At long last, Fabian Lysell is in North America.
The Boston Bruins selected the Swede in the first round of the 2021 Draft earlier this offseason. He was unable to attend development camp in August, but now is taking part in rookie camp and headlines the Bruins’ Prospects Challenge roster.
Rookie camp is just one day in, but it hasn’t taken long for Lysell to make an impression. He always was lauded as an offensively gifted player who has skating so good it’ll make you laugh.
And, to borrow a term from Cam Newton, he seems to have a good aura.
“The second he stepped on the ice, he has a presence to him,” new Providence Bruins head coach Ryan Mougenel said. “And yeah, he can skate, obviously he has a great skill set.”
Once the Bruins youngsters get back from Buffalo, who knows what’s next for Lysell. He has signed his entry-level contract and likely take part in training camp, at which point a plan will need to be developed for him. He’s only 18, and he could play juniors for the WHL’s Vancouver Giants or go straight to the AHL with the Providence Bruins.
Lysell emphasized that he’s just focusing on the next few days, and beyond that he’ll deal with whatever is next.
“It’s just a big honor to be here, first and foremost. I’ll just try to acclimate myself to this level and this rink and try to be curious and learn new stuff everyday, and then we’ll take it from there. I’m open to everything right now, but definitely looking forward to what comes.”
The thing to keep in mind with all of this is he’s only 18, and he won’t be 19 until January. So, if he’s not quite ready for the pro game next, then he can play in Vancouver. He’s yet to play in North America, and the smaller rinks in the United States and Canada sometimes can eat up younger players from Europe.
So, no matter what, there is no rush.
But he will be in North America all but certainly, and and while it can’t be easy moving to a completely different continent at the age of 18, the Bruins have a fair amount of Swedes in the organization now, including some that are on the rookie camp roster. One of those guys is 2017 seventh-round pick Victor Berglund, who played on Luleå last year with Lysell.
“That makes the transition much easier,” Lysell said. “We actually have a good group of Swedes now, I think we’ve got like five or six. So, that’s pretty good when you come to the rink, you have somebody to chat some Swedish with.
“But it’s also good to try to speak as much English as possible and learn how to handle yourself here because that’s how it’s going to be hopefully to come in the future.”
Rookie camp runs through this week, and the Bruins will play the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday and New Jersey Devils on Sunday.
