The Providence Bruins’ offense got a shot in the arm on Jan. 13 when the team signed winger John Lammers to a PTO. The one-time underachieving Dallas Stars prospect might be playing his way back into contention for an NHL job if Boston GM Peter Chiarelli and his staff like what they’ve seen in his brief but effective stint with the Bruins’ top farm affiliate.

After head coach Rob Murray put the former third-round pick (86th overall) in 2004 on a line with former Everett Silvertips friend and linemate Zach Hamill, and another WHL product in Jordan Knackstedt, the trio took off. Lammers has six goals and 13 points in 22 games with Providence, and while those aren’t eye-popping numbers, the 24-year-old has brought an excellent chemistry and fit with him after bouncing around without much sustained success over the past four years. He’s shown a willingness to shoot the puck and become a constant net presence in the offensive zone.

“They’ve really produced and played effectively for us,” Murray told hockeyjournal.com when asked about the ‘Dub’ line’s performance. “They’re comfortable together, which is nice to see. They hang out together and are communicating on and off the ice. It’s not just a thing where seven comes around and it’s time to strap on and go play and then go in different directions when the game is over. They seem to enjoy each other’s company and that natural chemistry is paying off for them.”

Lammers has been a key ingredient in kickstarting the line’s offensive production and helping to get a pair of players going into high gear. In his final season of major junior, he tallied 38 markers while riding shotgun with Hamill, and is looking for a chance to hook on with an NHL team after failing to impress with the Dallas organization after turning pro in 2006.

Murray said that Providence had their eyes on Lammers earlier this season when he got off to a hot start with the ECHL’s Alaska Aces, but the developing plan to bring him in got derailed when the AHL’s Manitoba Moose struck first. Lammers played 11 scoreless games for the Moose before being released and returned to Alaska.

The book on Lammers is that he’s undersized at about 5-foot-10, 185 pounds, but has good speed and hands and will go to the front of the net. Intensity and consistency was a knock on him during his draft year, and along with size concerns, dropped him out of the top-two rounds.

He’s been given a second chance after appearing to work himself out of a job at the end of last season, and is making the most of it in Providence. In Murray’s opinion, Lammers’ play could possibly open the door for a contract offer from Boston at some point, comparing the situation this year to what Kirk McDonald did in 2008-09.

If the Baby B’s are going to make the playoffs, they’ll need Lammers and his linemates to keep the high-octane offense going. If Lammers can provide that spark, then it would go a long way toward giving Boston the confidence to invest a contract on him at some point in the summer.

Tags: Lammers

posted: Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 3:03 pm / Boston Bruins Prospects /
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