The Bruins' prospect pool is getting at least a little better. First-round pick Fabian Lysell adds some much-needed high-end skill to the group, while Jeremy Swayman and 2020 second-round pick Mason Lohrei have both seen their stocks rise over the last year.
A couple recent rankings of NHL prospects reflect this improvement. The Athletic's Scott Wheeler released his top 50 skater prospects and top 10 goalie prospects (subscription required) this week, and Lysell and Swayman both make appearances.
Lysell is the lone Bruins skater in Wheeler's top 50, coming in at No. 43. While that may not sound too impressive, it's worth noting that a year ago the Bruins did not have any skaters in Wheeler's top 50. Swayman, meanwhile, moves up from Wheeler's No. 10 goalie prospect last year to No. 6 this year.
"If Lysell can figure out how to use his special (it's not an exaggeration to call it that) skill-skating combo a little more effectively shift-to-shift, instead of just flashing it in spurts, his ceiling is just flat out higher than the rest of the prospects I considered at this point in the ranking," Wheeler writes.
On Swayman, he writes in part: "He relies on perfect positioning that doesn't wander to fill the net … There's just a maturity to his game that doesn't really leave me questioning his upside. He almost never gets cleanly beat."
DobberHockey.com also recently released their ranking of all 32 NHL teams' prospect pools, and they have the Bruins at 26. While that again will not blow anyone away, they note that Boston is "on its way up the standings."
Last year, the site viewed Jack Studnicka as the Bruins' only serious NHL prospect. Now they have Lysell, Swayman and Lohrei all ahead of Studnicka. On Lohrei, they call the defenseman "another breakout name from this season, as he put up 59 points in 48 games at the USHL level."
Swayman is expected to graduate from prospect status this season, as he will begin the year in a platoon with free-agent signing Linus Ullmark in Boston's net. If Swayman plays anything like he did in 10 games last year (when he went 7-3-0 with a .945 save percentage), he should have no problem sticking around. It's possible he may end up needing more time in the AHL if he struggles, though.
Lysell, the 21st overall pick last month, signed his entry-level contract with the Bruins last week, meaning he will play in North America this season rather than spend another year in Sweden. While it's unlikely he sees time in the NHL yet -- at least not right off the bat -- he could spend the year in Providence. The Bruins could also have him play in the Western Hockey League, where the Vancouver Giants own his junior rights.
Lohrei will be a freshman at Ohio State University, which should be a nice bump in competition level over the USHL. Considered a reach by many at the time he was drafted, Lohrei looks like anything but just one year later. He was the USHL's Defenseman of the Year this past season after leading all D in scoring, and his combination of that offensive acumen with his size (6-foot-4) and mobility give him all the tools teams are looking for in a modern defenseman.
No one is going to confuse the Bruins' prospect pool for one of the NHL's best any time soon, but things are at least looking better year-over-year, thanks in large part to Lysell, Swayman and Lohrei. If Studnicka (in the AHL or NHL) and 2019 first-round pick Johnny Beecher (at the University of Michigan) can bounce back after tough seasons, the outlook could get even brighter.
