Carlsson hunting scoring lead, Sweden Olympic spot while powering Ducks

Leo Carlsson can’t help it. Like a lot of other hockey fans, the Anaheim Ducks center checks the NHL scoring leaders regularly.

He has been jockeying for position with some of the biggest names in the game along with two other young centers: Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks and Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks.

“It’s hard to miss, honestly,” Carlsson said.

Carlsson has 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists) in 18 games. So does Bedard (10 goals, 16 assists). They entered Monday tied for fourth in the NHL with forwards William Nylander of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Mikko Rantanen of the Dallas Stars and David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins.

Celebrini (10 goals, 17 assists) has one more point in one more game. The only players in the League with more points are centers Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers.

Carlsson, the No. 2 pick of the 2023 NHL Draft, and Bedard, the No. 1 pick in 2023, are 20 years old. Celebrini, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, is 19.

“It’s super fun that us young guys can take that big of a step,” Carlsson said. “We’ll have some great games in the future, for sure.”

Carlsson could be a difference-maker for years to come, not just for the Ducks, but for Sweden too.

He seems like a lock to make Sweden’s roster for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. Rosters are due at the end of December, although how they will be announced has yet to be determined. The tournament is Feb. 11-22.

The NHL and NHL Players’ Association are planning the next World Cup of Hockey in 2028 and expect NHL players to participate in best-on-best national team tournaments every two years going forward.

“Even though he’s so young, [Carlsson is showing] a very mature game right now in the National Hockey League, and he’s going to get better as he gets a little bit older,” said Hockey Hall of Fame center Mats Sundin, who captained Sweden to gold at the 2006 Torino Olympics. “And what a treat for Anaheim to have a player like that, but also for the Swedish hockey fans to be able to watch Leo represent Sweden in the Olympics.”

Playing for Sweden has already helped accelerate Carlsson’s development.

He played only one game in the 4 Nations Face-Off last season, and he had only 14:37 of ice time in a 2-1 win against the United States at TD Garden in Boston on Feb. 17. But the experience was invaluable.

“Leo came back with confidence,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said. “He realized, ‘Well, I can play with these guys.’”

Before 4 Nations, Carlsson had 19 points (nine goals, 10 assists) in 48 games for Anaheim last season. Afterward? He had 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists) in 28 games.

Since Feb. 22, he has 52 points (22 goals, 30 assists) in 46 games, tied for 10th in the NHL and first among players 25 or younger.

Carlsson said when he returned to the Ducks from 4 Nations, it felt like the game slowed down. The puck started going in, and things started to snowball in the right direction.

“As you play more and more years and games in this league, I feel like you’ll of course develop parts in your game, but you also understand what makes you successful,” said Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond, who also played for Sweden at 4 Nations. “I think that’s just a product of that. It’s real fun to see. He’s really good player, and I think he’s going to be a big player in this league.”

Carlsson worked on gaining strength and speed in the offseason in Sweden.

When he reported to training camp in Anaheim this season, he had a new coach in Joel Quenneville, who had won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010, 2013 and 2015 and recorded more regular-season wins (969 entering the season) than anyone but Scotty Bowman (1,244).

Quenneville’s style has helped Carlsson.

“We’re making a lot of plays off the rush, and I just think for him, especially as a young player … There’s less thinking in our current system,” linemate Troy Terry said. “It’s a lot more just reads and playing hockey. You see it if you watch him for five minutes. He’s incredibly smart. I think he’s just playing more free. He’s just trusting his instincts more and just playing.”

Carlsson agreed.

“I’m not doing whatever I want, but [I have] that mindset a little bit,” he said. “Just do good things with the puck in the right situation. I’m playing more freely.”

Carlsson is playing more period, averaging 19:18 of ice time, more than three minutes more than he did last season (16:14). Playing in all situations, he has two shorthanded goals, tied for first in the NHL.

He’s learning how to use his added strength, fighting through checks, protecting the puck and making plays in tight spaces. He’s deferring to older players less and shooting the puck more, averaging 2.67 shots per game, more than one more shot than he did last season (1.5).

“It seems like he has the puck more, coming up with more loose pucks,” Quenneville said. “His speed through the middle is noticeable.”

Carlsson had 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) during an 11-game point streak from Oct. 21-Nov. 11, helping Anaheim go 9-2-0 over that stretch.

When he scored two goals in a 4-1 win at the Winnipeg Jets on Nov. 11, he became the only player in Ducks history to reach 25 points in 15 games. Hockey Hall of Fame forward Teemu Selanne had 24 points in 15 games in 1995-96.

When he scored the Ducks’ goal in a 4-1 loss at the Avalanche on Tuesday, he reached 100 points (43 goals, 47 assists) in 147 games in his NHL career. At 20 years, 320 days, he became the youngest player in Ducks history to reach the milestone, passing Hockey Hall of Fame forward Paul Kariya, who did it at 21 years, 109 days, on Feb. 2, 1996.

“He hasn’t been in the League that long, but he’s playing major minutes, he’s playing against the top players and he’s producing, which is not easy in the NHL,” Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom said. “So, I’m very impressed with the way he’s played so far.”

Some compare Carlsson to Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov. Carlsson is 6-foot-3, 208 pounds. Barkov, the No. 2 pick of the 2013 NHL Draft, is 6-3, 214. Each uses a big stick. But Terry makes another comparison before concluding Carlsson has a unique package.

“He’s got a little bit of, like, MacKinnon in him, where if he gets the puck with his feet facing up ice, it’s in the other zone,” Terry said. “That’s just kind of how he is. But then he does have some similarities with Barkov, his stick.

“I think he’s his own player. I think he’s just fun to watch. He’s fun to play with as a winger. I just know if I can make somewhat of a good play into the middle to him, we’re in the other zone.”

It’s not going to be easy going forward, especially as teams prepare more intensely for Anaheim in general and Carlsson in particular.

After winning seven straight games, the Ducks (11-6-1) have lost three in a row entering their game against the Utah Mammoth at Honda Center on Monday (10 p.m. ET; Utah16, Victory+). After 11 games with a point, Carlsson has gone two games without a point for the first time this season.

But Carlsson is more mature now in how he handles the ups and downs of the NHL.

“Obviously, the schedule’s hard,” Terry said. “You’ll ride the roller coaster of emotions -- good game, bad game. [He needs to] know his abilities and just show up. Each game’s a new one. I think that’s been a big difference for him this year. He’s the same going into every game the next time.”

Carlsson still has a lot of room to grow too, literally.

“I think for him, we’re still scratching the surface,” Verbeek said. “He’s gotten stronger. I don’t think he’s gotten as strong as he will become. I don’t think he’s put on the weight that he will put on yet, so I think that once he reaches that, I think he’s going to become a different player.”

Keep refreshing the NHL scoring leaders. It looks like Carlsson will keep jockeying for position, day after day, year after year.

“It’s fun to see,” former NHL star Nicklas Backstrom said. “He’s an exciting player to watch.”

NHL.com senior writers Amalie Benjamin and Tom Gulitti contributed to this report