Bruins
“I think coming into camp this year, I’m really going to put all my energy out there to make that team.”
Fabian Lysell is still feeling the effects from his first foray against AHL competition.
A late, high hit from Hartford’s Adam Clendening in the Calder Cup Playoffs ended Lysell’s rookie campaign back in early May.
The red, non-contact sweater he donned on Tuesday morning — two months after Clending’s hit — illustrates the long road to recovery when it comes to concussions.
Lyslll’s offseason training took a hit in the weeks following the Providence Bruins’ first-round exit. He didn’t skate on the first day of the Bruins’ Development Camp Monday, and was ruled out of battle drills the next morning.
But even with the abrupt end to his 2022-23 season, Lysell feels as though he’ll have both a clean slate — and unblemished bill of health — once Boston’s camp opens in September.
“I had to take it slow from the beginning with strength and especially conditioning. I wasn’t trying to max myself right away, I don’t think it’s necessary when you get that long of an offseason,” Lysell said on Tuesday. “But I feel like I’ve been ramping it up pretty good right now and I feel like I’m able to push myself like I want to. So, right now it’s pretty good.”
That late-season injury was the unfortunate stamp on a season where Lysell traversed through his fair share of ups and downs.
The fleet-footed winger’s 0-to-60 acceleration, playmaking poise, and a varied arsenal of dekes and dangles offer hope in a Boston prospect pipeline short on top-six potential.
Since Boston plucked him with the 21st pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, Lysell’s offensive talents have translated into lofty stat lines, both with the Vancouver Giants (WHL) and P-Bruins.
In his first 20 games with Providence in 2022-23, Lysell put up 19 points.
But after posting zero points in seven games during the 2022 World Junior Championships with Sweden, Lysell recorded just 18 points over his final 34 games with the P-Bruins.
“I think this year he hit a bit of a wall with the World Juniors stuffed in there as well, coming off of that,” Bruins assistant general manager Jamie Langenbrunner said of Lysell. “So I think he’s learning how to grind through it.”
For Lysell, the top hurdle last season revolved more around off-ice work and maintaining one’s stamina over the span of a 72-game season.
He will need to rely on his high-end talent to further elevate his stock in his second pro season. But Lysell believes that the knowledge he gained in his first season in Providence will be just as crucial as he looks to put 2022-23 in the rearview mirror.
“I felt like I was kind of up and down the rest of the year,” Lysell said of his rookie year with Providence. “So it’s a lot of new things to take in. But looking back at it, I learned a lot of new things that I wouldn’t know within the last year. So I’m really looking forward to this upcoming year and I think I have more knowledge now that I’m really gonna be able to use for next year.”
Lysell’s game remains a work in progress. He’ll need to tack on additional muscle to his 5-foot-11, 180-pound frame to withstand the punishment that awaits in the NHL. His defensive habits must be fine-tuned, while a willingness to drive into Grade-A ice needs to be balanced with habits that keep him out of the line of danger.
“He plays with a lot of courage, maybe he’s got to learn how to be a little bit safer to make sure he doesn’t put himself into some spots once and a while,” Langenbrunner said of Lysell. “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. … We’re going to continue to push those things and continue to remember he’s a [20] year old kid and just taking those steps forward.”
But even with the expected steps Lysell must take, the Bruins aren’t capping his ability to make a push for the NHL roster in September.
Boston’s bargain-bin shopping on Saturday gave Jim Montgomery the flexibility of slotting forwards like James van Riemsdyk and Morgan Geekie across the team’s middle-six grouping up front.
But few options on Boston’s roster wield the elite talent that Lysell boasts when he has the puck on his stick. And if he’s ready to make a push, the Bruins will welcome it this season.
“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.”
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