Why Road Trip Is Best Opportunity For This Bruins Prospect

Boston Bruins prospect Fabian Lysell has played just one game with the NHL club since being selected in the first round of the 2021 draft.

Interim head coach Joe Sacco tasked Lysell with building his game down in Providence. The 22-year-old forward has done just that in the last 25 AHL games he’s played and earned a second look in Boston.

“The reports from Providence are all positive as far as his game down there,” Sacco told reporters at Warrior Ice Arena on Tuesday, per team-provided video. “And not just offensively, but his 200-foot game, his play away from the puck, his ability to stay on pucks. Things we need to see from the young players.”

With the Bruins about to embark on a five-game road trip, beginning against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday, Lysell has an opportunity to show the Boston brass that he is ready to make the jump to the NHL after three seasons in Providence.

Lysell took line rushes with Jakub Lauko and Marat Khusnutdinov during Tuesday’s practice before heading out West, according to The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa.

With the Bruins trading key forwards Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle, Trent Frederic and Justin Brazeau at the deadline, there are spots to fight for in this lineup as Boston continues to battle for a playoff spot.

The Black and Gold have 13 games remaining in the regular season and are in need of a spark as they try to climb up in the wild card standings. If Lysell can stand out when he cracks the lineup, it will definitely increase his chances of staying up with the Bruins for at least the remainder of the season.

“I’ll go out there and try and play my game,” Lysell said, per Boston.com’s Conor Ryan. “I feel good about my game right now. Hopefully, I can contribute out there whenever I get that opportunity to play.”

Lysell has 11 goals and 23 assists, with a plus-11 rating across 51 games in Providence this season.

Even though the Bruins have a handful of teams between them and the second wild-card spot, Sacco is focused on the fact it’s “just three points right now.”

“That’s what’s separating us from the last wild-card spot right now as we stand here (on Tuesday),” Sacco explained. “So, to me, that should be one of our focuses as a group, and that is one of our focuses, to make sure that we understand that we’re still in the thick of things here. Nothing changes for us, for our mindset for how we prepare and how we get ready for games.

Sacco added: “There’s a couple of teams that seem to be clawing back up, and it’s a couple of teams that are moving back down. It’s kind of been like that for a while now. So, you string together a couple of wins, you’re right back in it. You never know.”