“I’ve been having confidence all year and now it’s starting to click,” said Carlsson. “It feels good.”
That four-goal outburst over the weekend just adds to the 25-year-old Swede’s stellar year on the Charlotte blue line. An offensive force from the back end, Carlsson has been a key driver of Charlotte’s offense while racking up 31 points (14g, 17a) in 43 games.
“There’s a lot of good offensive instincts there and he’s fun to watch,” said Checkers Assistant Coach Bobby Sanguinetti. “He jumps in the play at the right times and he’s great at moving the puck.”
Carlsson’s production has been there throughout the season, but he has hit another level as of late - over the last 18 games he has notched 17 points and has only been held off the scoresheet four times over that stretch.
“It’s hard to say, but we’ve been playing good as a team offensively,” said Carlsson on what has sparked his hot streak. “I think our power play is starting to come together. That’s a big part of it.”
Carlsson’s goal on Sunday - the one that set a new franchise single-season record for goals by a defenseman - was a perfect encapsulation of the level at which the blue liner is operating. On a man advantage he corralled the puck in his own zone, carried it swiftly up the ice, undressed a defender and buried a shot from the circle into the back of the net.
Coast 2 Coast for his 14th(!) of the season! pic.twitter.com/NWwMqrzgc0
— Charlotte Checkers (@CheckersHockey) February 26, 2023
“He has a lot of confidence right now and he’s been great for us,” said Sanguinetti. “He’s reading the game and he knows that we have confidence in him. That’s been there from day one. He brings an element that’s huge in the game today. When you can get offense from the back end it’s huge.”
That’s not to say Carlsson has been a one-dimensional piece for the Checkers. Far from it, in fact, as he has logged a wealth of minutes in different scenarios and has been someone that the coaching staff has leaned on.
“He’s in good spots all the time, offensively and defensively,” said Sanguinetti. “He’s playing well on both ends of the ice and guys are finding him in good spots.”
This season for Carlsson has been a departure from his last campaign. The 2021-22 season saw him spend a career-high 40 games in the NHL compared to eight with Charlotte, whereas this season the blue liner has suited up twice for Florida and otherwise been in the AHL. A reversal like that can be hard to wrap your head around, but Carlsson hasn’t shown any signs of it affecting him.
“He’s a great kid to start with, that’s the main thing,” said Sanguinetti. “He’s been a great pro down here, he comes and puts the work in every day. He’s a great teammate and he’s been nothing but positive from my standpoint.”
The drive to crack the Panthers’ lineup isn’t going anywhere, though.
“As far as getting to the NHL where he wants to be, we’ve been working on some things to get him there,” said Sanguinetti. “We’ll continue to build on that every game.”
“I just want to keep going,” said Carlsson. “Keep playing a lot of minutes, play good as a team and hopefully I’ll get the chance.”
