Leo Carlsson’s offseason was much less hectic this year than last year. After playing in the World Championships, being drafted and participating in development camp in 2023, Carlsson’s 2024 offseason began in April after the Ducks season ended on April 18.
“We had some team events and stuff, a week later (the season ended),” Carlsson said. So (I went back home) maybe 10 days after (on) the 28th? Something like that. I was actually at home until now. So it was fun.”
Carlsson spent a week in Spain for a family vacation, but the rest of his off-season was back in Sweden. He said it was the fifth time he went to Spain.
“First time in a while, so it was nice. Family time is also nice when you haven’t seen them in a while.”
Comparison and projection of Carlsson’s second year point total
During his off-season training, Carlsson worked with performance coach Emil Knutsson off the ice and player development coach Patrik Almström on the ice.
‘Gaining weight’ and ‘gaining muscle mass’ were two of the priorities Knutsson had for Carlsson, forcing him to go through a rigorous training plan throughout the summer. “A lot on the legs was the priority,” said Carlsson. ‘Full body training. A lot of focus on the legs and speed.”
On the ice with Almström, there was a lot of attention to detail in his turns within the offensive zone. “There are so many details I don’t think about,” Carlsson said.
Outside of hockey, golf is a hobby that Carlsson says he has become “pretty good” at. He told Alexis Downie of Ducks Stream that he is probably in the top 5 on the team for best golfers.
“Swedish courses are so much easier than American courses,” Carlsson said. “But it’s fun. Hobby on the side you want to be good at. Also think about hockey a bit.”
Carlsson competed at the Bayed Brand Invitational in his hometown of Karlstad this summer – which included several other NHLers – with his group taking second place.
One of Carlsson’s summer highlights was meeting Bill Skarsgård, a Swedish actor best known for his starring role in the film “It.”
“So random, to be honest,” Carlsson laughed. “I know the owner of this restaurant/bar a little bit and he knows Bill, so we met. So random, but it was fun. It was pretty cool.”
Carlsson is no longer in compliance with the game management plan established for his rookie season and is now ready to take on a full NHL season without any limitations or restrictions.
“I think (the plan worked) because I had a hectic summer. During the summer I didn’t have much time to practice. I spent about three weeks of off-season training that summer, so it was good to get a two-hour workout off the ice while the boys played a game. It certainly helped me a lot.
“(This summer was) very different. I went home April 28th and started training maybe May 5th. Four months of sports, it was different, but it is also good for me.”
What is Carlsson most looking forward to this season?
“Get started. That’s the whole thing that matters. Play the games.”
