The Boston Bruins had their eye on Fabian Lysell for quite a while.
The COVID-19 pandemic threw everything into a loop. Every team faced unique challenges scouting future National Hockey League players from all over the globe.
Don Sweeney had a luxury in his scouting department, specifically in Sweden. The eighth-year Bruins GM had a reliable scout in former teammate P.J. Axelsson and a couple of other scouts cornering Lysell for the better part of two years. The playmaking winger from Lulea of the Swedish Hockey League found himself ranked ninth in the NHL’s final central scouting rankings among European skaters.