fans were loving Ryan Lomberg.
I’m definitely excited to play in front of Panthers fans,” Lomberg told Florida Hockey Now in October after signing a two-year, one-way deal with Florida.
They loved him even more on Thursday night.
Jumping in for a defensive-zone faceoff in overtime in Game 4, Lomberg took off after Noel Acciari swept the puck to Radko Gudas along the half wall.
Gudas quickly threw the puck up the ice to Frank Vatrano who saw Lomberg racing up the ice.
Lomberg got the puck in stride as he blew past Norris-winner Victor Hedman, walked in on Andrei Vasilevskiy and put a backhander over the Vezina-winner’s shoulder.
“A lot of things have to go, almost everything, has to go perfect in that situation,’’ Joel Quenneville said Friday afternoon.
“Lot of perfect plays happened before Lombo got to it. It was one of those plays where you don’t expect to score, but you expect to get out of your end. … This was a huge, gigantic goal and a great shot. His first shift in overtime was special.”
Said Lomberg: “We were trying to advance the puck past their D. It was a great play all around. Great execution.”
Florida won in overtime and Lomberg is now part of Panthers’ lore.
But how did he get here?
NOT DRAFTED BUT NOTICED
Born in raised in the Toronto area, the Richmond Hill native played youth and prep hockey in Ontario until joining the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL as a 16-year-old.
Following that, Lomberg signed with the University of Maine where he scored 18 goals with 32 points in 66 games for the Black Bears.
As a 19-year-old, Lomberg was suspended from the the Maine team following charges of assault and disorderly conduct at an off-campus residence in 2013.
After pleading guilty in a plea agreement, Lomberg returned to the USHL where he played a season with the Youngstown Phantoms.
Lomberg did not get drafted, but did get invited to the Calgary Flames’ development camp in 2015.
He was so impressive in that camp that he got a minor league contract. It was not much, but it was something.
Lomberg split his first pro season playing for Stockton (AHL) and Adirondack (ECHL) where he showed (surprise!) speed and toughness.
He continued to attend Calgary development and rookie camps where he attracted attention.
After playing parts of three seasons in the minors, Lomberg made his NHL debut with the Flames on Jan. 25, 2018 in the Battle of Alberta at Edmonton.
He got into a fight in that first game, throwing down with Zack Kassian in the third period.
“It was awesome. Everything I could have imagined and more,” Lomberg said. “That in itself was a dream come true. It was a great milestone for sure.”
Lomberg played in seven games for the Flames during the 2017-18 season and got into three fights.
Lomberg played in four more games for the Flames the following year but spent all of last season in the AHL with Stockton.
ALBERTA TO FLORIDA
When it came time for free agency, Zito called with an offer and he jumped at it.
Lomberg said there was interest from numerous teams, but conversations with Zito and other members of the front office sold him on the opportunity in Florida.
“It is a dream come true,” Lomberg said. “It’s tough, even a few weeks (after signing) to put into words how much this means to me.
“This is something I have worked so hard to get for so long now. It has been an uphill battle at times, there were times things weren’t going so great for me. But I’m so thankful for the people close to me who supported me through the tough times.
“I am very excited for the opportunity in Florida and to show the people in the front office what they see in me is what they’ll get every day. This is a great fit for us both. I am excited to get to work and I want to show them I am worth the opportunity and the contract. I’ll do anything I can do to help the team win.”
IN-N-OUT
Lomberg found consistent playing time in spurts this season.
After playing in the season opener against Chicago, he sat the next eight and spent time on the taxi squad — but since he had the one-way contract, was paid NHL money.
Lomberg then played in 17 consecutive games and got his first NHL goal March 11 in Columbus. He only played six-plus minutes in that game, however, and was scratched in the next three.
From March 13-April 19, Lomberg played in seven games and was scratched in 14.
He had been scratched for three consecutive games when he got back in on April 20.
In that game, Lomberg got into the fight with Sherwood, scored his second goal of the season and was extremely active and noticeable.
He hasn’t been out of the lineup since.
Thursday night, he got his first goal in the playoffs — and the first one against a team other than the Blue Jackets.
It was a big one.
“He has been a big part of the group, brings enthusiasm to the room, practices and games,’’ Quenneville said.
“He is one of those guys who can be an agitator and is physically engaged. He has speed, does a lot of good things without the puck defensively.
“But his speed can be dangerous. He is full of energy. That may have been the first puck he shot into the net this year. He banged one in. … He brings an energy that has really enhanced our team this year. Different guys have added different things. He is one of those guys who plays hard and is no fun to play against.”