Leo Carlsson embraces all of himself in hot streak, community outreach

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Leo Carlsson is grabbing the mantle of the future face of the Anaheim Ducks franchise.

On the ice, Carlsson is as hot as he’s ever been in his two-year NHL career. The 2023 No. 2 overall pick has 17 points in his last 17 games, including a two-goal performance and his first career penalty shot goal on Tuesday in Dallas.

Off the ice, Carlsson is using his spotlight to embrace a cause extremely close to him, as he’s partnered with national non-profit organization Friends: The National Association of Young People Who Stutter. Carlsson has met with kids from Friends and their families throughout the season, including providing 100 tickets to members of the stuttering community for his bobblehead night on March 11.

Carlsson, who has stuttered his whole life, knows he can be an example for these young kids for what they can achieve even with a speech condition.

“It's cool for them to see someone else who stutters playing on this stage,” Carlsson said. “I know maybe like 50 or 70% of them maybe don’t watch hockey at all, but it's still fun to see someone who's playing at this level do it.”

Carlsson said he’s met with at least seven families at previous games to have one-on-ones with the kids, sign some jerseys and just talk with them, including a few tips from someone who has to talk a lot on the ice and to the media.

“Usually, you don't care about it. With the talk stuff, we just try to keep talking,” Carlsson said. “Don't shy away from it. Try to talk slower, which is hard sometimes. I just want to talk normal, like I do always. Try to talk slower and think with details.”

At just 20 years old himself, Carlsson doesn’t see himself as a role model quite yet, but he is stepping up to embrace this part of himself and lend a helping hand.

“I don't really think about it that way. Just trying to think about being a friend to them in that moment,” Carlsson said. “I don't really see myself as a role model either. I want to be, obviously, so I don’t shy away from that either. It’s funny to be that way.”

Frequent linemate Trevor Zegras has seen Carlsson open up about this side of himself and commended him for taking this step up in the community.

“I think he's kind of just embraced maybe what he does and kind of who he is. He actually talks about that quite a bit,” Zegras said. “He loves giving back, and I think it's something that maybe can be a little bit awkward, having that like speech impediment and for him to be open to bringing all those people together and showing them that somebody who plays obviously at the highest level of sport is okay with it, that they could be okay with it, too, and there's always a way to grow and get better.

“I think it's awesome, nice to do that.”

Zegras also said that there’s some great role models to look up to in the room with some of the Ducks older veteran players.

However, since Carlsson’s return from Team Sweden duty at the 4 Nations Face-Off, it’s those veteran players looking up to Carlsson as the team’s leading goal scorer (seven goals) and points collector (14 points) in 14 games since the break. Carlsson has scored in 10 of those 14 games.

“I think there's a confidence playing at the 4 Nations with so many great players, feeling that he belonged on that team,” linemate Alex Killorn said. “I just feel a confidence within him where he wants to be on the ice and he wants to be in a lot of situations. I love it when a guy like that wants to be put in a lot of situations and be aggressive and wants that.”

Zegras said that Carlsson had been “demanding the puck more,” charging ahead with his trademark neutral zone speed and, concurring with Killorn, being more aggressive.

Ducks coach Greg Cronin and general manager Pat Verbeek had both been repeatedly vocal about Carlsson accessing the “inner third” of the ice offensively. 

“You notice Leo through the neutral zone,” Cronin said. “He’s got the puck and his shirt’s flapping behind him. He looks like Mike Modano, for God’s sakes, right? He's racing up the ice, and then he gets into the zone, and then he makes flashy plays through sticks and bodies. But, you know, the big thing for him, really to me, that's going to really be a core part of his growth is getting into those areas with or without the puck and staying firm in the middle of the ice.

“He's just got to put a small tent in that area and live there.”

In this stretch, Carlsson has been doing that, as well as, again, being more aggressive and shooting the puck more to great effect.

“These kids have to realize that they can do it,” Verbeek said. “I think the other thing with Leo coming out of here is he's had a more aggressive mindset with his shooting, like you're starting to see him shoot the puck a lot more versus pass the puck. That leads to another thing of being confident, to want to shoot the puck to score. And so he's got a great shot. It just frustrates me sometimes not seeing him shoot the puck when he can shoot the puck. 

“His mindset has been completely different since he got back, and he's been great.”

After enduring the growing pains early in his sophomore season, Carlsson is embracing all parts of himself, from his skill to his stutter.

Leo Carlsson becoming a more fully actualized hockey player and human being only opens a positive path forward for the Ducks as a franchise and as a member of the community.

For more information on Friends: The National Association of Young People Who Stutter, check out friendswhostutter.org.