By: Mark Allred | Follow me on Twitter @BlackAndGold277
This weekend the Western Hockey League Vancouver Giants traveled north to Prince George, British Columbia, to play a double set of games against the host Prince George Cougars. The Giants currently sit in the fourth position in the B.C. Division and seventh in the Western Conference with 38 points in 43 games. With the two victories over the weekend for the Giants club, they’ve closed the gap to within one point of the higher standing third place Prince George team.
Boston Bruins prospect Fabian Lysell was certainly a key member in the success over the weekend on the road against Prince George. The former 2021 first-round selection of the B’s snapped a three-game pointless streak starting on Friday night, February 11th, 2022, at the CN Centre, scoring the game-winning goal and 14th of the season assisted by Colton Roberts and Adam Hall. Fabian’s goal on this night at the 2:56 mark was the first of three third-period goals on the way to a 4-1 victory. Lysell, who was slotted on the left wing in this game, was at the right place at the right time to bang in a rebound conveniently served to him on the left side of the net where the Prince George goaltender had no chance.
On Saturday night, February 12th, 2022, and the last game of the weekend road trip at the CN Centre in Prince George, the 5′-10″ 172-pound Lysell was again slotted on the left side as a right-shot winger. Both games over the weekend on the road saw Giants Head Coach Michael Dyck roll with 11 forwards and seven defensemen. As mentioned below in the official Vancouver Giants Twitter account, if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.
Lysell scored for the second time in as many days en route to a Giants 3-1 victory. Fabian got back on the scoresheet last night at the 3:19 mark of the second period, where he scored his 15th of the season on the powerplay assisted by Connor Horning and Payton Mount. Fabian on the man advantage cruised in from the left faceoff circle near the hash marks to receive a well-placed pass from teammate Mount to get the first goal of the game from either club. This was the fourth power-play goal of the 2021/22 season for the talented Bruins prospect.
Lysell now has 15-19-34 numbers in 30 games thus far for the WHL Giants playing in his first season here in North America. After spending a majority of his development overseas in his native Sweden, Fabians’ placement in the Western Hockey League was somewhat genius from both the Bruins management and individual player. Lysell continues to lean many aspects of the North American game regarding offensive skill and the hard-nosed, physical style of the smaller rinks in North America instead of the bigger sheets overseas.
Fabians’ developmental future should be interesting to follow as he’s committed to finishing the final 20 regular-season games remaining in this 2021/22 campaign for his Vancouver Giants club. The Giants season ends on April 3rd, 2022, and by the looks of the WHL Western Conference standings, might not make the 2022 postseason. This info alone has started speculation of where Lysell could end up once his WHL commitment is over with Vancouver.
The Providence Bruins, the top minor-pro affiliate of the Boston Bruins, end their American Hockey League regular-season on April 30th, 2022. That means that if WHL Vancouver does, in fact, not secure a playoff spot with 20 games remaining, the talented Bruins prospect Lysell could be on the move to the east coast of the United States. Lysell could sign an ATO and finish the 2021/22 season in the AHL with Providence and get a small taste of minor-pro hockey as the AHL B’s will play in 13 games when Fabian’s WHL commitment is technically over.
Fabian Lysell and his Vancouver club get back to work with three games in four days starting this Friday when the Giants return home to the Langley Events Center to host the Victoria Royals on February 18th, on the road at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops, BC. on Saturday night against the Kamloops Blazers. The third game and final contest in the upcoming four-day duration has the Giants returning home for an afternoon tilt against Victoria on Monday, February 21st.
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