Lynden Lakovic has had moments of brilliance early in the 2026-27 season and is already producing like one of the Hershey Bears’ top players in his rookie year.
Through his first 14 games in the AHL, the 19-year-old winger sits tied for third on the team with 10 points (3g, 7a), trailing only Andrew Cristall (1g, 10a) and Jonny Brodzinski (5g, 6a). He briefly led the team last week after a two-assist performance.
But his point production does not fully capture how dominant he’s been offensively at times. Using his NHL speed, Lakovic has been consistently sprung on breakaways and has found himself with good chances, but he has only three goals to show for it.
Watching the Capitals’ 2025 first-round pick play, it feels like he’s teetering on superstardom — he looks like a cross between Ethen Frank, Anthony Mantha, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Gavin McKenna — and there’s clearly another level to his game, but something is just not clicking yet.
“Well, I think to what you’re saying, he does look like he’s dominating out there, and sometimes he is,” Bears head coach Derek King said after Hershey’s 4-1 loss to the Hamilton Hammers, Wednesday. “He just has to get that inside of the ice. That’s where you’re going to score some goals.
“A lot of shots come in from the perimeter a bit, but like, he didn’t drive one to the net earlier in the period, and then he finally took one wide and cut in. That’s what he needs to do. If he does that repeatedly — repeatedly — he’s going to get more opportunity because the D can’t keep up with his speed. They’re going to back up, and then the shots will start coming. But he’s got to get inside and start paying the price actually to get to the net.”
Lakovic currently leads the Bears with 43 shots — good for 15th most in the entire league — but he’s shooting just 6.9 percent, a 12.2 percent decrease from last season in the WHL.
Lynden Lakovic’s Shooting Statistics
| Statistic | Moose Jaw (2025–26) | Hershey (2026–27) |
|---|---|---|
| Games Played | 22 | 14 |
| Goals | 18 | 3 |
| Shots on Goal | 94 | 43 |
| Shots per Game | 4.3 | 3.1 |
| Shooting Percentage | 19.1% | 6.9% |
Lakovic’s early shooting percentage is also below the league-wide average of 10.5 percent.
Lynden Lakovic’s AHL Shooting Percentage vs. League Average
| Player / Group | Shooting % |
|---|---|
| AHL League Average | 10.5% |
| Lynden Lakovic | 6.9% |
| Difference | -3.6 percentage points |
To King’s point, what may have worked against WHL goaltenders needs more of a finer touch — or chaos — against older or more talented netminders in the AHL. Of the 81 goaltenders who have appeared in the AHL during the 2026–27 season, 38 have also played at least one NHL game during their careers. Seven of the 14 goaltenders Lakovic has faced early this season have played at least one NHL game, including, most recently, 2025 Stanley Cup champion Vitek Vanecek.
NHL-experienced goaltenders Lynden Lakovic has faced
| Goaltender | AHL Team | Date Faced | NHL GP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooper Black* | Charlotte Checkers | Oct. 3 | 1 |
| Brandon Halverson | Texas Stars | Oct. 10, 11 | 4 |
| Jiří Patera | Providence Bruins | Oct. 18 | 9 |
| Matthew Villalta | Rochester Americans | Oct. 28 | 3 |
| Joonas Korpisalo | Hartford Wolf Pack | Nov. 4 | 336 |
| Georgii Romanov | Springfield Thunderbirds | Nov. 6 | 10 |
| Vítek Vaněček | Hamilton Hammers | Nov. 11 | 210 |
* Black made his NHL debut for Florida on October 22, 19 days after he faced Lakovic for the first time.
After his AHL debut, King talked about Lakovic’s strengths. “The size, the skating, he’s got some good hands. But, you know, he’s got to work on a few things also.”
When pressed on what those weak spots are, King said, “Backchecking. Tracking pucks hard. Knowing his position. A lot of times, the young guys coming out of junior, they stand up straight, they look around to see before, and then they react, instead of just going, and then you figure things out as you’re skating. There are little things like that, but that’s all. It’s got nothing to do with skill base. It’s just stuff you’ll learn as being a good pro.”
For Lakovic, the encouraging part is that he already has the hardest things to teach. Now it’s about refining his approach, developing the habits King wants to see, and learning how to turn those opportunities into goals. If Lakovic can make those adjustments, the already impressive start to his professional career could be just a glimpse of what’s to come.
