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Post by nfld77 on Feb 28, 2022 18:59:19 GMT -5
I really like Lysell as a high end prospect but please, he doesn’t skate like McDavid or Bure, if he did he’d be playing for the Bruins right now. He just turned 19 last month but I agree, that's a big ask...IF he played next season and puts up double digits in goals and assists, it would be a good rookie campaign..
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Post by SeaBass on Feb 28, 2022 19:30:33 GMT -5
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Post by madmarx on Mar 1, 2022 12:15:01 GMT -5
If the Playoffs Started today:
Fla vs Bos TB vs Tor Car vs Wash Pit vs NYR
Col vs Dal StL vs Minn Cal vs Nash LA vs VGK
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Post by SeaBass on Mar 1, 2022 17:18:11 GMT -5
Swayman wins rookie of the month for February.
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Post by skemack on Mar 1, 2022 21:46:42 GMT -5
Swayman wins rookie of the month for February. Really stepped up his game and has been very good since Tuukka retired. Well deserved.
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Post by SeaBass on Mar 2, 2022 9:19:48 GMT -5
ANAHEIM, Calif. — On the surface, Jeremy Swayman was Jeremy Swayman. The cheery Alaskan was delighted to be at the rink, happy to be among teammates, grateful to be drawing paychecks for stopping pucks. These are all qualities the Bruins appreciate about the 23-year-old goalie.
On the inside, it was a different story.
Swayman believed he was an NHL goalie. He had a .918 all-situations save percentage through 16 starts. Linus Ullmark was at .917 over 15 starts.
There was a problem.
Tuukka Rask, owner of a Vezina Trophy and a championship ring, was ready to play. Ullmark has no-movement protection. Swayman is on his entry-level contract, which makes him eligible to be assigned to Providence without clearing waivers.
By that alone, Swayman was the odd man out.
“I never saw a guy that was down when there (were) three goalies around. Even when he left here. Inside, I’m sure he’s probably fuming,” said coach Bruce Cassidy. “And that’s fine. We don’t mind that.”
Swayman was assigned to Providence on Jan. 12. Two days later, he stopped 19 shots in Providence’s 5-1 win over Hartford.
After the win, Swayman termed his situation as “not ideal.” He did not know whether his stay at the Residence Inn in Providence would become permanent.
Just about perfect On Monday, Swayman (34 saves) scored his fifth career shutout in the Bruins’ 7-0 blowout of Los Angeles. A day later, the NHL named him Rookie of the Month. He went 5-1-1 in February with a .960 all-situations save percentage.
The pucks he once pinballed out carelessly are under wraps. His depth in the crease is ideal. The game is coming to him instead of the other way around. Swayman is executing everything goaltending coach Bob Essensa has been teaching him to do. The second-year pro is in complete command of his toolbox.
“Recovery, I think, is better than the start,” said Cassidy. “He’s a guy that always liked to challenge. Bob has worked with him on that: when to challenge at the top of the crease, versus in the blue paint, versus outside the blue paint. Because guys are smart in this league. They can make plays through traffic where if you get stuck outside, you’re not going to recover.”
None of this was according to plan. By now, the Bruins hoped Rask would be back to his old self. They projected Ullmark to be Rask’s right-hand man.
Swayman, meanwhile, would be in the AHL for the remainder of 2021-22.
“Those thoughts, they can creep in your head,” Swayman acknowledged. “But I really wanted to make a point of staying in the moment and making sure wherever I’m playing, for whatever team I’m playing for, I was going to do whatever I could to stop the puck and help the team win. I think simplifying my thought process helped me focus in on the moment and not get caught up in the future or the past.”
Instead, Rask is in his rocking chair. Swayman was recalled on Jan. 29 from Providence. A drive on I-95 South is not in his future.
Swayman has a .964 five-on-five save percentage in his eight appearances since returning to the NHL, according to Evolving Hockey. It is the best mark among all goalies with five or more appearances since Jan. 29. He has saved 8.47 goals above average, second-best behind Igor Shesterkin (8.84).
