Lyle Looking to Take Next Step in His Career

BOSTON - There's been no shortage of star power at Warrior Ice Arena this summer.
For weeks, a bevy of NHLers has been training at the Bruins' practice facility in Brighton, led by the likes of Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy, Chris Wagner, Matt Grzelcyk, as well as former Black & Gold mainstays Torey Krug and Noel Acciari and Buffalo Sabres star and Massachusetts native Jack Eichel.
But another face among the crowd may not be quite as familiar - at least for now.

Providence Bruins blue liner Brady Lyle - one of the standouts at last week's Bruins Development Camp - has been a regular during the offseason sessions as he looks to solidify a place on the organizational depth chart entering his second professional campaign.
"We've seen it now this summer…his desire to be a player and pushing forward again," said Bruins Director of Player Development Jamie Langenbrunner. "He's been here all summer working hard, getting his body into better shape, getting stronger and continuing to work on his skills. He's taken a big step and we look forward to him continuing that in Providence and keep on growing."
Lyle was signed to an AHL contract by the P-Bruins in April 2020 and put forth an impressive inaugural campaign with Providence last season, notching 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in 25 games. Nearly a year to the day after signing his initial deal with the P-Bruins, Lyle inked a two-year, entry-level contract with Boston worth an annual NHL cap hit of $800,000, setting the tone for what is expected to be a crucial year in his development.
"I think you can see a transformation in his body, to be honest with you," said Langenbrunner. "He looks much stronger. He looks like a pro now. Took a huge stride, had a really good year in Providence for us. We look forward to continuing that progression."
The 22-year-old native of North Bay, Ontario, was clearly among the most polished skaters during Development Camp, showing an assertiveness both on and off the ice that separated him from the pack despite it being his first such camp with the club.
Before arriving in Providence, Lyle played five seasons in the Ontario Hockey League (two-plus for North Bay and three for Owen Sound) but went undrafted - which has, no doubt, left the 6-foot-3, 212-pound defenseman with plenty to prove.
"I definitely was hoping to get drafted," said Lyle, who also attended Development Camps with Ottawa, Arizona, and Anaheim in recent years. "Kind of felt that I did enough to get drafted. Obviously, that wasn't the case. I've realized that now and I've become better for it."

The path that Lyle has taken is one that's quite familiar to the Black & Gold, who have developed fellow free-agent, right-shot defensemen Kevan Miller and Connor Clifton - as well as the left-shot Krug - into crucial contributors over the last decade.
"We've had several of those players take that path," said Bruins general manager Don Sweeney. "Connor Clifton, Kevan Miller started on AHL contracts and worked their way up. Brady's made a year over year progression that's great to see."
Knowing that the Bruins have had success in developing undrafted and college free agent defensemen helped convince Lyle that Boston was the perfect place to continue his journey.
"When the opportunity came for me to sign my first contract with Providence, I knew that Boston really relied heavily on their farm system; they like to develop their players, they have guys on the big club that have come up through Providence and started out on AHL deal," said Lyle.
"When I was going through the process, [Bruins Executive Director of Player Personnel John Ferguson] really reiterated that to me and showed me that there was a path, and if I took advantage of it and made the most of my opportunities that I could follow that same path that other guys have before me. That was the big appeal and made my decision pretty easy."
The appeal on the Bruins' side was simple, too. Boston was intrigued by Lyle's impressive offensive instincts, which led to some eye-popping production during his time in the OHL. During his final season with Owen Sound in 2019-20, Lyle racked up 65 points (22 goals, 43 assists) in 62 games - a 24-point increase from his 68-game campaign in 2018-19.
Overall, Lyle finished his OHL career with 175 points (49 goals, 126 assists) in 295 games.
"His offensive talent is what caught our eye," said Langenbrunner. "In the Ontario League, he was a bit of a rogue player. He ran around a little bit, maybe a little bit of structure was missing, gives you a little bit of concern. But his offensive instincts and his desire to make things happen definitely caught our eye. For me, the biggest surprise has been how quickly those things came into his game in Providence."
Lyle credited the P-Bruins coaching staff with helping him better understand the game.
"I definitely learned a lot this year," Lyle said of his progression during his first season with Providence. "The coaching staff in Providence was great with me the whole time. I think they're some of the best in the business.I learned a ton, stuff that I never even heard of walking in.
"I've played for a long time, and you think you know a lot and then, boom, the first week in Providence I'm hearing stuff I've never heard before and realizing some more technical terms."
Lyle has put a focus on cleaning up the technical side of his skating this offseason as he tries to become more efficient in using his "energy to its fullest capacity," while trying to put himself in the best position possible to earn a spot with the big club at some point in the near future.
"Not really going in with any real expectations," Lyle said of the 2021-22 season. "Just going in more focusing on myself. I want to do everything I can to be in Boston and put myself in position where I'm ready to take that next step. For the most part, I'm focusing on being in the best shape and cleaning up some of my skating and just getting better every day."