Two picks with New England implications happened within four selections in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft on Friday night, with the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers landing a pair of highly talented forwards.
Bruins GM Don Sweeney announced right wing Fabian Lysell at 21st overall, while Florida Panthers director of amateur scouting Shane Churla called Newtown, Conn., native Mackie Samoskevich’s name with the 24th selection.
Both players have similar attributes as speedy, offensively skilled forwards who have the potential to drive plays at the highest level.
B’s get elite speed, skill from Sweden
Two picks with New England implications happened within four selections in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft on Friday night, with the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers landing a pair of highly talented forwards.
Bruins GM Don Sweeney announced right wing Fabian Lysell at 21st overall, while Florida Panthers director of amateur scouting Shane Churla called Newtown, Conn., native Mackie Samoskevich’s name with the 24th selection.
Both players have similar attributes as speedy, offensively skilled forwards who have the potential to drive plays at the highest level.
B’s get elite speed, skill from Sweden
Boston’s selection of Lysell is a bit of a departure from what it has done in recent seasons. It could be a home-run swing if the forward who played against men with Lulea in Sweden’s top pro league delivers on his pure talent. His numbers were indicative of playing a limited role as a teenager, but Lysell put up the points against his peers in juniors and was a top scorer at the Under-18 world tournament in Dallas.
“I’m a dynamic player,” Lysell said. “I like to challenge opponents with pace and I try to use my skating to create separation for myself and to be in those dangerous scoring areas.”
For Lysell, it’s all about pure skill, explosive speed and the ability to make offensive plays all over the ice. He can back defenders up and has the slick hands to take pucks to the net or dish to teammates for quality chances. He’s listed at 5-foot-10, 174 pounds, so he has to get a lot stronger.
Lysell dropped a bit from where he was projected to go talent-wise, and it may have had to do with concerns about maturity and effort. Whatever the reasons, the Bruins landed a forward with some of the most electric feet and skills of any player in the draft. When you can get a player after the 20th selection with those qualities, you’re in a good situation.
“He has attributes that I think we identified that the Boston Bruins need,” said Sweeney. “And (need) as much of it as we possibly can. Scoring and skill is at a premium and it’s hard to find. Fabian has a lot of those attributes.”
Longtime B’s forward and European scouting director P.J. Axelsson, who came out of the same Frolunda hockey system that produced Lysell, had a significant hand in this pick. This will go a long way toward easing some of the off-ice things that were brought up during the draft’s broadcast, and Axelsson is in position to be a positive mentor for the youngster.
“This is just a dream come true for me,” Lysell said. “Hopefully, I can work hard to play (in Boston) one day and that’s my main goal right now.”
Samoskevich to South Florida
As expected, Mackie Samoskevich was taken in the first round. He went 24th overall to Florida, who took talented Finnish center Anton Lundell in the first round in 2020 and now add a versatile forward who can play center or wing. In the end, Samoskevich's high pro hockey ceiling could not be denied, and the Panthers have added one of the more dynamic players available in 2021.
His selection and that of Matty Beniers (Hingham, Mass.), means that two New England players were taken in the first round for the first time since 2019, when Matthew Boldy (Millis, Mass.) and Spencer Knight (Darien, Conn.) went to Minnesota and Florida with back-to-back picks at 12th and 13th overall.
“He was a player that we had targeted for quite some time,” Panthers GM Bill Zito said. “Our scouts were really, really bullish on Mackie both as a player and a person. They spent a lot of time doing a deep dive on him as a player.”
The University of Michigan-bound Samoskevich has plenty of time to round out his game, add strength and mass to his frame and continue to hone his natural offensive instincts and shot. His selection made him part of a historic draft, as he joined Owen Power, Matty Beniers (Hingham, Mass.), Luke Hughes, and Kent Johnson as current or incoming Wolverines players to all be selected in the first round and top-25.
“He’s a big, skilled player who plays with an edge, has a big shot,” Zito said. “He’s going to provide offense and grit and is a dynamic winger that all teams covet. We’re just thrilled to have him.”
Having been a part of a Chicago Steel championship squad in the USHL, Samoskevich returned from a mid-season injury to hit his stride at crunch time.
“Mackie is a winner,” said one NHL Western Conference scout before the draft. “He can fly and when he uses his speed and hands to get pucks to the net, there weren’t many defenders who could contain him. I see him being able to do that at the next level and as he keeps developing.”
