The Anaheim Ducks drafted Leo Carlsson second overall at the 2023 NHL Draft. The Ducks are now ready to turn the corner on their rebuild now with Carlsson in the mix.
Ducks take Leo Carlsson with second overall pick at 2023 NHL Draft
The Ducks shocked a lot of people when they passed up on Adam Fantilli to take Leo Carlsson second overall. Carlsson definitely is a great prospect that the Ducks will be lucky to have, but it does seem like they might have overthought the pick a bit when they passed up on Fantilli.
Leo Carlsson had 10 goals and 15 assists in 44 games for Orebro in the Swedish Hockey League this past season. He played mostly wing, but he is someone that the Ducks can use at center whenever he comes into the NHL. With Carlsson, Trevor Zegras and Troy Terry, the Ducks certainly are trending in the right direction.
The Ducks have three second round picks and two third round picks that highlight the rest of their NHL Draft Class. While they might be done in the first round, there is always a chance that a trade could happen.
Leo is a Duck!
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) June 28, 2023
We’re proud to select Swedish center Leo Carlsson with the second overall pick in the 2023 #NHLDraft.#FlyTogether | @Honda pic.twitter.com/V4UX1Be5Dg
Anaheim drafted right behind the Chicago Blackhawks who took Connor Bedard with the first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Bedard was the only real lock to get drafted in the first overall spot. After that it was anyone’s guess who could get drafted. From Carlsson going second, to the Arizona Coyotes taking Dmitriy Simashev with the sixth overall pick, there have been more than a few shocking selections thus far.
This is a very deep draft class, so make sure to tune in to our live draft post throughout the night. The draft is a great time for teams to reset their franchise and start building for the future, and there is definitely still going to be some major moves made throughout the draft.