Bruins GM Don Sweeney on Lysell: “Camp is not over”

Boston – Fabian Lysell may be gone for now, but he’s certainly not forgotten.

While most of his media day press conference focused on the ongoing contract negotiations of restricted free agent goaltender Jeremy Swayman, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney also faced some questions regarding his team’s recent roster moves.

On Sunday, the Bruins cut 19 players from its training camp roster, assigning them all to its American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate in Providence, RI.

The group included highly touted prospect Fabian Lysell. But the Swedish sniper’s current status doesn’t necessarily mean he’s gone for good.

“The camp is not over with,” said Sweeney. “In all likelihood we’re going to evaluate after tomorrow night’s game, what the lineup looks like for Thursday. There will be several players that will come back and play, whether that’s Thursday or Saturday. So camp is not over. The evaluation process really never ends.”

The Bruins first round pick (21^st overall) in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, Lysell was pegged as an early favorite to fill the second line void left by Jake DeBrusk. The 5-foot-11, 181-pound right winger spent the past two seasons with the Providence Bruins, scoring 15 goals and 50 points in 57 games last season.

He was something of a slow burn at training camp, scoring one goal off four shots in three games, leading to his demotion.

“We had Fabian in situations in camp where he got reps with different players,” said Sweeney. “Obviously, the game lineups, some nights early in camp look a little differently. But going into Madison Square Garden against 13 or 14 NHL guys, that’s what those guys look like when they’re playing against NHL players. And there’s the evaluation side of it.”

The move wasn’t due to lack of talent. He just needs a little more seasoning.

“Everybody sees the skill set that Fabian has,” said Sweeney. “We’re excited about it. Now we continue to allow him to fill in the gaps in terms of building a team game that Monty feels is a big part of what the Bruins to have success is. All young players go through that process. But he’ll get another opportunity and hopefully he takes advantage of it.”

Lysell joins forwards Joey Abate, Riley Duran, John Farinacci, Brett Harrison, Trevor Kuntar, Adam Mechura, Georgii Merkulov and Jaxon Nelson. Defensemen Drew Bavaro, Frederic Brunet, Michael Callahan, Jackson Edward, Ryan Mast and Mason Millman. Goaltenders Ryan Bischel and Nolan Maier. Winger Marc McLaughlin was put on waivers and reassigned, along with PTO goaltender Kasimir Kaskisuo.

With the moves, the Bruins trimmed its roster to 32, with 18 forwards, 11 defensemen and three goaltenders.

Check Out: Bruins Cut Fabian Lysell And 19 Others From Training Camp Roster

The current Bruins roster features forwards John Beecher, Justin Brazeau, Patrick Brown, Charlie Coyle, Trent Frederic, Morgan Geekie, Tyler Johnson, Max Jones, Mark Kastelic, Cole Koepke, Vinni Lettieri, Elias Lindholm, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, Matt Poitras, Riley Tufte, Jeffrey Viel and Pavel Zacha. Defensemen Brandon Carlo, Hampus Lindholm, Mason Lohrei, Charlie McAvoy, Ian Mitchell, Jordan Oesterle, Andrew Peeke, Alec Regula, Billy Sweezey, Parker Wotherspoon and Nikita Zadorov. Goaltenders Brandon Bussi, Michael DiPietro and Joonas Korpisalo.

Cutting the team down also gave Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery a closer look at what Tuesday’s lineup is capable of.

“Yesterday was our best practice at camp,” said Montgomery. “Just the pace, purpose, the intensity and effort were what we need as we look forward to the opportunity of the regular season starting here in nine days. That’s where my focus is, continuing to finalize these last three practices and three games before we get going for real. And the opportunity with the additions that Don and (Bruins President) Cam (Neely) added during the off-season gets us really excited about what the Bruins are going to be this year.”

While Sweeney declined to go into specifics about Lysell’s overall game, he feels confident in the prospect’s ability.

“He’s got a lot of talent,” said Sweeney. “We’re trying to get him to understand a little bit more of the team-based game and apply that, whether that’s in practice in Providence, and bringing it back when he does get another opportunity here. That’s what you’re hoping for. There’re very few ready-made players. This is a league that chews them up pretty quickly.”