Flames Season Review: Ryan Lomberg Packs Punch
The NHL holiday break is over but we're still looking at each and every member of the Calgary Flames, and what their season has been like so far. Today, we're profiling Ryan Lomberg.
There are no grades — this isn't high school — but these quick-and-dirty glimpses into their season illustrate where they're at ahead of the calendar flip from 2024 to 2025.
Name: Ryan Lomberg
Position: Winger
Stats: 1 goal, 3 assists, 4 pts., plus-4, 1 PPG, 1 SHA, 24 SOG, 4.2 SH%
Summary: Ryan Lomberg's New Year's Eve game was a great snapshot of what he's brought to the Calgary Flames this season. In his second go-round with the Flames franchise, the 30-year-old winger was going for some version of a hat-trick.
He had two fights on the scorecard already, jousting with the Vancouver Canucks' Erik Brannstrom and Derek Forbort before thinking he had the third lined up with Dakota Joshua.
“We were vibing, just having fun. I thought he was going to give me my third of the night, give me a nice little walk-off going into the new year," Lomberg said after the 3-1 Flames victory. "I think it’s after three they send you home. I told the boys in the locker-room between periods, ‘stay tuned, you may be seeing me a little earlier.'"
Lomberg is always vibing — or maybe vibrating is a better word — for the Flames. He's the definition of a fourth-line energy player, making his presence felt very literally with a physical effort on every shift. Sometimes, that ends in fisticuffs.
"It’s a sign of the brotherhood that we’re trying to get to here, and that we’re growing. It’s great," Lomberg said. "Anytime you stand up for your teammates, and you push back when you get pushed, it’s important."
The brotherhood is attempting to make the playoffs even during the transition to a more youthful roster assembly. The Flames were written off by many during the offseason after a handful of core pieces were traded away by GM Craig Conroy over the previous months.
But one major reason Lomberg was brought back to Calgary by the Flames was his Stanley Cup experience with the Florida Panthers (who definitely have missed Lomberg's spirit and company).
"We’re proving people wrong, but we’re not proving ourselves wrong," Lomberg said. "We know what we’re capable of, especially when we play the right way."
Lomberg knows only one way and one speed. And it's paid off for him and his team so far.