The times in which I noticed Lackman were when he was using his skating ability to escape pressure or defend off the rush. On defensive zone retrievals he was able to build speed through crossovers below the goal line on his touches, which allowed him to separate from pressure and either move the puck up using an outlet or his feet. His lateral mobility allows him to kill rush plays as well, closing in on puck-carriers quickly in the neutral zone to take away their time and space and either close them off with a body check at the line or force pucks in behind him. His offensive contributions mainly came in transition, where he was able to peel back on regroups if he didn’t like what he saw, reassess his options and make heady plays up ice to initiate controlled entries and scoring chances off the rush.

Lackman was a defender who really enjoyed having the puck on his stick, often acting as the fourth forward off the rush carrying the puck up ice or utilizing his edgework to pivot away from pressure on regroups before moving it up ice to facilitate controlled entries. He had some strong sequences going back for pucks in his own end as well, fighting through contact and leveraging his footwork to escape pressure to work himself into space and initiate quick exits out of the zone. I thought he kept a good gap while defending off the rush as well, tightening up in the neutral zone that allowed him to kill plays early or force dump ins into the offensive zone.

Lackman flashed great defensive instincts all night long, from winning his battles deep into his own zone to initiating clean breakouts through the neutral zone. His situationalawareness is off the charts, consistently positioning himself accordingly in order to kill potential threats. Compared to last season, his skating is much improved, with solid stride mechanics and good edge control. He shows a powerful, controlled backpedal that allows him to maintain tight gaps and stay square to attackers. The two-way defenseman demonstrated confidence transporting the puck from behind his own net up to the blue line, triggering the zone exit. Generally speaking, I’d really like to see him play a harder game. He would really benefit from using his physical attributes more consistently, particularly in puck protection and when steering and pushing opponents to the outside off the rush. Overall, Lackman played a strong game, showcasing the tools he possesses and demonstrating how effective he can be when he plays to his strengths.

Lackman’s strong skating base is what carried him through his M18 debut. I noted a couple of sequences where he was able to shut down play along the wall, using quick lateral pushes and crossovers to close in on puck-carriers and cancel them out along the boards. He had a few solid recovery moments on his backward pivots which allowed him to poke check attackers traversing wide who had initially got a step on him. As a puck-mover he often deferred to his partner, and while he was a little hesitant from the point by mostly just throwing pucks into clogged lanes, I do think his tools and athleticism give him plenty of runway to develop over the season.