Colorado Avalanche Top 25 Under 25: #10 Fabian Lysell

The Top 25 Under 25 is a collaboration by Mile High Hockey staff members. Seven writers have ranked players under the age of 25 in the Colorado Avalanche organization as of September 1, 2026. Now, we’ll count down each of the 25 players ranked.

Name: Fabian Lysell

Age: 23

Position: Right Wing

Height: 5’11”

Weight: 185 lbs

Likely 2026-27 Team: Colorado Eagles (AHL)

2025 Rank: n/a

Final Rank: #10

High Rank: #4 (Ezra)

Low Rank: #21 (Jess)

2025-26 Statistics:

Providence Bruins (AHL) – 57 GP: 17G/25A/42PTS, 51 PIM +13 (Regular Season)

Providence Bruins (AHL) – 1 GP: 0G/0A/0PTS, 2 PIM +/- 0 (Postseason)

The acquisition of right wing Fabian Lysell by the Avalanche earlier this summer raised some eyebrows. The twenty-three year old right wing was acquired on June 27th in exchange for Ivan Ivan, and signed a one-year, two-way contract on July 13th worth $850K in the NHL and $190K at the minor league level. Oddly enough, this is the exact same contract Ivan signed in Boston.

Originally a first-round selection at 21st overall by the Boston Bruins, Lysell set career highs in games played (57) and goals (17) with the Providence Bruins this past season, good for fifth in goal scoring on the team. Providence finished with the best record in the AHL this past season (sound familiar?), earning a first-round bye. Lysell, however, was scratched for the first three divisional playoff games against the Springfield Thunderbirds as he was recovering from a concussion. He was inserted into the lineup for Game Four, which Providence lost by a 1-0 decision in overtime and ended their Calder Cup playoff run.

Lysell did get a taste of action at the NHL level during the 2024-2025 season. He played twelve (12) games with Boston, and scored his first NHL goal on April 13, 2025; his goal stood as the game-winner in Boston’s 4-1 victory over Pittsburgh. Lysell had an assist in consecutive games against New Jersey (one on April 08 and another on April 15, respectively) before being sent back to Providence.

Lysell leaves Providence ranked eighth all-time in points (163), which shows he is more than capable at producing at the AHL level. However, comments from Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney seemed to indicate that the Bruins felt Lysell may not have displayed the consistency that merited a long-term call-up throughout his tenure with the organization.

Sweeney’s words may concern Avs fans a bit, given head coach Jared Bednar’s long-standing emphasis on attention to detail and consistency. Lysell will have to work extra hard to shed this label and set himself apart from other would-be options within Bednar’s bottom six this year. He might get a bit of a longer leash as he adapts to the Avs systems, but unless he can demonstrate consistent effort and “playing the right way” during limited ice time, he may be AHL bound for the season, save for a possible call-up in the event of injuries.

Another layer of intrigue is the transactional cost of trading Ivan in acquiring Lysell. The undrafted Ivan defied the odds in the 2024-2025 season, scoring five (5) goals and three (3) assists for eight (8) points in forty (40) games with the Avs before being sent down to Loveland. Last season, a much healthier NHL lineup limited Ivan to nine (9) regular season appearances, where he recorded one (1) assist. However, Ivan posted respectable numbers with the Eagles last year, where he scored eleven (11) goals and fifteen (15) assists for twenty-six (26) points across sixty-six (66) regular season games. Ivan also scored three (3) goals and twelve (12) assists for fifteen (15) points across twelve (12) playoff games during the Eagles’ playoff run. Lysell had better regular season numbers, but replacing Ivan’s playoff numbers may present a formidable challenge.

As Lysell begins his Colorado tenure, he will have to show consistency game in and game out to be on Bednar’s radar for a call-up, and even then, he’ll have to be borderline flawless in whatever ice time he may have to make a positive impression. If the former first-round pick can’t crack the Avs bottom six, but can translate some of his regular season offense into postseason production in Loveland, both he and the Eagles will benefit.

Most of us here on staff ranked Lysell between 10-14 in our rankings, with a few outliers: Ezra was the most optimistic, ranking him at 4, while Jess had him at 21. As I mentioned in my write-up on Domenick Fensore awhile back, Lysell will contribute in Loveland, but serving in an NHL-level capacity just may be out of reach.

Let us know what you think of this prospect in the comments!