Axelsson Breaks Down Bruins European Draft Picks

BostonBruins.com - The comparisons between P.J. Axelsson and Fabian Lysell end with the native country they share. The former Bruins forward made that quite clear.
"First of all, he has a lot more skill than what I ever had…might not backcheck as much." Axelsson, who hails from Kungalv, Sweden, said via Zoom on Tuesday morning. "He's a highly-skilled forward that skates really well. He can create offense, that's his main thing. He also has an underrated shot that he should use a little bit more. But we are going to work on that."
Axelsson, now the Bruins European Scouting Coordinator, was heavily involved in the club's pursuit of Lysell, who was selected with the 21st overall pick on Friday night in the 2021 NHL Draft. Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney and Associate Director of Amateur Scouting Ryan Nadeau expressed their excitement over the weekend that Lysell was still available so late in the first round.

The 18-year-old winger was believed by many to have top-10 talent with his offensive skill and creativity his most attractive assets. Lysell notched three goals and 10 assists in 11 games for Frolunda HC's U-20 team last season, while also suiting up for 26 games with Lulea in the Swedish Hockey League, for whom he collected two goal and an assist.
"I think for most kids that move away from home, they need to learn how to cook and take care of themselves and all of that," Axelsson said of Lysell transitioning from Frolunda to Lulea in the middle of last season. "And I think that really is going to help him this year, obviously. He was only up there by himself for a small part of the year. I think he went up there and he did well. He handled that situation really well."
Some have compared Lysell's skill and personality to another right winger the Bruins drafted out of Sweden: David Pastrnak. While Axelsson was hesitant to fully embrace the comparison, he did acknowledge some similarities in their approaches to the game.
"I'm going to be careful comparing the two guys because Pasta is a superstar in the NHL," said Axelsson. "But at the same age, they are similar. They both really wanted to win hockey games. Both are really competitive, and they love to score goals. There are the similarities. Hopefully, Fabian can do what Pasta did and develop the same way. I'm not saying he's going to be the same player, because we don't know. But he definitely has the talent to become a very good hockey player."

The Bruins also selected Swedish winger Oskar Jellvik in the fifth round. The 5-foot-11, 179-pound left shot skated in 13 games with Djurgårdens IF's Under-20 team in Sweden's J20 Nationell League last season, recording 12 points with six goals and six assists.
"Jellvik, he has a very high hockey IQ on him," said Axelsson. "He does extremely well, he's a playmaking type of kid that's a little underdeveloped still. He needs to develop a little bit more."
As is the case with many of the players selected in the NHL Draft, strength and conditioning will be key in the development of both wingers, according to Axelsson.
"I think they both need strength," said Axelsson. "I know that's boring to say, because that comes for most 17- or 18-year-old kids nowadays. But they really have to get strong. They do have the skill, they have the talent. They need to get in the gym and get stronger and do the work [outside the ice surface]. That's going to be the main thing for both of those guys to be able to play in the NHL."
Boston selected a third Swedish player in goaltender Philip Svedeback, a 6-foot-3, 192-pound backstop out of Stockholm who spent the 2020-21 campaign with the Vaxjo Lakers U-20 team. The B's had not selected that many players out of Sweden since 2013 when they drafted Linus Arnesson, Peter Cehlarik (Slovakian but played for Lulea), and Anton Blidh.
"I would say it more developed as the Draft went along," Axelsson said when asked if the Bruins made a concerted effort to focus on Sweden in the Draft. "Obviously, we liked all three players a lot because we drafted them. We probably liked them a bit more than other teams, obviously. But no, it just happened that way, and we're very happy that we got all three of the Swedes."
Axelsson, who was drafted by the Bruins in the seventh round of the 1995 NHL Draft, went on to have a hugely successful career with the Black & Gold. He spent all 11 of his NHL campaigns in Boston, notching 103 goals and 287 points in 797 as a dependable two-way winger. The former fan favorite said that Swedish players are often able to carve out lengthy careers due to the country's focus on strong youth development.
"I think Swedish hockey players have a big advantage in that they learn the game at an early age…how to play the game, a team game, especially," said Axelsson. "There's not that much major league players that come out of Sweden. There are a few, obviously, but I think Swedes know how to be a team player and do what the coach asks you to do."