Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney singled out Georgii Merkulov, Fabian Lysell and Riley Duran as the players most likely to be battling for a spot on the NHL roster this fall.
Still, only one ranked in The Athletic’s top 100 drafted NHL prospects — Lysell.
After both Bruins player development coordinator and Providence Bruins head coach Ryan Mougenel said Lysell has taken huge steps in his development and could make a “push” for an NHL job, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler explained why Lysell ranked No. 88 in his top 100.
“He’s a free-flowing skater who has rare top speed and agility with the puck on his stick (one of those players who seems to get faster with the puck on his stick). He’s not a one-trick pony, either,” Wheeler wrote. “The highlight pack is about the end-to-end rushes and the dashes through holes in coverage, for sure. But he can also dance a defender by pulling pucks through his wide stance and across his body to beat them with not just a lateral cut but his hands. And he can dance defenders to the outside with his high-end top speed or a quick change of pace. He’s got cuts, stops and starts, and directional changes. While his shot isn’t powerful per se, it’s deceptive off the blade and accurate.”
Wheeler added that Lysell can draw a lot of penalties when he pushes through contact and keeps his feet moving.
“He’s also chippier than you might expect,” Wheeler wrote. “I do wonder if he could be a useful penalty killer with the right coach because of his skating as well. While he’s not a physical player, he’s a puck thief off of back pressure.”
Mougenel noted last season that Lysell still needed to recognize that “sometimes there’s not a play to be made,” which Wheeler recognized as a fault in his assessment of the 21-year-old forward.
“I do still think he can come and go in games and try to do too much (there’s a little too much one-and-done to his games when he flies into the zone and takes long shots in transition or overhandles the puck),” Wheeler wrote. “And his body language isn’t great when he’s not playing well, but he’s got some upside.”
Lysell tallied 15 goals and 35 assists in 56 games for Providence last season before suffering an upper-body injury on March 23. He registered 37 points in 54 games during his first pro season the year before.
