Carlsson, No. 1 International skater, joins 'NHL Draft Class' podcast

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. NHL.com's full draft coverage can be found here.

Leo Carlsson "played a more consistent game" and as a result was ranked ahead of Matvei Michkov, NHL Central Scouting chief European scout Janne Vuorinen said on the 'NHL Draft Class' podcast.

Carlsson (6-foot-2, 194 pounds), No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of International skaters presented by BioSteel, had 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) and seven power-play goals in 44 games with Orebro in the Swedish Hockey League, winning Swedish Junior Hockey Player of the Year after leading Sweden's top professional men's league (SHL) in his age category in assists and points, and finishing second in goals.

The left-handed center had six points (three goals, three assists) in seven games playing mostly on the wing for fourth-place Sweden at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship.

"[Carlsson] started the season strong with the Under-20 national team in some tournaments and then he had a strong season with his club team, had a strong playoffs and then was also impressive in the World Championship," Vuorinen said. "Overall, I think he's a complete player, good compete, big body, and a lot of skills and talent. Carlsson and Michkov are two great players but Carlsson was more consistent during the season and earned the number one spot."

Michkov (5-10, 172), No. 2 on Central Scouting's final ranking of International skaters, averaged 15:51 of ice time in 17 games with Sochi after playing just 3:11 for SKA St. Petersburg and his .67 points per game rate was the highest for a draft-eligible player in KHL history. He prospered after being loaned to Sochi on Dec. 20, getting 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) in 30 games in the Kontinental Hockey League.

"Michkov's a special player with so much skills and with how strong he is on the boards," Vuorinen said. "He finds the net and makes the plays; an unbelievable talent."

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Carlsson also joined the show. The 18-year-old (6-foot-2, 194 pounds) hasn't yet determined if another season in the Swedish Hockey League would best benefit him.

"We haven't really decided yet but, of course, another year will be great for me," Carlsson said. "I think my speed and my strength overall and my decision-making [are areas I need to improve]."

He has a chance to become the seventh Sweden-born player to be chosen among the top-3 picks in the draft. He'd join Rasmus Dahlin, Gabriel Landeskog, Victor Hedman, Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin and Mats Sundin.

Co-hosts Adam Kimelman and Mike G. Morreale discussed in detail the situation surrounding Michkov and how the current situation in Russia could affect his timeline in joining whichever NHL club decides to select him in the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft.

The podcast is free, and listeners can subscribe on all podcast platforms, including iTunes, Spotify and Google Podcasts. It also is available on NHL.com/multimedia/podcasts and the NHL app.

Listen: New episode of NHL Draft Class