Bruins prospect Fabian Lysell receives sharp criticism from AHL coach originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Fabian Lysell is one of the Boston Bruins’ top prospects. Watch his great shot, excellent speed, and strong playmaking ability. The Swedish right wing has an impressive offensive skill set that makes him a lot of fun to watch.
But he needs to learn to play within the structure of the team game.
Fabian Lysell, a 2021 first-round pick of the B’s, was criticized by Providence Bruins head coach Ryan Mougenel after the team’s loss to the Syracuse Crunch on Sunday. It was a tough game for the P-Bruins, as they took a 1-0 lead in the first period on Lysell’s seventh goal of the season but then fell short by giving up four unanswered goals in a 4-1 defeat.
There was a play in the third period which you can watch here, where Lysell tried to take on three or four opposing players by himself in the attacking zone. Syracuse was able to force the puck off Lysell’s stick. Although it didn’t look too serious, Mougenel wasn’t happy after the game.
“Listen, there’s a lot of good things he does. He can create anxiety with his feet. But for Fabian, he has to recognize that sometimes there’s not always a play to be made,” Mougenel told reporters, per Black N’ Gold Productions. “I think that’s still in his growth. He’s learning that. I’m not saying that he won’t, but the team game is real important and he’s got five other guys, right? I hate the play in the third period where he’s trying to beat a guy 1-on-4. That’s the stuff he’s gotta get out of his game and it’s recognizing that.
“We’re getting into Year 2 here. He’s gotta start buying in or he won’t play for (Bruins head coach) Jim Montgomery. That’s a big part of Monty’s game is the team game and building the team game. A lot of that is possession. You can’t necessarily chip the puck, get it back, expand and hit the weak-side D, you need five other guys to be a part of that and you have to be connected. And a willingness to play that way. And until you do, then you’re outta here, you’re not in the AHL, then you’re Jim Montgomery’s problem. But until then, he’s gotta start building that into his game.”
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney met with reporters Monday after the team announced it was assigning rookie center Matthew Poitras to Team Canada for the upcoming World Junior Championships. Sweeney, who was in Providence to watch Sunday’s game, was also asked about Lysell and Mougenel’s comments. He provided some more context to the situation.
“I certainly heard Moug’s frustration after the game so we sat down for about 20 minutes,” Sweeney said.