By the time the clock struck 3 p.m. on Monday afternoon, the Bruins were unable to pull the trigger on a deal to inject some added scoring punch to their lineup ahead of the league’s trade deadline.
But if Boston is looking for a late-season boost just ahead of another push for the Cup, could the B's find it down in their pipeline of prospects?
Speaking on Monday afternoon, Don Sweeney didn’t rule out that Fabian Lysell — the crown jewel of Boston’s pool of young talent — could turn pro this spring. And even though the logical leap would see the 19-year-old winger cut his teeth in Providence after a strong debut in North America with the Vancouver Giants, Boston’s GM noted that the Swedish forward’s elite O-zone talents could translate to the NHL game sooner than some might expect.
"After his junior season, he could join either club to tell you the truth, as a player,” Sweeney acknowledged. “He's trying to do everything he possibly can to put Vancouver in the best spot they're in, and hopefully continues to have a good offensive year overall, working on his habits. I was out, saw him a couple of weeks ago. Met with him, just making sure the lines of communication (are open).
“He understands he's got to stay in the moment where your feet are, where he could be. Take care of that process, take that as far as you can, and there's an opportunity as soon as that one closes. Hopefully they play for as long as they possibly can, and that's where he should focus. But he's a possibility for Providence, and here as well."
Lysell, Boston’s first-round selection in the 2021 NHL Draft, hasn’t labored when it comes to adjusting to a smaller rink and a more straight-line brand of hockey after coming over from his native Sweden.
So far, Lysell has been productive against WHL competition, leading the Giants in goals (20) and assists (31), despite missing 14 games due to injury.
It’s not completely out of the norm for top-flight prospects to storm onto the scene under the bright lights of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
After completing his sophomore season at BU, Charlie McAvoy signed an amateur tryout contract with Providence back on March 29, 2017. Following just four games with the Baby B’s, McAvoy inked his three-year, entry-level contract with Boston on April 10, accepting the subsequent baptism by fire by slotting into a banged-up Bruins D corps during their first-round playoff series against the Senators.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Of course, while current stars such as McAvoy and Chris Kreider (five goals in New York’s playoff push in 2012) have made the sudden jump up to the NHL ranks, Lysell is currently in a different tier of competition — with junior hockey up in Canada a step below the older, stronger matchups that usually present themselves in Hockey East and other NCAA circles.
Still, even if Lysell isn’t quite seasoned enough to handle the rigors of the NHL quite yet, a stint in Providence would also be a major step in the right direction for Boston’s most gifted youngster — with the WHL regular season set to end on April 16.
(Of course, Lysell could continue his time in the WHL if the Giants advance in the postseason — although it remains to be seen just far 23-30-4 Vancouver goes).
Regardless of where he ends up by the conclusion of this season, Sweeney and the Bruins sure seem encouraged by the trajectory that a prospect like Lysell is mapping out right now. Even if he’s not ready to chip in this spring, the Swede could make a sizable impact on this club in just another calendar year.
"He has pro attributes, for sure,” Sweeney said of Lysell. “The physicality and some of the things that come with gaining experience at this level. Probably better served to go through a training camp environment, rookie camp and training camp and see where he progresses. He handled himself fine during training camp this year in exhibitions. He's got skill sets and there's nothing that stands in his way. Jumping in midstream at the end of the year is not an easy process, but from a skill standpoint and a talent standpoint, Fabian has a lot of the things that we're excited about."
As for the other blue-chip prospect in Boston’s system, Sweeney noted that Mason Lohrei’s path moving forward has yet to be determined now that his freshman season at Ohio State has come to a close.
While there’s always a bit of a learning curve for players making the jump from the USHL to the collegiate ranks (especially an offensive defenseman like Lohrei), the 21-year-old blueliner fit in seamlessly with the Buckeyes this season — recording 29 points over 31 games played while logging top-four minutes.
Even though Lohrei will most likely stick in the Big Ten for at least another year or two as he continues to work on his D-zone play, skating and efforts to bulk up, Sweeney did leave that decision up to Lohrei’s camp. Even if the young defenseman opted to go pro, he’d likely need to wait a bit, as he’s currently dealing with an injury.
“Adam (McQuaid) and Jamie (Langenbrunner) have spoken at length to Mason,” Sweeney said. “He's dealing with an injury, lower-body injury right now that he's kind of taking some extra time. Whether or not he would have been playing this weekend, to be determined. Probably would have been on the aggressive side of things.
“He's kind of weighing that, we're going to meet with him and let that heal and then make the best decision with that information. There's not any urgency to rush through the healing process, and then we get a better feeling as to where he's going to go going forward."