On June 24, 2017, NHL front offices and draft prospects flooded back into the United Center in Chicago for the second day of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. Meanwhile, seven hours ahead in Oskarshamn, Sweden, Olle Lycksell had other things on his mind.
Six years later, Lycksell has not yet made a name for himself in the NHL, bouncing back and forth between the Flyers and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. But in his first year of North American hockey, he’s shown enough that the people who took a chance on him are pleasantly surprised.Lycksell was very raw the first time Flyers Director of European Scouting Joakim Grundberg saw him. While many hockey prospects have trainers and personal coaches, Lycksell was mostly self-taught.
As teenagers, fellow Flyers prospect Adam Ginning and Samuel Ersson didn’t notice Lycksell’s size but rather focused on his poise and confidence. And as Lycksell moved into the older half of the age group, his size became less noticeable. Ultimately, Grundberg decided to back him.Putting on the pounds
However, most of the Flyers staff wasn’t there to witness it. When the pandemic hit, the Flyers scouts and front office members based in North America could no longer go watch their European prospects in person. Lycksell also crushed rookie camp, which wasn’t a surprise to the front office since he was one of the older players and had professional hockey experience. But coach John Tortorella’s notorious training camp was up next.Tortorella and the rest of the staff started throwing Lycksell around the lineup to see how he responded. It was hard to create any sort of chemistry, but Lycksell didn’t mind as he observed each of his line mates and tried to absorb parts of their game.