In all situations, Swayman has a .953 save percentage in his last eight games. He is at 9.53 GSAA, No. 3 after Shesterkin (11.74) and Jake Oettinger (9.74).
All of this is better than how he played in the minors. He won three of his five starts while recording a .911 save percentage.
“Didn’t pout or say, ‘I’m too good for this league.’ Which can happen to guys,” said Cassidy. “You don’t want it to happen to your guys. But it has happened in the past to different guys. He’s not one of those. That’s helped him in his trip back up here.”
It was, in fact, the opposite. Despite his dissatisfaction with the situation, Swayman committed to improving his craft in the minors.
He worked on his puck touches. He pledged to be more patient. In hindsight, embracing the grind in the AHL may have helped him become better upon his NHL re-entry.
“Going down has been a tremendous learning experience,” said Swayman. “It only made me hungrier coming back up here and making sure I wanted to win at the highest level.”
Swayman’s AHL career is over. He is an NHLer for good. He no longer has to look over his shoulder and see Rask in his rearview mirror.
In fact, Swayman could be the next Rask.
Healthy competition Everyone saw the save. Swayman, down and out against the Sharks in the third period on Feb. 26, stretched out his glove and snatched Tomas Hertl’s shot.
Swayman’s timeliness and athleticism made it the save of the night. It kept the Bruins up by one with 3:09 left in regulation. Patrice Bergeron sealed the 3-1 win in the final minute.
“That’s a really unique thing goaltending has,” said Swayman. “You want to be that steady heartbeat and the backbone for the team where they can just look at you and have trust that you can be ready for that next shot. That’s what I want to be for this team, making sure they know I’m going to be dialed in no matter what, ups or downs. If a goal goes in, I flush it and go on to the next shot. If a big save happens, I flush it and go on to the next shot. Doesn’t matter if it’s good or bad. All I want to focus on is the moment.”
For now, Swayman is the No. 1. It is not a permanent designation.
Ullmark started against Anaheim on Tuesday. The Bruins are just fine with the fast friends fighting for the crease.
“We’re not married to one guy being the No. 1,” said Cassidy. “We want competition. Hopefully it brings out the best in both of them. I think Ullie’s been OK. Sway’s just in a groove right now. It’s less about Linus and more about Jeremy. I guess if Linus wants to earn more starts, he’d have to get up to that level of Swayman. If that happens, well, now you’re in business. You’ve got two goalies that are lights-out. That’s the best solution for keeping the puck out of your net.”
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Post by SeaBass on Mar 2, 2022 9:21:08 GMT -5
The first time Barclay Parneta saw Pavel Bure play for the Vancouver Canucks on television, he was a scout for the Tri-City Americans in the WHL and all he remembers thinking was “wow” as he watched Bure skate.
After the Americans, Parneta went on to scout for the St. Louis Blues and Phoenix Coyotes before taking a job in Vancouver to become the general manager of the WHL’s Giants. In the two and a half decades between that first job in Tri-City and taking that last one in Vancouver, Parneta never saw another player who could skate like Bure.
Then two came along. The first was Connor McDavid. The second was Fabian Lysell, a teenaged kid from Sweden. When he first saw Lysell fly around the ice, he set his sights on getting him to his team.
Now he has him and when he watches him skate, he still gets that same feeling.
“It’s just so pretty and fun to watch him. No matter who you are, you’re going to recognize ‘wow, this guy is incredibly fast,'” Parneta said on a recent phone call. “If he’s not the best skater I’ve ever seen, he’s certainly one of them.”
In the 2021 NHL Draft, the Bruins bet on Lysell for the same reason when they selected him in that first round: He was the draft’s singular skater, with the kind of skill and speed that will make the sky the limit if he could build upon the rest — upon the things that are much easier to teach.
Today, more than halfway through his first season in North America, with Vancouver, that’s exactly what Lysell’s doing. The adjustment hasn’t been easy, but it’s all starting to come together.
The Giants selected Lysell in the first round of the 2020 CHL Import Draft the summer before his NHL Draft year, when he was still a star prospect of SHL titan Frölunda.
