The 2021 NHL Draft took place last night and the Boston Bruins had the 21st pick (essentially the 20th pick considering the Arizona Coyotes forfeited the 11th pick). Anyway, this was the second first round selection the Bruins have had over the past four years and with their selection, Boston went for Fabian Lysell -- a Swedish born right-winger who played his most recent season with Luleå HF of the Swedish Hockey League(SHL).
According to his elite prospects page, Lysell has received praise for his speed, acceleration, shooting accuracy, puck handling, deking, and offensive reading skills. The Bruins front office also describes him as, "He just has the speed, he has skill, the ability to shoot the puck past the goaltender...some game-breaking ability." Apparently Lysell made a deep impression on Bruins scout PJ Axelson, considering that is how the Bruins scouted him in the SHL.
Lysell's Hockey History:
In the 2020-2021 season, Lysell played in 26 games, recording two goals and one assist (he competed in half of the season). Also in the 2020-2021 season, he played on Frölunda HC, which is in the J20 National league in Sweden. With this team, he recorded three goals and ten assists in just 11 games. Recording 13 points in 11 games is very good and I can see why Bruins scouts held a keen eye on the speedy, skilled right-winger. Back in the 2019-2020 season, Lysell played for the Frölunda HC J18 team and put on a show there. In 14 games, he netted 13 goals and assisted on 21 goals for a total of 34 points. That is just phenomenal offensive production and I think he is a great add to the Bruins prospect pool.
When will we see Lysell on the ice:
Since Lysell was just drafted at the age of 18 years old, he will have some big decisions to make in the future. Bruins GM Don Sweeney spoke on the topic of Lysell's readiness for the North American professional league, "It's difficult to put a time line on it...you don't want to rush anybodies development...he has a certain skillset that was certainly attracting to us, his passion and drive for the game...when he decides to come over is something we're going to have to discuss with he and his representatives, but we are excited about what Fabian brings...his passion and skill combinations was unique for us to identify." The Bruins clearly love what they see from Lysell and are now all-in on the growth of his game. It is unclear when he will join the Bruins at this very moment, but it should be no longer than two or three years till we see him getting a shot in the bottom-six pairings for the Bruins.
Bruins Draft Grade: A
This is a pretty solid pick-up for the Bruins, I say this because the last time we picked up a right-winger was Zach Senyshyn in 2015. Senyshyn has not broken barriers and emerged as a lock in the Bruins lineup yet, so its good to see the Bruins bring in a right-winger with skill they have trust with investing time on.
The last right-winger drafted before Senyshyn was David Pastrnak (picked 25th in the first round of the 2014 Draft), so there is a possibility of Lysell emerging as a superstar in the NHL (considering the similarity in draft spots). He and Pastrnak also had similar statistics prior to being drafted to the Bruins. I also think this is a solid pick for building up the Bruins prospect pool with every piece needed for the coming years. The Bruins drafted two centers (Trevor Kuntar and Riley Duran) and two defenseman (Mason Lohrei and Mason Langenbrunner) in the 2020 draft, so bringing in a winger this year as their first round selection was a logical choice. So overall, I think Lysell will have an impact on this team down the line. He has the keys to success and with the aid of the Bruins development services, Lysell should become an asset to the organization.
Bruins 2-7 Round Selections in the 2021 NHL Draft:
- Round 3, Pick 85
- Round 4, Pick 117
- Round 5, Pick 149
- Round 6, Pick 181
- Round 7, Pick 213
- Round 7, Pick 217
Check out Hockey Night in New England (airs Saturday evenings at 5:30 on NBC Boston)
Episode 1- Chris Wagner
Episode 2- Matt Boldy
Episode 3- Skylar Fontaine
Episode 4- Brian Boyle
Episode 5- Grayson Badger
Episode 6- Season Finale