Leo Carlsson
| Leo Carlsson | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Carlsson in 2024 | |||
| Born |
26 December 2004 Karlstad, Sweden | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
| Weight | 194 lb (88 kg; 13 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
Anaheim Ducks Örebro HK | ||
| National team |
 Sweden | ||
| NHL draft |
2nd overall, 2023 Anaheim Ducks | ||
| Playing career | 2021–present | ||
Leif Leo Olof Carlsson[1] (born 26 December 2004) is a Swedish professional ice hockey player who is a centre and alternate captain for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted second overall by the Ducks in the 2023 NHL entry draft.[2][3]
Playing career
[edit]Carlsson originally played at the youth level with hometown team Färjestad BK before moving to fellow tenured Swedish Hockey League (SHL) team, Örebro HK, for the 2020–21 season. During the 2021–22 season, Carlsson made his professional debut in the SHL as a 17-year-old, posting three goals and six assists in 35 regular-season games.[4]
In his year of NHL entry draft eligibility, Carlsson increased his stock in playing exclusively with the senior team in the SHL showing an offensive acumen in securing a scoring line role among Örebro HK for the 2022–23 season.[5] Bob McKenzie referred to Carlsson as a "blue-chip" prospect in the 2023 NHL entry draft.[6]
On 28 June 2023, Carlsson was drafted second overall by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2023 draft.[7] He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Ducks on 12 July.[8] On 10 October, Carlsson was named to the Ducks' opening night roster for the 2023–24 season after attending the team's training camp.[9] However, he suffered an injury during practice on 6 October, and was unable to play in the Ducks' first two games of the season.[10][11] Carlsson made his NHL debut on 19 October, scoring a goal in the Ducks' 3–2 loss against the Dallas Stars.[12] On 10 November, in a 6–3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, Carlsson became the youngest player in Ducks franchise history to record a hat-trick, at 18 years and 319 days old.[13] During a game against the Boston Bruins on 22 February 2025, Carlsson tallied his 49th career point to tie Hampus Lindholm for the fourth-most points by a Ducks player before age 21.[14]
Entering the 2026 off-season as a restricted free agent, the Philadelphia Flyers submitted an offer sheet to Carlsson, offering a five-year, $90 million contract on 3 July 2026, making Carlsson the highest-paid player in the NHL with an annual value of $18 million.[15] On 9 July, Anaheim matched the offer sheet.[16]
International play
[edit]| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's ice hockey | ||
| Representing Sweden | ||
| World Championships | ||
 | 2025 Sweden/Denmark | |
Carlsson represented Sweden junior team at the 2023 World Junior Championships.[17] In May 2023, it was announced that Carlsson would play for Sweden senior team in the 2023 World Championship.[18] Carlsson was selected to play for the 2026 Swedish Olympic team, and was expected to play as their first line centre, but a Morel-Lavallée lesion (separation of skin and fat from fascia tissue) on his left thigh caused him to miss the tournament.[19]
Career statistics
[edit]Regular season and playoffs
[edit]| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2020–21 | Örebro HK | J20 | 19 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Örebro HK | J20 | 14 | 10 | 17 | 27 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | Örebro HK | SHL | 35 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Örebro HK | SHL | 44 | 10 | 15 | 25 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 4 | ||
| 2023–24 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 55 | 12 | 17 | 29 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 76 | 20 | 25 | 45 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2025–26 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 70 | 29 | 38 | 67 | 33 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 0 | ||
| SHL totals | 79 | 13 | 21 | 34 | 10 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 4 | ||||
| NHL totals | 201 | 61 | 80 | 141 | 63 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 0 | ||||
International
[edit]| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Sweden | HG18 |  |
5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2022 | Sweden | U18 |  |
2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2023 | Sweden | WJC | 4th | 7 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2023 | Sweden | WC | 6th | 8 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2025 | Sweden | 4NF | 3rd | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2025 | Sweden | WC | 6th | 10 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 14 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 2 | ||||
| Senior totals | 10 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 2 | ||||
References
[edit]- ↑ Anaheim Ducks [@anaheimducks]; (5 November 2025). "How would you react if someone called you by your full government name?". Retrieved 6 November 2025 – via Instagram.
- ↑ Kerney, Caleb (13 November 2022). "2023 Draft Eligible Leo Carlsson Is NHL Ready". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
- ↑ Morreale, Mike. "Dvorsky could be latest from Slovakia taken in first round of NHL Draft". NHL. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ↑ Pope, Ben (26 December 2022). "Leo Carlsson emerging as fourth elite option for Blackhawks in 2023 NHL draft". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ↑ Ellis, Eteven. "NHL Draft Prospect Roundup: Is Matvei Michkov the true No. 2 talent in the class?". Daily Faceoff. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- ↑ McKenzie, Bob (23 January 2023). "'It's Bedard at No. 1 and a wide chasm to everyone else'". TSN. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
- ↑ Elliott, Helene (28 June 2013). "Column: Ducks surprise by picking Leo Carlsson in NHL draft, but choice makes sense". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
- ↑ "Ducks Sign Carlsson to Three-Year Entry-Level Contract". Anaheim Ducks. 12 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
- ↑ "Ducks Announce 2023-24 Season Opening Roster". NHL.com. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
- ↑ Stanovich, Austin (12 October 2023). "Ducks Carlsson Expected Back After Opening Weekend". The Hockey News. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
- ↑ "NHL Buzz: Carlsson set to make debut for Ducks". NHL.com. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ↑ "Ducks loss highlighted by Leo Carlsson goal in debut". ESPN.com. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- ↑ Greenspan, Dan (10 November 2023). "Carlsson gets 1st NHL hat trick in Ducks loss to Flyers". NHL.com. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
- ↑ "#NHLStats: Live Updates; 2/22/25". National Hockey League. 22 February 2025. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
- ↑ "Flyers Tender Offer Sheet to Anaheim's Leo Carlsson". NHL.com. 3 July 2026. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
- ↑ "Ducks match Carlsson offer sheet from Flyers, take on record $18M cap hit". TSN.ca. 9 July 2026. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
- ↑ "Sveriges trupp till JVM 2023". NHL.com (in Swedish). 7 December 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
- ↑ "Tre Kronor spelar VM i Finland & Lettland, 12–28 maj" (in Swedish). Svenska Ishockeyförbundet. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
- ↑ "Carlsson Out 3-5 Weeks with Thigh Injury". NHL.com. 17 January 2026. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
External links
[edit]- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or ESPN.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database