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Ducks sign No. 2 draft pick Leo Carlsson to 3-year, entry-level deal

July 12, 2023

The Ducks took care of another important piece of summer business, signing Swedish center Leo Carlsson to a three-year, entry-level contract, announcing the deal Wednesday.

Carlsson, 18, was the No. 2 overall pick at NHL draft last month in Nashville and the contract has an average annual value of $950,000, per CapFriendly.

This means that the top three draft picks in 2023 have all signed entry-level contracts as Carlsson follows No. 1 Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks and No. 3 Adam Fantilli of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Carlsson, who took part in last week’s development camp with the Ducks, will be at training camp in September. The upside of his situation is there are multiple options for his continued development – he could play this upcoming season in Anaheim, in the AHL with the San Diego Gulls or even return to Sweden for another run with his SHL team, Orebro HK.

The Ducks have made it clear they aren’t going to rush Carlsson into the NHL prematurely. He is their highest draft pick since taking Bobby Ryan at No. 2 in 2005.

“He wants to give it his best shot,” assistant general manager Martin Madden said in an interview with the Orange County Register in June.

“He wants to come in and try to earn a spot, but we’re taking a long-term view of this and we want to put him in a position where he’ll be successful. Uncomfortable but successful.

“The point is he wants to be an NHL player and he’s going to have the summer to fight for an NHL job.”

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Orange County Register