San Jose Sharks prospect Cameron Lund jumps up one spot to number 19 this season. The forward just completed his second full season with Northeastern University and he faced some adversity. Between graduating seniors, players signing NHL contracts and other changes in the Northeastern lineup, Lund was leaned on heavily to shoulder the load for his squad this season.
Position: Forward
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 185 lbs.
Age: 20
Date of Birth: June 7, 2004
Draft Year: 2022 (34th overall by San Jose Sharks)
Shoots: Right
2024-25 Team: Northeastern University
Lund’s season started out well. He scored early and often for the Huskies and even topped Will Smith and Boston College in early December with a hat trick. However, as our own Lakshya Jain posited in our end of the season prospect evaluations, the hat trick was the peak of his play and he “faded down the stretch.”
If there’s one positive from it all, it’s that Lund was not surrounded by strong players, and so he gets a bit of extra credit, considering he wasn’t surrounded by the kind of skill that other prospects had. Northeastern had a tough season. The team finished with a 17-16-3 record and was eliminated from the quarterfinals of the Hockey East Tournament by Boston University.
Lund was the fifth-highest scorer on the team. He ended his second season at Northeastern with 30 points (11 G, 19 A) in 35 games.
What we like
Lund still has the skill set of an NHL player and he’s fast. His head coach at Northeastern, Jerry Keefe, told Scott Wheeler of The Athletic that Lund has “high, high-end speed.”
“He can really transition a puck through the neutral zone and when he works against a bad gap, he’s a real tough guy to defend,” Keefe told Wheeler. “He shoots the puck really well. And he’s a skilled kid. He’s a skilled, 6-foot-2.5 player with great skating ability. He’s one of those guys who can pick up a puck and the next thing you know, he’s on a breakaway.”
Lund is a strong skater with a good puck release and a strong hockey sense.
Areas of improvement
This past season, Lund worked hard on his all-around game. As San Jose Sharks Director of Player Development Todd Marchant told Sheng Peng on the San Jose Hockey Now podcast, the team challenged Lund to battle for the puck better.
“We challenged him beginning of this year to be better along the wall,” said Marchant. “Better, more engaged in puck battles and I tell you what, he really took it to heart and he did become much better. His coaching staff noticed it. I know our player development staff, our scouts noticed it.”
That said, there is still a question of Lund’s compete level. When The Athletic’s Corey Pronman made up his list of the top prospects in the Sharks’ system, Lund didn’t make the cut. He was on the bubble and Pronman didn’t pull any punches when he explained why.
“Cameron Lund checks all the aesthetic boxes you want in an NHL player, but his consistency and compete leave some to be desired,” wrote Pronman.
That could have something to do with the dip in production in parts of the season last year and it’s definitely something to keep an eye on this season.
What’s next for Lund?
Lund will return to Northeastern University for his junior season. Once again, the team lacks some of the high skill set that other teams within the Hockey East conference have. There are just seven players on the roster that were drafted by an NHL team. Compare that to Boston College, which has a dozen drafted players or Boston University, which has 13 NHL prospects. It’s going to be another uphill slog for the Huskies this season.
That said, it could be a good challenge for Lund. He’ll have to do a bit more heavy lifting if the Huskies are going to challenge the likes of BC and BU for a spot in the NCAA tournament. This is Lund’s opportunity to step up and show Sharks’ management what he can do.
Highlights
Lund shows off his finishing skills with this goal against Boston College on Dec. 1, 2023. It was his second goal of the night.
Lund with the heat 🔥
— Northeastern Men’s Hockey (@GoNUmhockey) December 2, 2023
📺 https://t.co/5DCRkSqauV pic.twitter.com/vkYRp1jEHR
He’s also good under pressure. Like this goal with less than two minutes left and his team trailing by a goal. Lund finishes a pass in close and beats Massachusetts goaltender Michael Hrabal for the tying goal.
With his second of the year, Lund sends us to overtime!
— Northeastern Men’s Hockey (@GoNUmhockey) November 4, 2023
📺 https://t.co/AsdA09JowD pic.twitter.com/4JSqVM3KFd
