Player Discussion Leo Carlsson

[Hoooch]

Pretty cool that Getz was in the suite to meet/congratulate him when he greets his family after the media whirlwind (Ducks insta story)

 

[Terry Yake]

i really hope verbeek's plan isn't to tank another season. that shit was terrible

 

[Beckett]

i really hope verbeek's plan isn't to tank another season. that shit was terrible

I think we’re getting greedy for Celebrini

 

[TheGoodShepard1]

i really hope verbeek's plan isn't to tank another season. that shit was terrible

Even if they're bad, I still refuse to believe they can be any worse than last year where they simply were not NHL-caliber for long stretches. That should be a one-off of historically terrible incompetence.

 

[Terry Yake]

Even if they're bad, I still refuse to believe they can be any worse than last year where they simply were not NHL-caliber for long stretches. That should be a one-off of historically terrible incompetence.

i wouldn't say they weren't NHL caliber. they were in most of the games they lost until the very end, so it's not like they were getting their asses kicked every night. that's why rooting for losses was so goddamn frustrating

 

[CrazyDuck4u]

i really hope verbeek's plan isn't to tank another season. that shit was terrible

Not happening. He knows he's gotta start putting competitive teams on the ice. I expect some fa signings and a Gibson trade.

 

[CrazyDuck4u]

The way he skates the puck up the ice gives me Backstrom vibes. He’s able to stickhandle in a phone booth

He's a mix of kopitar and backstrom

 

[Trojans86]

Do you think we see Zegras-Carlsson or Zegras McT? I was pretty set on Zegras-Fantilli.

Zegras - Carlsson would be so elite in transition. They’re both so good at the quick short passes.

 

[NotProkofievian]

I love when my next guy is Madden's next guy. Carlsson is definitely worth the pain of a shitty season, IMO, enjoy him ducks fans.

 

[Trojans86]

What I really like about him is how well he sees the flow of the game. When he has the puck he can accurately predict how to move his feet to manipulate the defense and create passing lanes. A guy that fully understands where everyone is at but can also think two steps ahead to create space and passing lanes for his line mates, making him a very very easy player to play with. In a lot of ways that is the opposite of Fantilli. Fantilli is definitely not seeing that but can usually use his speed to create chances rather than using has brain to create angles and space.

 

[Torspo21]

Great player you got. I marvelled his skills in the World Championships and was very impressed. Also, is it just me, or does he look like a young Teemu Selänne? Lazy eyes etc.?

 

[Anaheim4ever]

He's a mix of kopitar and backstrom

Maybe more like Kopitar than Backstrom because Backstrom always got to pass pucks to Ovi who can turn any pass into a goal with his insane shot.

 

[Masch78]

Reading through this thread is so funny. You get a player that can be great but you need to pass another player that can be great and people get mad about it.

What I see is we got a player that has advantages in fields that can not be teached. IQ and smartness is nothing you can learn. On the other hand Fantilli leads in areas where Carlsson can improve. Filling out will happen with time, become a faster skater will come. Sure, I fully expect Fantilli being the better skater during the career but the question is how much.

To be honest, the way Fantilli plays I do even think Leonard plays it the superior way (and I think Washington got a real steal here). In terms of body development, Fantilli is close to be finished while Carlsson is still in the progress. And I think that needs to be in consideration as well. Leo played in maybe the 2nd best mens league in the world (eventually 3rd after the KHL). And he did great there. Fantilli played in a league that is suited for players that need time to progress.

So or so, we knew we will get one a great player at #2 and we got. And even if Fantilli turns out better overall, it does not matter if Leo turns out well too. Both players don't seem to be high risk picks.

 

[Rasp]

Pat wanted control.

Wow thats huge. Columbus would have known who we were leaning towards since lots of info was pointing towards Carlsson and Verbeek said no. Could also be that they wanted to stop us trading and another team taking Fantilli at 2.

 

[KaseMeOutside]

I don't care where he plays but he needs to be playing center if he's not it's wasted development time

Reading through this thread is so funny. You get a player that can be great but you need to pass another player that can be great and people get mad about it.

What I see is we got a player that has advantages in fields that can not be teached. IQ and smartness is nothing you can learn. On the other hand Fantilli leads in areas where Carlsson can improve. Filling out will happen with time, become a faster skater will come. Sure, I fully expect Fantilli being the better skater during the career but the question is how much.

To be honest, the way Fantilli plays I do even think Leonard plays it the superior way (and I think Washington got a real steal here). In terms of body development, Fantilli is close to be finished while Carlsson is still in the progress. And I think that needs to be in consideration as well. Leo played in maybe the 2nd best mens league in the world (eventually 3rd after the KHL). And he did great there. Fantilli played in a league that is suited for players that need time to progress.