The season prior, he lit up Sweden’s under-18 level, rattling off 40 points in 18 games to earn early promotion to Sweden’s top under-20 junior league. The season before that, he was the MVP of Sweden’s under-16 level.
When the Giants drafted him, Parneta and his staff were determined to bring him over for his draft year. Then the pandemic put the WHL season in jeopardy and Lysell stayed home. The draft year that followed was a topsy-turvy one for him. After posting five goals and seven points in five games to lead Sweden in scoring at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, Lysell struggled to earn a promotion from Frölunda’s junior team to its deep SHL club, prompting a midseason move to the SHL’s Luleå HF. After concluding his up-and-down season with a nine-point showing in six games at U18 worlds to help Sweden to a bronze medal, Lysell, who’d begun his draft year with some top-10 buzz, finished ninth among international skaters on NHL Central Scouting’s final list for the 2021 draft.
When it was done, the Giants came back into focus. Then, once the Bruins drafted him, everything came together quickly.
Lysell felt that coming to North America to play on the smaller ice surface would be good for his development. He had ties to Western Canada with family on his mother’s side in Victoria, Vancouver and Prince George (coincidentally, he also has family ties to Boston) and the Bruins were in favour of the move. Adjusted rules for the pandemic had allowed the Giants to keep him on their import list when they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to.
But once Lysell arrived in Vancouver he struggled with the adjustment. His impact on the ice was felt immediately. After registering his first WHL point in his debut, he posted eight points in five games in October. But the adjustment off of the ice was hard.
He missed his family — his mom Maria, dad Henrik, and older sister Frida — dearly and found the nine-hour time difference between Vancouver and home to be difficult, taking comfort in conversations with Frida (who is currently at university studying biology) about the different lifestyles they live and the balancing acts of each.
“At the start it was pretty tough just because it’s such a big adjustment to live so far away from home, the language barrier, new teammates, the new environment, you don’t get to see your family and friends. I still miss my family,” Lysell said. “Nine hours is a big difference. It’s pretty much day and night when you compare the two so that has also been challenging. When I wake up early morning before practices, I can make a phone call and then we’re at the rink for five to six hours and by that time, when practice is done, they’re sleeping in Sweden. It’s pretty challenging.”
The Giants set Lysell up in a billet house with one of his new teammates, Jaden Lipinski, as opposed to alone, in an effort to help with that integration (and to provide him with rides to and from the rink). Throughout, they’ve tried to remain cognizant of the acclimatization that comes with being an import player. He — and the team — have relied on Swedish import goaltender Jesper Vikman to help with the transition as well.
“It’s tough for these young kids. He has been away from home before but he hasn’t been across an ocean and he’s extremely close with his mom and dad. He didn’t know what to expect and now he’s living in a billet house and he’s fending for himself a little bit more where he’s got to figure stuff out and nobody’s telling him what to do. And he had to kind of realize ‘OK, I’m pretty far from home but I’ve still got to re-focus and play,’” Parneta said. “On the ice and in the dressing room, that stuff has been seamless. So it has really been how far he is from home. It’s a big deal to do it. It’s one thing to move from Alberta to British Columbia to play in the WHL. It’s a whole lot different when you’re moving from Sweden.”
In early November, Maria came to visit him, spend time with their family in Victoria, and attend a couple of games — which included Giants senior vice president Dale Saip driving her up to Kelowna to catch a road game and a night out to watch the Canucks to see an NHL game firsthand.
Then the holidays came and instead of being able to go home, Lysell left Vancouver for Edmonton to join Team Sweden for the world juniors, only to get ill, miss the team’s first two games of the tournament, and get ready to return for their third game just to have it — and the tournament — cancelled. His entire family had made the trip from Sweden too, only to not get to see him play.
“The team started off well with two wins, and it was the last year for a lot of guys, so it was super sad,” Lysell said.
The illness, which was not COVID-19 (he was tested daily throughout the tournament and only produced negative results), has also lingered, returning a couple of weeks ago.
