Bruins Fans Will Love This Eye-Popping Comparison For Top Prospect
'If he's not the best skater I've ever seen, he's certainly one of them'
Fabian Lysell is widely considered the Boston Bruins’ top prospect.
Why? Well, for one, he can skate with the best of ’em.
For proof, look no further than the piece published Monday on The Athletic. Scott Wheeler profiled Lysell’s transition from Sweden to the Western Hockey League (WHL), where the 19-year-old forward now plays for the Vancouver Giants, and uncovered a fascinating comparison.
Giants general manager Barclay Parneta, a longtime scout before assuming his current role in 2018, recalled being amazed by NHL legend Pavel Bure’s skating ability back in the day. Parneta told Wheeler he went years without seeing a player who could skate like Bure, until Connor McDavid and then Lysell came along.
For those scoring at home, that’s a Hockey Hall of Famer and arguably the best player in the NHL being mentioned in the same sentence as the Bruins’ most recent first-round draft pick.
“It’s just so pretty and fun to watch (Lysell). No matter who you are, you’re going to recognize ‘wow, this guy is incredibly fast,’ ” Parneta recently said, according to Wheeler. “If he’s not the best skater I’ve ever seen, he’s certainly one of them.”
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That’s obviously immense praise, even though we’re only talking about one particular aspect of Lysell’s still-evolving game. If Lysell, the 21st overall pick in 2021, can continue on an upward trajectory in his development, there’s plenty of reason to be excited about what his future holds in Boston.
“It’s not only his straight-line speed but what I like to call his quickness, which is his first three strides, to be able to create some separation out of the corners, coming through the neutral zone,” Giants associate coach Keith McCambridge told Wheeler, also lauding Lysell’s skating prowess. “His quickness really jumps off of the page in all of those ways. It’s special.”
Sprinkle in some scoring touch and a disciplined brand of hockey over time, and the Bruins might have landed themselves a good one last year. The early returns certainly are promising.
