Pat Verbeek gives his thoughts on the first round pick!
Pat Verbeek gives his thoughts on the first round pick!
The Ducks certainly made the first curveball of the 2023 NHL Draft when they selected center Leo Carlsson with the second overall pick instead of Adam Fantilli. However, it had been building throughout the day that Anaheim was leaning towards Carlsson with their selection.
He bring great size at the center position and he also has experience playing against grown men unlike Fantilli. Carlsson played in the Swedish Hockey League, which is considered the second best league in the world.
General Manager Pat Verbeek spoke about the decision to take Carlsson and about how he saw Carlsson being effective on both sides of the ice.
-“Seeing him play center at the world championships, playing on the No. 1 line for his country and seeing him play a 200-foot game, I think that was a big thing for us, not only having potential to dominate in the offensive zone but also be able to dominate in the defensive zone.”
Obviously this factored into the decision to take Carlsson. The Ducks likely favored the experience of the 18-year-old and saw his potential fit with the other young players on the roster.
Carlsson gave his thoughts about being drafted by Anaheim and how he is ready to get going.
-“I’m super-excited to join the Anaheim Ducks and super-excited for my future as well,” said Carlsson, who is scheduled to participate in the Ducks’ development camp next month."
It remains to be seen if Carlsson will be with the team once camp starts as they may have him stay with the Swedish team to continue developing but one thing is for sure, this was a home run pick. Carlsson has incredible upside and should provide the Ducks with a top frontline center for years to come.