“There’s something in my body that maybe doesn’t want to go away. I got a fever and sore throat. It was tough. I honestly don’t know what it was. I had the same types of symptoms as COVID-19 but it wasn’t that,” Lysell said.
Through it all, both Giants and Bruins staff think he has handled it well.
The Bruins have kept in regular contact with him through director of player development Jamie Langenbrunner and player development coordinator Adam McQuaid (two people Lysell says he feels he can talk to whenever).
“What we’ve wanted to do is not only help him with his game but also with his emotional well-being by taking a holistic approach to help him become a better player on and off the ice. And he has adjusted well. It has been a lot to take in but he has adjusted in a positive way,” said Giants associate coach Keith McCambridge.
On the ice, his 41 points in 35 games make him the team’s leading scorer despite having missed 13 games due to his commitments with Team Sweden and the illness.
The first thing McCambridge noticed in Lysell was the same thing everyone notices: his skating.
“It’s not only his straight-line speed but what I like to call his quickness, which is his first three strides, to be able to create some separation out of the corners, coming through the neutral zone. His quickness really jumps off of the page in all of those ways. It’s special,” McCambridge said.
The very first time Langenbrunner saw Lysell play at U18 worlds, he was drawn specifically to his ability to move laterally at high speed.
“There are some straight line-skaters who are probably on par with him but it’s his first step or his ability to change direction to avoid contact or jump to another lane is where he’s a true class above,” Langenbrunner said. “The first thing I think anyone that walks into the rink is going to see is that he can motor.”
The skating, Lysell says, has always come naturally. But he credits Sebastian Pisano, a performance coach with his agency, Wesport, for helping him refine it. Pisano began training him when Lysell was dealing with a stress fracture in his back two years ago and as part of the rehab process Pisano helped teach Lysell new movement patterns to reduce some of the strain on his body.
“I’ve always had explosive muscles but when I started working with (Pisano), I learned how to use my body in a bit of a different way. And I would honestly say that since then, my body has begun to work differently, which helped me recover faster but has also helped with my explosiveness and core strength,” Lysell said.
But there’s more to Lysell’s game than the skating alone.
“I like his desire to make an impact,” Langenbrunner said. “He’s a guy that puts himself into spots to get the puck, puts himself into a position to be a factor, and wants the puck on his stick. There’s a lot of good players that don’t necessarily think that way, especially at a young age. But this kid wants it and his competitiveness within that is the thing that stands out to me. It gives him a chance to make the most on that special quality as skater. Those are the guys who elevate themselves above a group.”
In Vancouver, the staff hasn’t tried to teach him anything about his skating, knowing he’s got that mastered. Instead, they’ve focussed on other areas of his game, areas McCambridge says he has seen real progress in.
“It has been a learning curve but he’s a real great young man,” McCambridge said. “What we’re trying to do is when and if that day comes where he gets his opportunity for his first pro game with the Boston Bruins, is making sure the correct habits are in place for Bruce (Cassidy) and for Don (Sweeney) when he plays that game.
“And when you’re dealing with a different size of ice and a different style of game, there’s less space with regards to winding up and getting his speed through the neutral zone. Guys are on top of you quicker. (But) he has that drive, that passion, that fire within him. And as a coaching staff, you can’t teach that. Players either have that or they don’t and he has that.”
Lysell admits that there has, despite his production, been a steep learning curve getting used to the WHL.
“The WHL is way tougher (than Sweden’s top junior league). It’s way more of a team game here and you can see the structure and all of the teams have different game plans each and every night, so you have to always be prepared and on your toes or you’re going to get punished pretty quickly,” Lysell said. “It’s definitely a challenging league and from what I’ve heard our division (the five-team BC Division, where the Giants sit fourth) is especially tough. I think the biggest difference is the toughness and the play on the inside here. I can’t even compare the hockey to J20 because it’s way different. I would honestly compare it to men’s hockey back home because that has more structure.”
As he figures things out, the Bruins have encouraged him to focus on two key areas on the ice.
