The Boston Bruins are hunting for deals this offseason in an attempt to remain competitive despite salary cap issues. So far, the team has been able to find some decent bargains in free agency, but they’ll have to keep an eye towards the future and also take advantage of internal prospects who are ready for an NHL audition. One player who could be primed for such an opportunity is 2021 first-round forward Fabian Lysell.
Lysell, who has been participating in the Bruins’ development camp this week with a red, non-contact jersey due to a concussion he suffered in the Calder Cup Playoffs, will likely have as good an opportunity as anybody else in the Bruins’ system to earn a spot on the roster in Boston come opening night.
Though the 21-year-old winger may be dealing with injury woes this offseason, it shouldn’t be an issue that affects his ability to contribute once the season rolls around. Bruins’ assistant general manager Jamie Langenbrunner recently discussed how the shot he took in the postseason is certainly playing a role now, but that it shouldn’t be a long-term issue.
“I think he’s continuing to take the steps forward,” Langenbrunner said. “Unfortunately for him, he took a cheap shot (in the playoffs) that slowed him a bit this summer, but it was good on him to be here this week and working hard and it’s good to see him on the ice again.”
Langenbrunner would mention that there were a few things that the team looked to do last season to try and improve some aspects of Lysell’s game, including putting him on the power play.
“We put him on the power play a bit last year to kind of, I don’t want to say to force him to shoot (the puck) more, but to get him in that mindset to have that mentality and he took it pretty well.”
It’s always encouraging to see a player come back from an injury and Lysell is no exception. The team seems to be excited about the work he’s been putting in despite this setback that was well outside of his control and that’s always a good sign heading into any sort of organized team activities. It’s also a good sign when the team feels like he learned specific lessons and gained comfort and confidence in certain aspects of his game that may not have existed prior to his first season in the AHL.
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Despite having the team, fans and media alike so excited about what he can do, Lysell’s contributions in his rookie season in the AHL left a lot to be desired. It wasn’t that he played poorly; he actually played very well at times and was able to score 14 goals and 37 points in his first season with the Providence Bruins.
The bigger issue was consistency and adjusting to the pro-style North American game.
It should come as no surprise that there is indeed a learning curve when it comes to playing professional hockey. All of the natural talent in the world can only take a player so far as there are various walls and obstacles that must be overcome to consistently perform well at the next level. For some players, this comes easier than it does for others; this can be a result of multiple factors.
Lysell isn’t blind to the areas he needs to improve and he’s well aware that his time spent in Providence last season was beneficial all around.
Lysell Aiming to Improve and Make NHL Roster
It’s easy to get down on yourself as a player or to feel demoralized when things don’t go a well as they may have at a different level. Lysell’s ability to analyze the situation and realize that he can learn a lesson from even the down parts of his season are an encouraging step towards his ultimate goal of making the NHL.
“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 mentioned. “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.”
Lysell would go on to explain that he’s excited about this upcoming season and that he feels equipped to use the new knowledge he gained from last season to better himself this season.
The Swedish forward is also aware that he’s competing for a roster spot this season and he’s going to do everything he can to earn that opportunity.
“I think everybody coming into camp is trying to make the team and I’m no different,” said Lysell. “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.”
The Bruins are banking on Lysell being a contributor for them in the near-future and there’s no reason to think he’ll have any shortage of opportunities to make the jump this season. It’ll be up to him if he can actually grab the proverbial brass ring and carve out a role for himself, but the future is bright nonetheless.