BRIGHTON — As head coach of the Providence Bruins, Ryan Mougenel often walks a fine line when it comes to both propping up younger players facing some of the first developmental roadblocks of their career — while keeping them centered and cognizant of the daunting road in front of them.
As such, when it comes to Boston’s 2021 first-round pick in Fabian Lysell, Mougenel stressed the need to keep expectations in check — as challenging as that might be for anyone that’s watched the uber-skilled Swede deke and dangle his way across multiple highlight reels.
Multiple times during his media availability on Wednesday morning, Mougenel noted that Lysell was still just an ‘03 skater — only turning 18 years old back in January. He discussed the growing pains that await most youngsters that make the trek from the larger rinks in Europe to a more details-oriented North American game.
But even with the qualifiers that need to be put in place in order to keep a hype train from careening off the tracks, Mougenel couldn’t shield his excitement about what the B’s gifted winger showcased on the ice during Day 1 of Rookie Camp.
“All the reports are obviously glowing about him as a player. … The second he stepped on the ice, he has a presence to him,” Mougenel said of Lysell. “He can skate. Obviously, he's got a great skill set. And I think with a lot of the players coming up, especially these younger players that are coming up, I think that's pretty evident.
"They're very skilled. It's just exciting to kind of be around and watch. Was my perception — yeah, it's pretty much on par with what I've heard (about Lysell). “So I'm excited about that for him and be along for the personal part of the journey of his ride.”
For Lysell, that journey to the NHL began in earnest on Wednesday in his first official skate in a black-and-gold sweater — with the forward expected to participate in the 2021 Prospects Challenge in Buffalo this weekend and cut his teeth against other talented players in the Sabres and Devils’ pipeline.
“It’s just a big honor to be here, first and foremost,” Lysell said. “I’ll just try to acclimate myself to this level and this (smaller) 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.”
As Mougenel noted, it’s easy to discern why Lysell was all but locked into a first-round spot in the 2021 NHL Draft — and why the B’s were giddy that the winger fell to them with the No. 21 overall selection.
Even though he didn't always have the window to turn on the afterburners in a few drills, Lysell's acceleration is easy to spot on the ice, with the winger also able to craft quality chances in tight thanks to his craft set of mitts.
Your scheduled Fabian Lysell content: pic.twitter.com/aM86P8LuEN
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) September 15, 2021
But, harkening back to Mougenel's initial assessment of arguably Boston's most gifted youngster, expectations do need to be tempered. As tempting as it might be to draw parallels between Lysell and another B's winger that went from the SHL, thrived in AHL and punched his ticket to the NHL as a teen, Lysell is well aware that his game isn't quite where it needs to be.
It took one drill – in which the 170-pound Lysell was matched up against 230-pound Nick Wolff at the netfront — to draw the conclusion that the Swede will need to put on some healthy weight this season, but even Lysell's top skills could still use plenty of refinement.
"To be honest, I need everything," Lysell said. "But I definitely got to put on some weight. And I just try to be better at everything, especially the things that you're good at, because I feel like that's the thing that separates you. And I want to be the player that I want to be in the NHL as well. I want to be an offensive guy. So I got to work on my strengths there, be a faster skater, better stick-handler, better hockey IQ, better shot, all those things, better shots. So I think it's going to come with time. But we'll see how the progression goes here. And we'll take it from there. It might get quicker or will take some time. We will see about that. But right now, I'm just happy to be here."
Rather than dwell over his potential viability as an NHLer, Lysell is instead looking ahead to this slate of weekend games and Buffalo — and then turning his attention to where he'll play next in 2020-21.
With a strong camp and performance at the Prospects Challenge, perhaps Lysell can fast-track his development and log meaningful reps with Providence. But if he needs more seasoning, a season spent with the Vancouver Giants in the WHL (who hold his draft rights) could be a proper introduction to the North American game — a detour that sure seemed to benefit Jakub Lauko when he won a Memorial Cup with Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL) during his first season within the B's organization.
Whichever spot he lands in, Mougenel believes the result remains the same for Lysell — reps and experience are going to be prescribed for the young winger, and now the onus falls on the player to take that next step in his promising career. And listen along the way.
"The beauty for him is that he's come to an organization where the leadership group is so strong," Mougenel said of Lysell. "And he's got a lot of resources here to lean on, which is important for a young player. He's only a 2003. And sometimes when you're thrown into the mix like that, we get excited about the player. But I think the message for Fabian is just take as much in as he can. Be inquisitive. Again, there's a lot of great hockey players around here. The one thing that I've known, even as a coach coming in here, there's a lot of tools and a lot of players that are willing to use those resources for everybody to get better.
"And I think it's tough when you're a young player and maybe it's not in your DNA to be inquisitive, but I think that's the message that's been said to him — ask questions, rub shoulders with some of these people that understand what goes into being a pro and take it day by day. You're not you're not making the team on the first practice or the first intrasquad game — just take it day by day and see where it goes and gain as much as you can and keep investing in yourself. I think, as young pros, I think that's one thing we have the ability here is players can invest in themselves and be the best versions of themselves all the time."