“They’re focussed on the details and the defensive side, and also being more effective with the offensive aspect creating scoring chances and keeping it simple to know when to challenge opponents and when to keep it safe. That’s something I’m working on and always will,” Lysell said.
But it’s off the ice where Langenbrunner has tried to really be there for Lysell. Langenrbunner has related to Lysell through stories of the challenges he faced playing abroad in Germany during the 2004-05 lockout, a period he says was difficult for him as an almost-30-year-old. When Lysell was upset that the Giants traded Panthers top prospect Justin Sourdif ahead of the WHL trade deadline, Langenrbunner was there just to let him vent.
“Letting them talk their piece and not be judged or told they’re right or wrong about what they think, that gives them power. And then between Adam and I, we’ve gone through different things like that as well. It’s hard to go through change. So having that empathy and that awareness of what they’re going through is important,” Langenbrunner said.
“The guys that are with him day-to-day are the guys that are going to be doing video more with him, and doing skill work more, and when we get him to Boston that’s when we’ll do more hands-on stuff. The biggest part of our role, whether it’s me or Adam McQuaid, with Fabian is that adjustment period. You’re talking about a whole new culture. You’re nine time zones away. You’re basically in a different world. Add on the pressure of playing hockey in a tough league and there’s a lot going on for these kids, not to mention girlfriends and family and all of that stuff. I think he’s becoming more and more mature and more and more confident in himself as an individual and I think long term it’s going to be very good for him.”
Lysell’s happy he landed with the Bruins after they showed the most interest leading up to the draft (including meeting with him the day before they picked him while he was in Plymouth for the World Junior Summer Showcase), and thankful for the guidance he has received from people like Langenbrunner
And after what he describes as a “tough first four months,” he’s beginning to feel comfortable with this new chapter.
“It has got a little easier but it’s still tough,” he said. “I feel like it’s good this year to get adjusted to it and I feel it’s going to be even easier coming over again next year.”
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Post by nfld77 on Mar 2, 2022 15:50:41 GMT -5
SEabass, 2 awesome reads..Awesome stuff and thanks!!
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Post by madmarx on Mar 2, 2022 22:32:09 GMT -5
What’s up with Guys wanting out doing well
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Post by nfld77 on Mar 3, 2022 0:24:20 GMT -5
What’s up with Guys wanting out doing well Yet he's STILL not even on taxi squad..I'm betting he'll have a decent career in the NHL and once traded for a 7th rounder, he'll prove Bruins organization wrong..
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Post by SeaBass on Mar 3, 2022 8:34:48 GMT -5
What’s up with Guys wanting out doing well Yet he's STILL not even on taxi squad..I'm betting he'll have a decent career in the NHL and once traded for a 7th rounder, he'll prove Bruins organization wrong.. There is no more taxi squad.
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Post by nfld77 on Mar 3, 2022 13:42:57 GMT -5
Yet he's STILL not even on taxi squad..I'm betting he'll have a decent career in the NHL and once traded for a 7th rounder, he'll prove Bruins organization wrong.. There is no more taxi squad. Sorry, forgot that..
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Post by skemack on Mar 3, 2022 14:49:00 GMT -5
He has played well all season and had a good training camp for the Bruins yet was never given a chance by the team this year. Why is everyone shocked he wanted out? Zero excuses for him to not be given a good chance this year.
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Post by KSJ08 on Mar 3, 2022 18:07:51 GMT -5
Obviously has deficiencies they upper brass feel he can not over come to make the next step?!?!
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Post by kjc2 on Mar 3, 2022 18:23:52 GMT -5
Senyshyn is only signed until the end of this season. We used a first rounder on him so we should at least give him another look and either make room for him in the lineup or add him into another deal.
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Post by orym on Mar 4, 2022 11:16:25 GMT -5
Senyshyn is only signed until the end of this season. We used a first rounder on him so we should at least give him another look and either make room for him in the lineup or add him into another deal. Is his trade value higher if he is down in P? If they bring him up and he is exposed as not fully "NHL ready" then we can't get a bag of pucks for him. I hope they can package him with something else and maybe return a draft pick or something because yeah it doesn't look like he ever cracks our line up with the current GM/Coach. I think he should have been given a better shot to prove himself this year but the boys in the skybox must know something we don't.
