PHOTO: Bildbyrån + TT Nyhetsbyrån
Many raised their eyebrows when Leo Carlsson was selected as number two in the NHL draft.
Now the big question is whether there will be games in the SHL or the NHL next season.
For Radiosport’s hockey expert Per Svartvadet, that answer is a given.
The advance hints pointed out Leo Carlson as the third best in the NHL draft. But it was to be much better than that when the Swedish super talent was chosen as runner-up, only beaten by the highly sought-after prodigy Connor Bedard.
Second in the NHL draft
A big day for Swedish hockey with Carlsson second and as many as six Swedes selected in the first round of the NHL draft. But now the big question is what the 18-year-old will do for next season – continue playing in Örebro and the SHL or take the big step to North America and try to break into the NHL already this fall.
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It has gone very quickly for Leo Carlsson, who played his first full season in the SHL recently. Then the young forward delivered 25 points in 44 games and it gave him a Tre Kronor debut which then led to a big breakthrough during the spring hockey World Cup.
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Carlsson in the NHL
Now gives Radiosport’s hockey expert Per Svartvadet his honest verdict on the great talent’s future and where he should play next season.
– Of course, it is clear that he could go in and do reasonably well in Anaheim. They’re a bad team, but I think he’d be better off staying in Örebro and leading a first team there. And really take the next step, he says to the radio channel.
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Svartvadet is convinced that the best thing for Leo Carlsson would be to continue one more season in the SHL before he moves to North America.
– I definitely think so. I think Örebro thinks it’s good, Anaheim thinks it’s good and, above all, Leo Carlsson would feel great about it. We in Swedish hockey would also see a young player dominate, he says in his analysis.
READ MORE: The great tributes to Leo Carlsson in North America – point out the strong detail after the draft success
The 18-year-old has all the conditions to become a future great player in the NHL. With the right development in the coming years, it could be really good for Leo Carlsson as the new Swedish NHL star.
– He is quite complete as a player where he is right now and at the age he is. Then you need to be able to play important matches, take important pictures, build more muscles, get stronger on the puck and get a better shot, but that will come with time, says Per Svartvadet to the radio channel.
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