Getting to Know: Fabian Lysell

BostonBruins.com - The Boston Bruins selected right winger Fabian Lysell with the 21st overall pick on Friday night during the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft.

Last Team: Luleå HF (SHL)
Position: Right Wing
Height: 5 feet, 11 inches
Weight: 175 pounds
Shoots: Right
Birthday: Jan. 19, 2003
Hometown: Göteborg, Sweden
Central Scouting: Ninth-ranked European skater
"Obviously, the draft is something you - it's a dream for every guy that starts playing hockey and wants to do that in the future," said Lysell, who was watching with his Team Sweden teammates from Michigan as they get set for next week's World Junior Summer Showcase. "I had a good feeling with Boston and I was super happy when my name got called out."
A player that has been recognized as one of the most dynamic, game-changing players in his draft class, Lysell is known widely for his skating ability and puck-handling skills.
Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney, along with Boston's scouting staff, have had Lysell on their radar for over two years leading into the draft.
"I think we do identify with the skill and the game-breaking ability," said Sweeney. "He's got speed, he can shoot the puck. We'll go down and watch him live at the U18's. You saw the pockets of high-end ability.
"Again, now there's details and things that all young players have to learn and assimilate with the North American style, but he has attributes that I think we identified the Boston Bruins need as much of as we possibly can. Scoring and skills are hard to find and Fabian has a lot of those attributes."

While Sweeney and other members of Boston's hockey operations staff may not have been able to see much of Lysell in person due to the pandemic, the Bruins were able to keep a close eye on the dynamic winger through the eyes of European Scouting Coordinator P.J. Axelsson. The former Bruin skated in 797 career games with the Black & Gold before leaving the NHL and skating out the rest of his playing career with Frolunda Hockey Club in Sweden.
"I just spoke to him actually on the phone," said Lysell on Friday night. "I spoke to him a few times."
Having Axelsson in Sweden where he could watch Lysell on a regular basis provided the Bruins with a firm grasp of the player and person they would be getting if they were to select him with the 21st pick.
"Obviously, we have a player that played a long time with the Boston Bruins in P.J. Axelsson that is in Sweden," said Sweeney. "[He] was in the hometown of the player. Fabian had originally played for Lulea. He's made some real steps. We challenged him in all the interview process in terms of how his maturity and such was progressing and felt satisfied that, again, he's made a lot of strides from growing into a young man and beyond."
Coming up as a young hockey player with Frolunda, one of Sweden's premiere hockey development programs and Axelsson's former club, Lysell was able to showcase some of those strong attributes in impressive fashion.
Prior to the 2020-21 season, Lysell skated in 14 games with Frolunda in the J18 Elit League. The skilled winger produced 34 points (13 goals, 21 assists) in just 14 games that season. The year before that, Lysell spent more time with Frolunda, this time in the U16 Elit and U16 SM leagues, where he recorded 67 points (34 goals, 33 assists) in 21 games combined between the two leagues.
"I think, the training is really tough, the off-ice training is super tough," said Lysell. "I think that has been a process for everybody coming from that environment, to learn how to train hard at a young age. That's a thing that's stuck with me, and I think that's going to help me in the future."
The now 18-year-old also recently won a bronze medal with Sweden at the 2021 IIHF Under-18 Men's World Championship in Frisco, Texas. Lysell tied for the Swedish team lead with nine points (three goals, six assists) in seven games.
After securing a player that was ranked well above 21st on most draft boards, Sweeney sees an opportunity for Lysell to grow into an impactful player for the future of the Bruins.
"You really pay attention when he goes and plays against his peers," said Sweeney. "Can he dominate games or at least be a game breaker? I think he's showed moments of that skillset as well and he's got a lot of work to do in terms of rounding out his overall game.
"He just has the speed, he has skill, the ability to shoot the puck past the goaltender. And again, some game breaking ability that was hard for us to pass on."

Lysell has spent his entire career playing in Sweden, a country where the size of the rink is much larger than an NHL regulation sized sheet.
"Obviously, it's difficult to put a direct timeline," said Sweeney. "You don't want to rush anybody's development. He has a certain skillset that was certainly attractive to us - passion and drive for the game.
"Adapting to a North American style and smaller rinks when he decides to come over is something we'll have to have discussions with him and his representatives. We are excited for what Fabian brings and his passion and skill combination was unique for us to identify."
As the Bruins 2021 Development Camp lurks around the corner, Lysell is prepared to make his way to Boston for his first official skate as a Bruin.
"Hopefully I can come to Development Camp," said Lysell. "That should be a really fun experience to do. I think what I'm trying to work on right now is my strength. That's something that I've been working on a lot in the summer. On the ice, I try to work on the puck protection to create separation for myself better and control the pace a bit more at times.
"Then obviously, still trying to work on my strength. I feel like that's the thing that separates yourself from others. Those areas are something I'm trying to work on."
Despite spending his entire life growing up in Sweden, Lysell has a strong familiarity with the Bruins and some of the players currently playing big roles for the Black & Gold.
"Boston is one of the better teams in the NHL," said Lysell. "They have super good guys like [David] Pastrnak and [Patrice] Bergeron, those guys that I tend to watch a lot. Watching highlights and stuff.
"I think just from watching them, I know a few things about the team. I've heard great things about the city as well. As I said before, I think this is just a dream come true for me. Hopefully I can work hard to play there one day, and that's my main goal right now."