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Post by kjc2 on Mar 4, 2022 12:27:53 GMT -5
Senyshyn is only signed until the end of this season. We used a first rounder on him so we should at least give him another look and either make room for him in the lineup or add him into another deal. Is his trade value higher if he is down in P? If they bring him up and he is exposed as not fully "NHL ready" then we can't get a bag of pucks for him. I hope they can package him with something else and maybe return a draft pick or something because yeah it doesn't look like he ever cracks our line up with the current GM/Coach. I think he should have been given a better shot to prove himself this year but the boys in the skybox must know something we don't. Depending on Lazar, I think now is an ideal time to bring up Senyshyn for a couple of games. I think Froden is hustling and working his ass off but I’m not a fan of small forwards on the fourth line.
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Post by KSJ08 on Mar 4, 2022 12:36:56 GMT -5
Not a fan of small NHL players unless you're a Marchy!
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Post by kjc2 on Mar 4, 2022 13:06:28 GMT -5
Not a fan of small NHL players unless you're a Marchy! I think if you’re a small player you better be making up the difference in high end skill or grit or something that makes you very effective. Marchy has it all!
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Post by madmarx on Mar 5, 2022 13:05:38 GMT -5
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Post by KSJ08 on Mar 6, 2022 15:42:46 GMT -5
Good on Jag's:https://www.nhl.com/news/jaromir-jagr-czech-team-raise-money-for-ukrainian-refugees/c-331480250
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Post by SeaBass on Mar 7, 2022 8:26:23 GMT -5
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Post by madmarx on Mar 7, 2022 11:25:14 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Mar 10, 2022 14:16:36 GMT -5
Poor Linus
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Post by nfld77 on Mar 10, 2022 16:50:19 GMT -5
Poor Linus POOR LINUS EH??? What gives here?? Personally I think the Bruins feel more comfortable with Swayman between the pipes, therefore the offense can do their thing...Whereas when Ullmark is playing, they play a more defensive game resulting in the figures above..ALSO this is only since FEB 9th..
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Post by kjc2 on Mar 10, 2022 17:51:56 GMT -5
When a team has no confidence in a goalie they play differently, it’s a fact. Ullmark is what he is but what I’d like to know is, who did the scouting on this guy last summer and did they just look at the numbers and not the body of work?
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Post by blkngld on Mar 10, 2022 22:44:30 GMT -5
When a team has no confidence in a goalie they play differently, it’s a fact. Ullmark is what he is but what I’d like to know is, who did the scouting on this guy last summer and did they just look at the numbers and not the body of work? maybe that's part of it or maybe it's because they are always chasing the game when Ullmark is in net. Playing with a lead is easier than playing from behind.
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Post by crafar01 on Mar 11, 2022 8:05:18 GMT -5
Poor Linus POOR LINUS EH??? What gives here?? Personally I think the Bruins feel more comfortable with Swayman between the pipes, therefore the offense can do their thing...Whereas when Ullmark is playing, they play a more defensive game resulting in the figures above..ALSO this is only since FEB 9th.. Not that I think the situation will end the same way it did with Timmy, but I know myself and some of us here used to say the same thing about him.
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Post by nfld77 on Mar 11, 2022 15:25:04 GMT -5
POOR LINUS EH??? What gives here?? Personally I think the Bruins feel more comfortable with Swayman between the pipes, therefore the offense can do their thing...Whereas when Ullmark is playing, they play a more defensive game resulting in the figures above..ALSO this is only since FEB 9th.. Not that I think the situation will end the same way it did with Timmy, but I know myself and some of us here used to say the same thing about him. Remember also that this is based on ONE MONTH!!! How many games therefore is this based on?? 4-5 games???
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Post by KSJ08 on Mar 11, 2022 17:45:30 GMT -5
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