Don Sweeney Opens Door For Top Prospect To Play For Bruins This Season

Even though the Boston Bruins will lean on the experience of veterans Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, there might be a little infusion of youth on the team during this coming season as well.

One of the most intriguing Bruins’ prospects is 19-year-old Fabian Lysell, who Boston selected with the No. 21 overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. Standing at 5-foot-10 and 173 pounds, Lysell is an undersized right winger with blazing speed and a strong scoring touch.

It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Lysell joins the Bruins at some point during the upcoming campaign, and general manager Don Sweeney didn’t rule it out, either. Sweeney even recalled how Lysell could be like David Pastrnak, who made the massive jump to the NHL at 18 years old.

“There’s always a chance that a younger player can make the team,” Sweeney told reporters during a press conference Wednesday. “I referenced David Pastrnak a number of years ago and spent some time in Providence and came back from the World Juniors and went in and played and played well. And it was hard to keep him off whether or not he’s physically ready to play at that level, and maybe Fabian will be the exact same way.”

The Bruins will have some holes on their roster to fill, especially at the beginning of the season with a few players on the shelf.

Lysell could not only fill a void, but also give Boston an offensive spark after tallying 22 goals and 40 assists for 62 points last year with the Vancouver Giants, a junior team in Canada’s Western Hockey League.

Lysell will still have to prove he’s ready to make an impact during training camp if he hopes to crack the Bruins’ roster.

“We’re not going to hold the best players off our team,” Sweeney told reporters. “We may have time where we can buy some time … but ultimately, we want to play the best players. So, if Fabian comes in and stands out to the point we feel he’s ready, then that’s fine. But we don’t need to rush things with any of our young players. Put them in an opportunity, allow them to see if they can succeed.”