By: Ryan Bosworth | Follow me on Twitter / X @RyanJBosworth
Fabian Lysell made his National Hockey League debut on December 28th, 2024. Showing bursts of speed on a roster that lacked that dynamic, Lysell looked as expected playing in his first NHL contest. He didn’t find the score sheet, but he didn’t look entirely out of place.
The December 28th tilt against the Columbus Blue Jackets would prove to be his only game of that call-up, as he would get sent back down to the American Hockey League affiliate Providence Bruins just one day after his debut.
On March 18th, general manager Don Sweeney announced that Fabian had been called up on an emergency basis ahead of the B’s trip out west, which saw them play five games over nine days. Their west coast road trip would begin in Las Vegas where the Black and Gold would square up against the Vegas Golden Knights, and Lysell wouldn’t play. His first game of the road trip would be against the San Jose Sharks.
In Lysell’s first game since his recent call-up, he registered three shots on goal in five shot attempts, which was the second most on the Bruins’ team, only behind David Pastrnak. A fast-paced, shot-first mentality is something the Bruins needed. He didn’t necessarily exceed expectations, but his game had improved since the last we saw him in the NHL.
As the Gothenburg, Sweden native continued to play, he wasn’t struggling but he also wasn’t making much of an impact. Struggling to generate offense and lacking on the defensive side of his games, many were critical about the 22-year-old continuing to get ice time. In a 6-3 loss against Buffalo, Lysell struggled. He was a minus three (-3) and didn’t find his name on the scoresheet for Boston.
However, that game seemed to serve as a bit of a wake-up call for the Swedish winger. In the Bruin’s 7-2 blowout win against New Jersey just two days after a tough loss to Buffalo, the Bruins would dominate the offensive zone in Newark. It was in this game that Lysell would notch his first career NHL point, which was an assist on Casey Mittelstadt’s goal that would put the B’s up 4-2.
The Bruins’ tilt against New Jersey was arguably Lysell’s best game, which saw several strong offensive zone entries, forechecks, and a contribution to the scoresheet.
In the B’s matinee game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena, Lysell would sit net-front and score his first NHL goal off of a feed to the slot from Pavel Zacha. The goal would prove to be Lysell’s only point, but his game would more than pass the eye test
The Bruins’ final game of the season was last night against the visiting New Jersey Devils. Lysell would line up alongside Jakub Lauko and Pavel Zacha. Though the Bruins lost in overtime, Lysell’s game would continue on the upward trajectory we’ve been witnessing since the loss against Buffalo. Lysell would continue moving his feet, making smart puck plays, and outworking opponents in the corners.
Lysell’s most notable play would be winning a footrace versus a New Jersey defender to set up Marat Khusnutdinov, who would put one passed Jake Allen to knot things up at four a piece.
Lysell’s stint with Boston was only 12 games long, but he showed a lot of strong, smart plays and found himself on the scoresheet as the season came to an end, finishing with 1-2-3 numbers through 12 games played. His numbers aren’t out of this world, but his impact was greater than what the box score represents. It was evident that as time went on, Lysell became more comfortable and settled in to the pace of NHL play versus AHL play.
However, there are certainly areas of Lysell’s game that need work this offseason. One area is consistency, as we’ve seen him struggle to make consistent effort in the AHL. Along with that, the defensive side of his game. He’s often seen not backchecking as hard as he could. With the defensive side of his game comes strength, and he’s often bounced off of pucks easily and shying away from hits, especially along the wall.
These issues aren’t uncommon for players adjusting to the style and pace of play in the NHL, and they’re not incredibly large obstacles to overcome when putting in the effort to improve in those areas, but the work needs to be put in to overcome them. The Swedish winger has a big offseason ahead and an even bigger training camp and preseason if he wants a spot on the 2025-26 Opening Night roster, but at this point with how he’s produced, it’s his ice to lose.
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