Bruins Prospects Sent Back to the Canadian Hockey League

By: Mark Allred | Follow Me On Twitter @BlackAndGold277

The Boston Bruins have been underway preparing for the upcoming 2021/22 regular season for some time now, with NHL Training Camp a week and a half into its process. The annual camp festivities are held at the Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton, Massachusetts, and have a complete list of players vying for a chance to secure a roster spot for the upcoming campaign. We’ve seen a mix of seasoned NHL veterans and younger prospects looking for an opportunity to impress the Bruins brass. Below from the official Boston Bruins Twitter account is a complete list of camp attendees and information about the days and times of these training sessions, along with a preseason game schedule.

Many players on the training camp list above are currently under one-way NHL contracts and will make up a majority of the league-mandated 23-man roster. The rest of the players on the list will be given ample opportunities to showcase their skills to Bruins management for further evaluation but will most likely be sent down to the AHL Providence Bruins, ECHL Maine Mariners, or back to their junior clubs for further development. In this article, I’d like to take the opportunity to mention those players who are eligible to be placed in the three entities that make up the Canadian Hockey League to the north for further development.

Ontario Hockey League – Oshawa Generals

Brett Harrison

The 6′-2″ 185-pound left shooting center was selected in the first round of the 2019 OHL Priority Draft by the Generals with their 16th pick. Brett had a decent rookie season with OHL Oshawa producing 21-16-37 numbers in 2019/20, but the height of this ongoing pandemic canceled the OHL hockey season in 2020/21, having the young forward looking elsewhere for ice time.

Last season Harrison was eligible to be loaned to the KOOVEE hockey organization over in Tampere, Finland, from the OHL in an effort not to lose an essential developmental year. With the lower KOOVEE U20 SM-Sarja club, Brett appeared in seven games producing 4-5-9 numbers and even got the call for one game in the higher Mestis league failing to register a point. The London, Ontario native was selected in the third round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft (85th overall), seemingly to increase that center pipeline adding a player with size and good mobility up the middle.

Harrison had a solid first year of development camp as a member of the Boston Bruins organization, and showing in the two games, he had a chance to play in this year’s Prospects Challenge in Buffalo, New York. I believe the big 18-year-old forward is going to have a big year with the OHL operating on a full regular-season schedule in the upcoming campaign. He’s going to be an assistant captain for the first time and will be hungry for a return to North American action.

So far, in three 2021 Oshawa preseason games, since being returned from NHL Bruins training camp Harrison has posted 1-3-4 numbers with one more contest against the Windsor Spitfires tomorrow at 4:05 pm. The Generals kick off their season on Friday night, October 8th, 2021, with the Hamilton Bulldogs coming to the Tribute Communities Centre at 7:35 pm and can be seen here on watch.chl.ca paid subscription.

Western Hockey League – Vancouver Giants

Fabian Lysell

Lysell is a promising right-winger that the Boston organization desperately needs to develop properly to solidify a future spot on this NHL Bruins roster. The last successful player on the right side that successfully came up through the system was David Pastrnak, who was selected in the first round in 2014. After leaving the virtual draft podium where Fabian was chosen with the B’s first pick in 2021, the speedy forward put on a great show for Bruins management and fans alike who were in attendance at this year’s development camp.

Fabian moved on to the next phase of his offseason evaluation with an invite to the annual Prospects Challenge. New Providence Bruins Head Coach Ryan Mougenel said in a press conference that the organization would take a long look t his effort in game-style play against a mixed group of developing talent and go from there with the 18-year-old Swedish forward. Lysell went on to skate with the NHLBruins in training camp and performed well in a mixed group of talent during the continued preseason. His speed and creativity were indeed on display, but as most developing youth members is a continued work in progress.

Fabian was a recent cut from Bruins training camp after a solid evaluation period and has reported to the Western Hockey League Vancouver Giants. The Giants own his Canadian Hockey League rights as the club selected the talented forward in the 2020 CHL Import Draft with the 30th pick in the first round. This is an excellent move for Lysell and the Bruins organization.

Fabian certainly has the tools to be a dynamic offensive threat but playing in the WHL, where that particular junior league in Canada is known for its drinking and physical style of play. This is the first year Fabian will be playing on a shorter North American ice surface, and in the WHL, he’ll learn quickly that the game comes at you faster with these different ice sheet dimensions. If you want to live stream games and see the young prospect Lysell play in the WHL, please go to watch.chl.ca and get yourself a paid subscription as the Giants club starts the regular season on the road tonight against host the Victoria Royals tonight at 7:05 PDT.

Ontario Hockey League – Sarnia Sting

Ryan Mast

“The Mast” is another player with promising talent and a significant defensive presence. Ryan was selected in the sixth round of the 2021 NHL draft and a sneakingly good move to add to the developing core on the backend. The 6′-4″ 212-pound Minnesota native will be entering his second season with the OHL Sarnia Sting and eager to get back to work with the cancelation of last year’s regular season and playoffs.

Ryan is another young player who would have solid showings during the offseason and got really good evaluation looks in Buffalo and at the Warrior Ice Arena during this NHL Bruins training camp which continues to happen until the puck drops on October 16th. More or less a shutdown-style defenseman, Ryan has an incredible vision for when an opponent enters the zone and has excellent gap control. His defensive positioning and uncanny stick work protecting lanes is a tremendous asset to any blueliners attributes.

As an 18-year-old North American NHL drafted player, I can definitely see Mast staying in the OHL until he’s 21-years-old as he won’t be eligible for AHL Providence. I don’t believe the NHL B’s future roster landscape has a spot in the lineup for the next few seasons but playing another year or two with Sarnia is never a bad idea when properly going through the development scheme. He’s going to earn heavy minutes and provide a bit of leadership to a Sting backend core as he enters his actual sophomore year of Canadian junior hockey.

While Mast plays with the Sting club, he could also increase his training ability with the proper coaching to make him a more mobile defenseman which is an attribute he could use in certain situations without leaving his partner high and dry. Having an all situational prospect in the making increases the depth of an organization that seemingly needs to restock the prospect pool. Ryan will be fun to watch this season, and if you want to stream his game and keep up on his developing progress, I highly recommend you go to watch.chl.ca and get a paid subscription. Mast and his Sting team get the 2021/22 regular season underway Thursday October 7th, 2021 at 7:30 pm.