By: Eamonn McLean | Follow me on X / Twitter @EamonnMcLean44
This September, Fabian Lysell will enter his fourth Training Camp as a member of the Boston Bruins organization. However, this time feels different than years prior. With the departure of wingers Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen to the Vancouver Canucks, as well as veteran James Van Riemsdyk still on the Free Agent market, there are open spots on the Bruins roster going into the new season, something that hasn’t been the case most years.
Since being chosen 21st overall in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, Lysell’s time in the Bruins organization has been a rollercoaster. This Draft year was particularly challenging for scouts, as several leagues had incomplete or canceled seasons due to the pandemic. Lysell spent his Draft year in Sweden, playing for Lulea HF, after leaving Frolunda’s junior system due to a dispute about SHL playing time. This decision and his solid performance at the U18 World Junior Championship earned him high draft rankings from Scouts and a bronze medal with Team Sweden.
Lysell spent his First North American season in the Western Hockey League with the Vancouver Giants. It was a season that fits a common theme for Lysell’s development of highs and lows. Lysell led the team in points in the regular season with 62 in 53 games and added a further 21 points in 12 playoff games, helping the Giants upset the one-seed Everett Silvertips in round one, becoming the first eight-seed to beat a one-seed in WHL history. However, Lysell suffered an injury in a pre-tournament game against Austria at the canceled Winter edition of the 2022 World Junior Championship, which caused him to miss some time.
Having shown his ability at the Junior level, the Bruins sent Lysell to Providence for the 2022-23 season. Lysell started well at the AHL level as one of the younger players in the league before going pointless in seven games at the 2023 World Junior Championship in Halifax. Sweden lost 8-7 to Team USA in the Bronze Medal Game, and Lysell was booted from the game for an illegal check to the head of Kings prospect Kenny Connors. Lysell’s Providence season ended on a low after suffering an injury from a hard hit by Adam Clendening.
This past season was again a rollercoaster for Lysell. Out of training camp, he got sent to Providence, where, after a game against the Syracuse Crunch on December 17th, Head Coach Ryan Mougenel spoke about his frustrations with Lysell’s game. He took this moment of adversity and responded positively, with 11 points in his next ten games, beginning to show consistency that had not been seen at this level before. Lysell’s play was so strong that Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney noted that he likely would’ve gotten into some NHL games had he not suffered a concussion late in March. Lysell finished his second AHL season with 50 points in 56 games, good for fourth on the AHL Bruins.
This upcoming season is Lysell’s most significant opportunity so far. The Bruins’s signing of Center Elias Lindholm to a seven-year, $54,250,000 contract allows them to move Pavel Zacha to the Left Wing along with captain Brad Marchand. David Pastrnak occupies one of the top six right-wing slots. However, Jake DeBrusk’s departure leaves the Bruins with an open spot. DeBrusk, a fellow WHL graduate and first-round pick, had 49 points in 74 games in his one and only AHL season.
It remains to be seen if Lysell, a gifted skater with good offensive instincts, can follow in the footsteps of DeBrusk and solidify a spot for himself in the Boston Bruins lineup for years to come. A strong training camp performance similar to the one Bruins forward Matthew Poitras showed last season should earn Lysell a seat on the Bruins’ flight to Florida for Opening night, October 8th.
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