So or so, we knew we will get one a great player at #2 and we got. And even if Fantilli turns out better overall, it does not matter if Leo turns out well too. Both players don't seem to be high risk picks.

Fantilli has an athletic profile that can't be taught. I wouldn't assume he's done filling out either and in a league that has so few true power forwards that can be first line players it's hard for me to see this team pass that up. This organization is completely lacking an identity and this was another sign physicality and toughness is not valued by the GM

 

[Kalv]

Before the WC, I think both were on the same tier except excelled at different things. Fantilli played center all year long at Michigan. Although, Fantilli looked out of place at the WJC-20 and WC. Carlsson has looked great at wing in the SHL for the past two seasons and center with the junior int'l team.

Anaheim's done their homework, but it's difficult to judge both in different venues. The WC is a venue they're both playing in as teenagers.

For the WC, the only unknown is Carlsson playing center with men. The fact Carlsson didn't look out of place as Sweden's 1C and was productive as a 1C was a huge takeaway that Carlsson can stay at center, apparently. Doing it as an 18-year old adds to Carlsson's feather.

Verbeek was sold even more to see the difference at WC.

For me, the WC also revealed Fantilli's flaw against tougher competition once again, which I've shared the many events since the WJC-18. It did show me that he's probably better suited for wing. Fantilli would still be a good fit, but the org went with the more sure thing at center. Then again, I've often cited I preferred Carlsson. Maybe the org felt the same way and the WC solidified it?

Great point by seeing Carlsson playing center there.

----

Also, this guy was high on Carlsson and he pointed out the differences between his and Fantilli's game: NHL Draft Ranking 2023, by Simon St-L.

 

[GermanRocket7]

Even after the first anger and disappointment has vanished I still don't really understand why exactly we passed up on Fantilli.

Again, as I pointed out beforehand, Carlsson is far from a bad player. He also comes across as a humble and likable person. But he is not the player that will get fans into the arena, which is what the Ducks are in desperate need of. Fantilli electrifies the masses and does that, all the while being at least as good as, if not superior to, Carlsson.

I understand the reasoning of saying that Carlsson is the higher IQ player and that this cannot be taught. However, his footwork in my eyes is so sub-par to that of Fantilli that it comes across as almost comical. Having to play on a much narrower surface in NA might further hamper him in his play than some might want to admit, because his hands alone can not and will not save him from having to improve on his skating significantly.

Furthermore I don't think I saw a player that goes to the dirty areas in any of the clips on him I watched, which were quite a few. This also is something you cannot teach, because it has something to do with the mindset of the player. We now have only MacTavish as a player who at least sometimes does that, but we are still extremely hurting by lacking grit, toughness, and aggressiveness.

What good is it to have a player that plays like Getzlaf without his mean streak and physicality? I can only hope that Carlsson's trajectory in the next 2-3 years is akin to another big bodied European Center, who was slow and not physical beforehand: Leon Draisaitl. I would very much like to be proven wrong on my take and having to eat crow, but so far I just don't sense anything overly optimistic about Carlsson when Fantilli was right there for the taking.

 

[Trojans86]

Even after the first anger and disappointment has vanished I still don't really understand why exactly we passed up on Fantilli.

Again, as I pointed out beforehand, Carlsson is far from a bad player. He also comes across as a humble and likable person. But he is not the player that will get fans into the arena, which is what the Ducks are in desperate need of. Fantilli electrifies the masses and does that, all the while being at least as good as, if not superior to, Carlsson.

I understand the reasoning of saying that Carlsson is the higher IQ player and that this cannot be taught. However, his footwork in my eyes is so sub-par to that of Fantilli that it comes across as almost comical. Having to play on a much narrower surface in NA might further hamper him in his play than some might want to admit, because his hands alone can not and will not save him from having to improve on his skating significantly.

Furthermore I don't think I saw a player that goes to the dirty areas in any of the clips on him I watched, which were quite a few. This also is something you cannot teach, because it has something to do with the mindset of the player. We now have only MacTavish as a player who at least sometimes does that, but we are still extremely hurting by lacking grit, toughness, and aggressiveness.

What good is it to have a player that plays like Getzlaf without his mean streak and physicality? I can only hope that Carlsson's trajectory in the next 2-3 years is akin to another big bodied European Center, who was slow and not physical beforehand: Leon Draisaitl. I would very much like to be proven wrong on my take and having to eat crow, but so far I just don't sense anything overly optimistic about Carlsson when Fantilli was right there for the taking.

If you want an in depth analysis for why some like Carlsson, just check the link above.

And as for getting people into seats, that comes down to winning games. Byfield isn’t putting anyone in seats in LA.

 

[Kalv]

...

