The NHL's Calder Trophy finalists were announced and although his name wasn't among them, Leo Carlsson's impact in his rookie year was seismic and his potential is astronomical.

Thursday morning, the PHWA announced their three finalists for the Calder Memorial Trophy, awarded to the player in the NHL who is "selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition." 

The finalists were Connor Bedard from the Chicago Blackhawks, Brock Faber from the Minnesota Wild, and Luke Hughes from the New Jersey Devils. Noticeably and unsurprisingly absent was Anaheim Ducks star rookie center, Leo Carlsson.

To the surprise of some, Carlsson was drafted with the second overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. After impressing the coaching staff and management in development camp, rookie camp, and training camp, it was decided Carlsson would play the entirety of the 2023-24 season with the Ducks in Anaheim.

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Pat Verbeek decided to take a unique path in managing Carlsson's workload early in his rookie season. For the first few months of the season, Carlsson was set to only play two games per week. He was tasked with improving his strength and conditioning when he wasn't playing so he could end the season as strong or stronger than he started it. 

Several young rookies in the NHL either hit a wall halfway through their first season in the league or are given limited roles. 82 games is 30-40% more games than most rookies are used to playing in a six month span. 

"Overall, I'd do it again," Pat Verbeek said of the plan he put in place for Carlsson's development in his rookie season. "If there's another player (who's) in a similar circumstance, I'm going to do the same thing. I think it helps those players adjust at a moderate pace. They get to watch some games, sit up top (in the press box), and learn what it looks like so they're more prepared."

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Though he's happy with the results of the plan put in place, injuries occurred that may have hindered the full benefits of what management was attempting to accomplish.

Carlsson started the year by missing the first two games of the season after crashing into the boards in a preseason practice and injuring his hip. He would later miss four and a half weeks after sustaining a lower-body injury in late December and miss another two and a half weeks in March with a concussion. 

Leo Carlsson wrapped up his rookie season with 12 goals and 17 assists in 55 games, and though those numbers seem modest, his impact on every game he played was anything but. 

From the first game he played in the NHL, it was clear Carlsson processes the game at a tremendous speed. When his team doesn't have the puck, he can diagnose and dissect a breakout from whichever forechecking position he assumes (F1, F2, or F3) and disrupt attacks before they reach the defensive blue line. He knows what puck carriers are trying to accomplish as they move the puck up ice and through the neutral zone, so he consistently can pick their pockets with a stick lift and drive a counterattack.

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With the puck on his stick, Carlsson possesses an innate ability to skillfully create a dangerous look regardless of from where he picks up a puck. As a center on breakouts, he times his supports perfectly so when a puck is moved to him from an outlet, he is at top speed. He uses that speed and reach to enter the offensive zone easily before displaying his puck skills to get himself to the middle of the ice. From there he can dazzle with scoring chances he creates for himself or teammates. 

Carlsson's most consistent linemates on the Ducks during his rookie campaign were Troy Terry and Alex Killorn. The trio played 349 minutes together at 5v5 in 2023-24.

"I think in terms of Leo, his ceiling is as high as anyone I've ever played with if not higher," Alex Killorn said of playing on a line with Carlsson and getting a front-row seat at the skill the rookie displays on a nightly basis. "His speed is so underrated and doesn't get talked about enough. The way he's able to get up through the neutral zone, cut through guys, and gain entry into the zone is something that's really special."

Killorn is a player who had been playing alongside players like Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Martin St. Louis, and Vincent Lecavalier during his 11 years as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning. For him to say Leo Carlsson's ceiling can rival those players is tremendously high praise.

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When teammates have possession, Carlsson always finds open ice to present himself as a passing option. He translates his ability to diagnose an opposing attackand  were to the offensive side of the puck and can just as easily diagnose a defensive structure. Essentially, when Leo Carlsson is on the ice and the puck isn't on his stick, it soon will be.

"Honestly, I don't even know who to compare him to," Troy Terry said when asked about Carlsson and his immediate impact. "How confident he is with the puck, his strength on his skates, his hands, his IQ, there's literally nothing he's not good at. I just try to find ways to get him the puck and support him. I'm excited to watch him through the next few years."

Though he has all the tools and showed sustained flashes of true dominance, there are aspects of Carlsson's game that could use some polish. He creates countless scoring chances game in and game out, but has struggled to produce consistently. He expends a tremendous amount of energy and can run out of gas by the end of a shift. He's yet to fully grasp the time and space afforded in the NHL with the puck on his stick and often holds on to the puck a split-second too long. Man-to-man coverage isn't easy to grasp for anyone who hasn't run it as a low forward, so he sometimes loses his assignment. These are all areas that improve with experience and repetition, so they aren't overly concerning.

The Anaheim Ducks held exit interviews after the season and Carlsson was one of the select players who participated.

"Everything. Explosion, gain some weight, gain some muscle mass so I can be harder to stop next season," Carlsson said when asked what his directive was for this summer's training. "I have pretty good speed when I get going, but the first three steps are important." 

Leo Carlsson will spend the summer of 2024 at home in Sweden with family. It will be a stark difference from the summer of 2023 where he had a full schedule with SHL playoffs, World Championships, the NHL Draft, development camp, rookie camp, and training camp. He'll be in the gym, on the ice, and eagerly awaiting his sophomore season in the NHL where he'll look to build on what has already made him a spectacular player at such a young age. 

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