Boston Bruins development camp is underway, and one of the prospects who will be getting the most attention is the 2021 first-round selection Fabian Lysell.
In Lysell’s first full AHL season, the winger racked up 14 goals and 23 assists in 54 games played. The winger described his season as being filled with “ups and downs,” but he was able to learn from it.
“It’s a lot of new things, new things to take in, and I feel like the start of the year was really good, the first four months. And then I had a dip in January,” Lysell said via NESN. “I felt like I was kind of up and down the rest of the year … but looking back at it, I learned a lot of new things that I wouldn’t know before last year.”
Now heading into the 2023-24 season, the 20-year-old is hoping to make the NHL roster.
“I think everybody coming into camp is trying to make the team, and I’m no different,” Lysell said. “I know last year was really good for me, and I think coming into camp this year, I’m really going to put all my energy out there to make that team.
“I’ve been doing the camp now two times, and I feel like now, the third time, I’m going to be even more focused, and I’m really going to battle out there to take my spot.”
Lysell’s season came to an end due to a concussion he suffered in the playoffs. Bruins assistant general manager Jamie Langenbrunner acknowledged the “cheap shot” and also commended the 20-year-old for his courage on the ice.
“He plays with a lot of courage, maybe he has to learn to play a little bit safer to make sure he doesn’t put himself into some spots once in a while,” Langenbrunner said. “He wants to control the puck, he wants to make plays. I think he’s continuing to work on his shot to be that double threat that we want him to be.”
The Bruins very well could use Lysell this season. The likes of Taylor Hall and Tyler Bertuzzi have left the roster, along with Nick Foligno. Boston has made depth acquisitions in Milan Lucic and James van Riemsdyk, but they could still use some playmakers to fill out their roster.
Ever since he was drafted by the Bruins in 2021, Lysell has been one of the most hyped prospects in Boston’s pipeline. With his performance in the last two seasons (36 goals and 63 assists in 107 games played), he seems ready to make the jump to the NHL.
With the status of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci in the air, now seems to be the perfect time for Lysell to make a jump. Boston is going through a rebuild of sorts, and it’s time to see what Lysell is capable of in the NHL.