Furthermore I don't think I saw a player that goes to the dirty areas in any of the clips on him I watched, which were quite a few. This also is something you cannot teach, because it has something to do with the mindset of the player. We now have only MacTavish as a player who at least sometimes does that, but we are still extremely hurting by lacking grit, toughness, and aggressiveness.

....

The guy from the article I posted just before your post, who seems to have watched Carlsson quite a bit, had this to say:

I haven't seen that comparison earlier, but wouldn't Carlsson be similar to Mark Stone? But with a better skating and a natural center.

 

[HanSolo]

Furthermore I don't think I saw a player that goes to the dirty areas in any of the clips on him I watched, which were quite a few. This also is something you cannot teach, because it has something to do with the mindset of the player.

That didn't stop Terry from being more willing to at least cut through traffic and physical pressure once he filled out into his frame, why should it stop Leo?

I mean don't get me wrong, just before I saw your post I was just thinking how even with calming down and accepting our pick I'm still bummed about skipping such a high speed, high energy, high physicality skilled player in Fantilli, but this part of your post struck me as odd. I get what you're saying that he doesn't have Getzy's mean streak but let's be real? How many players do? Getzlaf was notable for that and labeled as a prototypical first line power forward playmaking center because the way he played was so rare and I can't think of too many Getzlafesque players that have come in since.

You're right, things like going to dirty areas and throwing the body come from the individual as a willingness thing but we have no idea what kind of tendencies Leo will pick up after he grows into his tall frame.

 

[Kariya 9]

So you're telling me that Carlsson has the higher floor.

Fantilli had 3 points (1g, 2a) at the WC in 10 games. Adam had 23 SOGs and Shot % of 4.35% for 0:47 ATOI/shift. Carlsson had 5 points (3g, 2a) in 8 WC games. Leo had 12 SOGs and Shot % of 25.0% for 0:49 ATOI/shift. I thought Fantilli was supposed to be the high octane offensive player? Does hyping his lone goal in the tourney absolve his 4.35% shooting %?

This wasn't the only venue Fantilli's high octane offense struggled, unfortunately.

That’s an incredibly small sample size. The only thing that shows is that Carlsson was shooting hot during the tournament. Neither of those shooting percentages are sustainable. This is coming from someone who is a big fan of the pick, by the way.

 

[Kalv]

Dude is huge. As it's noted he is not yet filled out but look at those shoulders even now. The jersey on him looks like he's with the shoulder pads, lol. Look how he shakes hands of our staff haha.
That article I shared recently said that he recently grew 6 inches during a summer. It's insane. I'd loved Fantilli as well but I'm very much happy having Leo Carlsson in our system. Carlsson and McTavish, we have some real nice young centermen with some size down the middle that like to play there. Add speedy Lundestrom and gritty Gaucher/Groulx in the bottom 6 and that's some nice depth.

Since he's not yet filled out and he's super smart, it will be important how we help him develop from here. I have confidence he will be just fine, the potential is huge.

 

[forever1922]

He's smart, has some skating issues, but he's defensively responsible and I imagine very coachable as evidenced simply by his SHL and WC roles.

The things he is lacking is that mean streak. He could develop some, which would probably benefit him in the NHL just so he doesn't get picked on as easily. I think he is capable of it.

Another thing I find is that he does need to be more of a shooting threat if he wants to play PP on the Ducks.

He also kind of looks weak at times despite his size. He should really focus on getting stronger. I think even playing center in SHL requires it.

 

[EverybodylovesSbisa]

Great player you got. I marvelled his skills in the World Championships and was very impressed. Also, is it just me, or does he look like a young Teemu Selänne? Lazy eyes etc.?

Seen him on WC i was sold he has the higher upside than Fantili and i also had the same thought when he went to the interview after been drafted. (lazy eyes)
Im excited to have him on our team, now if we can develop and sign some scoring wingers im way more optimistic for this season.

 

[Leonardo87]

I was coping with Fantilli due to that fact we lost out on Bedard, and everyone was feeding into my head, he will be the 2ndOA consensus. With that said, he was ok in the WC, not great. After watching Carlsson I became pretty torn, all of a sudden more people were moving onto the Carlsson side. I thought he had an excellent WC.

I just feel people side with Fantilli because of his accomplishments like winning gold, and the Hobey Baker, which don’t get me wrong are great accomplishments but when you look at the players closer, Carlsson is the better offensive potential with the highest ceiling but also has the highest floor as well because of his high IQ, and skill. That is something you cannot teach. Skating can be adjusted , and with his size, puts on some muscle can easily add some physicality to his game.

With that said, People think being physical is hitting everyone in an opposing sweater hard. No it’s also going to the dirty areas, being a puck hound on the boards, stealing the puck, and protecting it. Carlsson does all that very well. As per compete and drive? He has that higher compete level.