Carlsson impresses with versatility ahead of 2023 NHL Draft

The 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held June 28-29 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The first round will be June 28 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS) and rounds 2-7 are June 29 (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, SN, TVAS). NHL.com is counting down to the draft with in-depth profiles on top prospects, podcasts and other features. Today, a look at center Leo Carlsson of Orebro in the Swedish Hockey League. NHL.com's full draft coverage can be found here.

Leo Carlsson has made it perfectly clear what position he wants to play moving forward.

"Center ice is my natural position," he said. "I've played wing for two years in the SHL so I'm used to it now. But I'm better at center."

No matter what position Carlsson has played, the 18-year-old has excelled. He's No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of International skaters presented by BioSteel.

"He stays on the puck well along the boards and is hard to knock down in battles," NHL director of European Scouting Goran Stubb said. "He also understands his role at all times defensively as plays develop and he's constantly reading and identifying his options, whether that's space opening up for him to put a puck in for a moving teammate, a layer he can use as a screen for his shot or a lane he can take on an entry."

Carlsson had 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) in 44 games for Orebro in the Swedish Hockey League, playing mostly on the wing, and was named Swedish junior hockey player of the year.

He also had six points (three goals, three assists) in seven games for Sweden at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship, playing mostly left wing on the top line.

RELATED: [More 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft coverage]

But when Carlsson played at the 2023 IIHF World Championship in April, he had five points (three goals, two assists) in eight games while playing center.

And that's the position he fits best moving forward, according to Orebro coach Johan Hedberg.

"I think he's a guy that excels when he has the puck as part of his game," said Hedberg, who was hired April 17. "It's going to help out with the breakouts, getting the puck up-ice, finding his place. The center position in Sweden compared to the NHL, there's much more defensive responsibility in Europe and Sweden especially. As a centerman you're going to be helping out in defensive parts of the game, you're supporting the [defensemen] in [defensive] zone coverage so you end up spending a lot of time and a lot of energy shutting the other team down. In the NHL, as a centerman, you're more or less an offensive player first. I think that's obviously where he sees himself, and where he should see himself.

"He's an offensive talent but he also wants to learn the 200-foot game here in Sweden and being a responsible 200-foot player, which I think is great."

Centers are also the players Carlsson said he tries to pattern his game after, mentioning Nicklas Backstrom of the Washington Capitals and Hockey Hall of Famer Peter Forsberg.

"He's just an animal," Carlsson said of Forsberg.

That could be a bit of his father in him. Kenneth Carlsson was a defenseman for nine seasons in Sweden, and in 1999-2000 he led Allsvenskan, the second-highest pro league in Sweden, with 154 penalty minutes in 41 games.

"He was really good when he was U-16 and under, then he got sick or something I think," Leo said. "After that, he was more of a tough guy, tough defensemen, slashed a lot of stuff. That's the opposite from me."

Leo had six penalty minutes in 44 games with Orebro, but still appreciated the advice he got from his father, who coached him until his under-16 season.

"He's given me a lot of advice, but just to keep going," Leo said. "Because when I was like 14, 15, the other guys started growing and I didn't so he said just keep on going."

Carlsson was only 5-foot-8 in his U-16 season, but now is 6-foot-2, 194 pounds.

While he was able to excel at his current size, playing in the World Championship gave him a greater insight into where he needs to grow his game to succeed in the NHL. He said his focus during the offseason will to be work on his first three step quickness, as well as get stronger to better handle play along the boards and in front of the net.

Some of that strength will come naturally as he fills into his frame.

He'll also have help from the Orebro strength coaches, who Hedberg believes are among the best in Sweden.

"I'm very confident in the group that we have here and their roles to help him develop both physically and mentally," Hedberg said. "This group we've got here, our strength coaches are second to none in Sweden. So he's going to be in really good hands."

As Carlsson works to mature physically, his emotional development might be further along.

He is a stutterer but never has allowed his speech impediment slow him in his hockey pursuit. Carlsson has worked to limit his stutter in Swedish and believes as he gets more used to speaking English, which he does fluently, he'll be able to greatly diminish its affect in his second language.

Carlsson says he never was picked on growing up because of his stutter, in large part because of his hockey skill. But he understands not all kids will have it as easy as him, and will speak with those with similar speech impediments to show his support.

"My advice is just to keep calm," he said. "When you're talking, just be calm actually. That's the most important thing I think."

Hedberg said seeing Carlsson openly discuss his stutter, and to do it in English, has been as impressive as anything he's done on the ice.

"Just being that secure in yourself at that young age, I think, is awesome," Hedberg said. "And I think he is a role model. ... He's a role model for sure, and someone that can really help other people in the same situation. There's so many different things that young kids today have to deal with, social media and all that. Having someone to help out in these areas, I think it's awesome."

Listen: New episode of NHL Draft Class