Anaheim Ducks Select Leo Carlsson Second Overall In First Round Of 2023 NHL Draft
Jun 28, 2023The Anaheim Ducks announced today that the National Hockey League (NHL) club selected center Leo Carlsson second overall in the 2023 NHL Draft. The draft resumes tomorrow (June 29) beginning at 8 a.m. PT (NHL Network, ESPN+).
“Leo has tremendous hockey IQ with the potential to dominate at both ends of the ice,” said Ducks General Manager Pat Verbeek. “His size, creativity, strength and skill was evident when we watched him play in Sweden against professionals. With our long-term plan to build a perennial contender, we believe he projects incredibly well for what we are building. We are thrilled to add him to our stable of elite prospects.”
Carlsson, 18 (12/26/04), was named the Swedish Junior Hockey Player of the Year, recording the most points and assists by a junior player in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) with Orebro, recording 10-15=25 points in 44 games as an 18-year-old.
His 25 points were the fifth-most all-time by a draft-eligible player in the SHL, trailing only Daniel Sedin (42 points in 1998-99), Henrik Sedin (34 points in 1998-99), Elias Lindholm (30 points in 2012-13) and Nicklas Backstrom (26 points in 2005-06). Carlsson led SHL players 20 and under in points per game (.57) and ranked second in goals, and third in points and assists.
The 6-2, 194-pound forward also tallied 1-8=9 points with a +8 rating in 13 SHL Playoff games, helping Orebro advance to the semifinals. He led Orebro in postseason assists and ranked second in scoring. Among all SHL Playoff leaders after the semifinals, he ranked tied for second in assists, third in plus/minus and tied for fifth in points. His eight playoff assists tied him for the most all-time by a draft eligible player in the SHL (also Daniel and Henrik Sedin), while his nine points trailed only Daniel Sedin (12) and Henrik Sedin (10).
As a 17-year-old, Carlsson recorded 3-6=9 points in 35 SHL games with Orebro in 2021-22. In 79 career SHL games with Orebro, he recorded 13-21=34 points. In 2021-22, he co-led the Swedish junior league (J20 Nationell league) in points per game (1.93) after scoring 10-17=27 points with a +15 rating in 14 contests, while also helping Orebro’s junior club to a bronze medal in the postseason, leading all postseason players in points per game (2.00) with 1-7=8 points in four contests.
A native of Karlstad, Sweden, Carlsson has represented his country at numerous international tournaments, including the 2023 World Championship (2-3=5 points with a +5 rating in eight games) where he was the youngest-ever player to score a goal for Sweden on May 14 vs. Austria (18 years, 138 days) and the youngest Swede to appear at the tournament May 12 vs. Germany (18 years, 136 days). Carlsson scored 3-3=6 points with a +4 rating for Sweden at the 2023 World Junior Championship, ranking third among Sweden skaters in points and goals as one of two underage forwards. He helped Sweden to a gold medal at the 2022 U-18 World Championship (scored 2-1=3 points in two games) and also earned bronze for his country at the 2021 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
His father, Kenneth, was a defenseman who played professional hockey in Sweden from 1995-04.