Leo Carlsson is the top Swedish prospect for the 2023 entry draft and for good reason. He played as a winger for most of his time on Orebro where he racked up 10 goals and 15 assists in 44 games. This is quite the impressive feat for an 18 year old. He then stepped his game up even more in the playoffs by scoring 1 goal and 8 assists in 13 games. He showed very good compete at a high level of play which makes him an intriguing option for any team in the 2-5 range. There has been a lot of talk about Carlsson playing as center at the NHL level because of his big frame and responsible two way play. Recently, at the World Championships, Carlsson centered the 1st line and scored 3 times with 2 assists in 8 games. He played quite well and got some PP time as well. I personally see him as a #1 or really good #2 center at the NHL level. His playmaking ability combined with big size is a real threat down the middle and I doubt many teams will pass that up on draft day.
Playmaking and compete level is where Carlsson shines. He is really crafty in the way he uses his teammates. He draws in defenders and opens up space for his teammates in the highslot. He also has a strong sense of how to get passes through traffic and find his teammates backdoor. His high level puck skills give him much more time and space than most other prospects. A couple of times I have seen him dangle defenders that are cheating to one side of the ice to create more opportunities for his team.
His skating ability is alright, but not other worldly. I ended up giving him an average grade, but he is closer to below average than above. He is a big guy that has powerful hips and gains lots of forward momentum with his cross-overs. His top end speed might be a little below average, but were talking about a kid that grew 6 inches in a relatively short span, so he is still filling out his frame. He uses his skating to get in front of defenders and shield them off with his big body.
Carlsson's shooting ability isn't that great, but it has slightly progressed as the season has concluded. He is more of a play developer than a finisher. I think if he improved on his finishing ability, his offensive upside would increase quite dramatically, but frankly his shot is weak and not all that accurate. He does occasionally pick his spots and you can tell he is focusing on what part of the net he wants the puck to go to. I don't think a weak shooting ability is all that big of a deal to be honest. I'd much rather draft a prospect as a weak shooter than a propsect with other flaws. Examples of weaker shooters are Mcdavid and Jack Hughes, both of which have improved enormously as shooters and finishers.
Below is his Elite Prospects page
Elite Prospect's page for Leo Carlsson1/4 Below Average
2/4 Average
3/4 Above Average
4/4 Elite
3/4 Above Average
Below are some sources to look at for visual demonstration;