It's a classic move: Stick the young kid with the well-established veteran. The Boston Bruins made sure to do exactly that by putting highly touted prospect Fabian Lysell on the same line as captain Patrice Bergeron during the early part of training camp.
It has offered a chance for the 19-year-old winger to learn from the five-time Selke Trophy winner and maybe have some of the savvinesses Bergeron has accumulated over his 18-year NHL career rub off on Lysell. Either way, Lysell's in a very fortunate situation at the outset of his professional career and it should only benefit the youngster to share the ice at the same time as a player as accomplished as Bergeron.
"I think he's one of the best players in the world," Lysell told reporters Friday, as seen on video from the Bruins' Twitter. "It's just the overall game and all the small details, how good he is with the stick and communicating. If there's something coming up, he'll talk about it right away and you understand really quickly what he means. You can kind of change up the route you're going right away. You just got to be alert all the time and try to take in as much as possible."
While Lysell is trying to soak in everything he can from Bergeron, the 37-year-old has been just as impressed with Lysell. Bergeron said the two have used training camp to get to know each other, figuring out where each will be at a given time on the ice and discuss drills the two partake in.
With his blend of high-end speed and skill, Lysell has drawn lofty comparisons to fellow Bruin David Pastrnak, and Bergeron didn't disagree with the assessment.
"He definitely has skills and the power, I guess. The speed, for sure," Bergeron told reporters, as seen on video from the Bruins' Twitter. "He's very dynamic and very smart. It's crazy, with (Pastrnak) it's been so long. I don't know if I recall his first camps with us. With that being said, he's definitely a very dynamic player. You can tell there's speed on the forecheck, and he's willing to get there, too, which is great."
Lysell, a 5-foot-11, 176-pound forward, starred with the Vancouver Giants in a junior Canadian league last year, notching 20 goals and 42 assists for 62 points. He said he's much more comfortable with the Bruins this time than he was at this point last year, which Bergeron takes as a good sign.
"That's what you want to see," Bergeron said. "I think from one camp to the next as a young player, I think you gain some confidence. You're comfortable coming back. You know what to expect. I'm sure that's what's happening for him. As you said, he had a great year in Junior. Now he's trying carry that over this year and prove he's a great player that deserves a spot. I'm sure he's fighting for a spot. So, that's what you want to see. You want to see healthy competition and guys pushing each other to be better."
Lysell, who registered a goal last week during a Prospects Challenge game, will get to showcase his own tremendous skill set and what he's learned from Bergeron when the Bruins begin their six-game preseason slate Saturday night against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and you can catch the contest on NESN.
