This Swede’s a different breed.
Prospect Leo Carlsson is on a scoring streak in Sweden, encouraging conversations from multiple teams about where he is expected to go on draft day.
Playing as a forward for Örebro HK in Sweden, Carlsson is up to 21 points (8 G, 13 A) in 38 games. Notably, he’s scored three goals in the last five games, for a total of six goals in the last ten games. In other words, he’s been on fire during this latter half of the season.
The Swedish left-winger/center is known for his size (6’3), reach, and hands. Carlsson’s current coach, Niklas Eriksson, compares him with Anze Kopitar. Carlsson also says that a lot of his recent improvements have came from mentorship from current teammate Mathias Brome, a 28-year-old forward who played 26 NHL games with the Detroit Red Wings in the 2021 season.
Here’s what Eriksson said about that mentorship for Carlsson from Brome:
“I’ve also seen Mathias be a big influence on Leo. He (Brome) has experience as a national team player, in the Olympics, world championships and in the NHL. If you want to be a pro, it’s good to have someone who tells you exactly what you need to do to be successful.”
Check out what Eriksson might be saying below:
Leo Carlsson #91 in red shows off his incredible control to evade pressure, followed by using his vision to showcase his elite playmaking. The last few clips are examples that highlight his poised puck control in combination with deception to pick apart defenders.#2023NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/9mrKjnnLh8
— Chase Rochon (@chaserochon18) February 18, 2023
And a recent assist, here:
Elias Pettersson (D-Petey) with an assist in the SHL today.
He fires a shot from the point that is tipped in by Leo Carlsson.#CanucksProspect pic.twitter.com/RJLiF0lfiL
— Faber (@ChrisFaber39) February 18, 2023
Carlsson is still pretty consistently ranking at No. 3 among draft prospects, following Connor Bedard and Adam Fantilli. Sometimes he exchanges places with Russian forward Matvei Michkov, but Michkov did sign a contact with SKA Saint Petersburg which will keep him playing in Russia through the 2025-2026 season.
However, with this recent stretch of games, Carlsson may be able to cement his third-place ranking.
Here’s a goal against Timrå on Feb. 15:
Another, against Linköping on Feb. 17:
Two more games this week for Leo Carlsson in the SHL and goals in both. With his 36th game, he cracked a career high in GP, and with another minor he did the same for PIM with 6 on the season. He’s a +1 in each of his last 4 games, his longest plus streak in his SHL career.
— Leo Carlsson News (@LeoCarlssonNews) February 19, 2023
And most recently, a goal against Malmö on Feb. 20. This goal put his season point total at 21, tied for the most among all U20 SHL skaters:
With another goal in a loss against Malmö, #2023NHLDraft prospect Leo Carlsson of Örebro Hockey extends his goal scoring streak to 3 games. This is his longest such streak in the SHL, bringing his season goal total to 8.
— Leo Carlsson News (@LeoCarlssonNews) February 22, 2023
Carlsson has one more game this week against HV71, so we’ll see if he can keep his point streak going. Looking ahead, though, the most important date for Carlsson will likely remain June 28: the first day of the 2023 NHL Draft.