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Olle Lycksell Gets Chance to Prove Worth to Flyers

By Scott Cole |
Sep 24, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers center Olle Lycksell (62) and Boston Bruins defenseman Kai Wissmann (60) battle for position during the second period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 24, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers center Olle Lycksell (62) and Boston Bruins defenseman Kai Wissmann (60) battle for position during the second period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

It was bound to happen. After the Flyers loss to the Predators, the team sent Kieffer Bellows back down to Lehigh Valley again. In his place, they called up 23 year old Swedish forward Olle Lycksell.

Bellows, the former first rounder, has had his chances. With Zack MacEwen being hurt, Bellows took his place in the lineup. He scored a goal just before the Flyers went on their All-Star break. It has been his only point this season. In the last three games, he was averaging just slightly more than six minutes of ice time. He’s shown us what he has and it isn’t enough.

This is, most likely, his last chance on the team. At this point in the year, just about every team could use a cheap player to fill a roster hole. Every time he’s been waived, he goes unclaimed. That should tell you something.

In his place steps in Lycksell. Lycksell was a sixth round pick from 2017; the same pick that netted the Flyers Nolan Patrick, Morgan Frost, and Noah Cates. While Patrick is a bust and Frost is streaky, fifth rounder Cates has proven to be a valuable asset to the team. Now, Lycksell will get his chance too. So far, that hasn’t been the case, but he has played in just three games as he has been going back and forth between the Flyers and the Phantoms.

However, he has had a good season so far in Lehigh Valley. In 34 games, in his first season in North America, he has nine goals and 25 assists. His 34 points leads the team; which is amazing when you consider how much time he has missed from the Phantoms when he was on the Flyers roster.

Lycksell is 5’10”, 163 lbs, and speedy. The 23 year old has never really set the Swedish leagues afire, but in his last season for Vaxjo HC, he scored 14 goals with 20 assists in 47 games. He could be one of those guys who is a late bloomer. There are some concerns about his size, but coaches and scouts have all said he can move the puck with the best of him.

Because of his smaller stature, he is probably not the best fit for the Flyers’ physical fourth line. He may be better off on a line with someone like Frost, Travis Konecny, Kevin Hayes, Owen Tippett, James van Riemsdyk, or Joel Farabee. Regardless, let’s hope that Lycksell makes the most of his opportunity while he is up.

Who knows, this could be the beginning of a great career. But he can be yet another young Flyer, like Cam York and Wade Allison, who are getting ample time to contribute this season.

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