Several years of pick volume and position has put the Boston Bruins developmental system behind a lot of other teams around the NHL, but when it comes to Sweden, the team has a couple of impressive forward prospects in Fabian Lysell and Oskar Steen.
Lysell, 18, was the team’s first-round selection in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, a good value pickup at 21st overall when he slid a bit from where he was projected to go in pre-draft projections. Since then, he made a positive impression on the team at his first NHL rookie and main training camp and is producing in juniors with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants. With nine goals and 26 points in 21 games in his rookie (and likely only) season in that league, Lysell was named to Sweden’s World Junior Championship team this week, giving Boston fans a player to watch in the annual top tier under-20 tournament after Christmas.
Steen is a contrast to the flashy youngster, a veteran pro in Sweden before spending the last several seasons in the AHL with Providence. The 23-year-old right wing was a later pick by Boston, going 165th overall in 2016. However, given his two assists in three NHL games this year, coupled with his best AHL campaign to date and clear evidence that he was trending as a scorer when he signed with the B’s, Steen could end up succeeding beyond the most optimistic of expectations.