Watch out, everyone: Ducks’ Leo Carlsson has arrived
This article originally appeared on hockeysverige.se and has been translated from Swedish to English.
It has been a fall to remember for Leo Carlsson.
The big breakthrough has now arrived in Carlsson’s third season. The 20-year-old has been dominant for the Anaheim Ducks and is tracking for over 90 points.
“You work very hard in the summers — everyone else does too,” Carlsson said about what contributed to his early performance. “But I also think I got new energy this year with new coaches. At the same time, the team has gotten much, much better. That helps me in my game as well.
“It’s a lot more fun hockey for me, I think, and I get to do a bit more of what I want. I’m also playing a lot more because I’m on the penalty kill and stuff too — then you don’t have to sit on the bench as long. There are a lot of things that play into it, I’d say.”
For Carlsson, the challenge now is to maintain his form and produce over time.
“It’s going to be hard to keep this up all season,” he said. “That was also my goal going into the season — that I would be more consistent. That’s my goal now too, just to keep doing what I’ve been doing and not dip too much,” he said.
The No. 2 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft says he doesn’t actively follow where he stands in the scoring race, but he’s still aware of it. He’s motivated to keep his name up as high as possible.
“It would be fun to stay up there. But it’s not something I check after every game or anything,” Carlsson said. “It’s more like — I’m on my phone a little too much, and then you see everything automatically on Instagram without having to look it up. So I can see what it looks like, but it’s not like I go in and check five minutes after a game. And of course you see it on TV a lot too, but it’s not something I pay too much attention to.”
Carlsson is heating up at the right time: his entry-level contract will be up this summer. So far, negotiations have been quiet. But given his strong start to the season, he has put himself in a very good bargaining position. Earlier reports said Carlsson and Anaheim have had only “loose talks,” and that both sides are prepared to wait on negotiations.
“I think I’ve done a good job not thinking about it,” Carlsson said. “And since things have been going well, it’s also easier not to think about it. I’m happy with myself that I haven’t focused on it much. It’s something my agent hasn’t really talked that much with me about yet — it’s something we’ll have to wait a bit on, I think. There’s so much business over here, it’s completely crazy. I don’t really keep up with what’s happening. It’s something you just have to wait with, I think.”
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