Confirmed with Link: Canucks sign F Linus Karlsson to ELC

[Red]

Always amazed at how the term 'late bloomer' seems to be misused and abused. Karlsson is only 22 and is in the top 10 of league scoring in a full-blown men's professional league like the SHL. In fact he's the best rookie scorer since Elias Pettersson departed the SHL for Vancouver. For comparisons sake, he's a year younger than Jack Rathbone, who's considered to be the 'top dog' in the Canucks prospect pool.

And if Karlsson was still playing college hockey or lighting it up in the AHL--he'd still be considered a 'blue-chip prospect. But because he's been toiling in the Allsvenskan and the SHL in relative anonymity, somehow he's a 'late bloomer' at only 22.

He's only 6 months younger than Rathbone - they're born in the same year. But yes, despite being 22, he's the best U24 scorer in the SHL.

 

[dbaz]

Always amazed at how the term 'late bloomer' seems to be misused and abused. Karlsson is only 22 and is in the top 10 of league scoring in a full-blown men's professional league like the SHL. In fact he's the best rookie scorer since Elias Pettersson departed the SHL for Vancouver. For comparisons sake, he's a year younger than Jack Rathbone, who's considered to be the 'top dog' in the Canucks prospect pool.

And if Karlsson was still playing college hockey or lighting it up in the AHL--he'd still be considered a 'blue-chip prospect. But because he's been toiling in the Allsvenskan and the SHL in relative anonymity, somehow he's a 'late bloomer' at only 22.

Considering how he looked draft +2 and is now taking off again you can definitely considering that coming a long later for a prospect who was taken in top 3 rounds of the draft.

 

[RutherPlan]

Linus Karlsson gets 2G today which breaks Pettersson's record and puts him 2nd in goals across the entire SHL. Great accomplishment for a 22 year old in the SHL.

 

[Tomatoes11]

Let’s hope he keeps it up. We don’t have many good prospects left in the system and losing the Dahlen trade would be terrible considering Dahlen isn’t that good. He’s like maybe Baerschit level. If Karlsson becomes a rantanen somehow, we could really use that especially after losing Guenther or Sillinger for no reason. Thanks dim….

 

[Gstank]

I dont see how his shot won't at least translate to a 3rd line/PP2 role. Hopefully we get to see him play in either Van or Abby this year

 

[Frankie Blueberries]

Let’s hope he keeps it up. We don’t have many good prospects left in the system and losing the Dahlen trade would terrible considering Dahlen isn’t that good. He’s like maybe Baerschit level. If Karlsson becomes a rantanen somehow, we could really use that especially after losing Guenther or Sillinger for no reason. Thanks dim….

 

[Tomatoes11]

Hey you never know lol. No one thought rat face was going to be one of the best forwards in the league, so we can dream. Lol

 

[Eye of Ra]

i dont see the problem? bring him over to AHL.

 

[Get North]

I dont see how his shot won't at least translate to a 3rd line/PP2 role. Hopefully we get to see him play in either Van or Abby this year

That's what I am hoping for. Just a NHL roster player like Hoglander in his rookie year. It's up to everyone else to take a step forward.

 

[Billy Kvcmu]

Excited to see what he brings in the training camp

 

[StreetHawk]

Excited to see what he brings in the training camp

JR I would hope cleans house for the Farm team. Basically nothing came out of the A during the Benning era except goalies.

Have to give incoming kids be it Karlsson, McDonaugh, whomever else better coaching and development.

 

[RutherPlan]

JR I would hope cleans house for the Farm team. Basically nothing came out of the A during the Benning era except goalies.

Have to give incoming kids be it Karlsson, McDonaugh, whomever else better coaching and development.

Abbotsford are a top 10 team right now and been piling on wins. Rathbone is excelling, Klimovich is having a decent season for a 18 year old that should be playing in juniors, and looks like Spencer Martin will be Canucks back up for next year.

 

[Vector]

While I'm excited he wants to come over and hopeful the team signs him, even if just to use as organizational filler. There are a couple of thing that should temper expectations, half of his goals (13) were scored on the PP and the next closest player only had 6. He was used as a primary trigger man. So don't expect that kind of goal scoring when he comes to North America. It's also hard to fine stats on whether he was playing C at all. Regardless, at this point he's the 2nd or 3rd best prospect in the system.

 

[F A N]

While I'm excited he wants to come over and hopeful the team signs him, even if just to use as organizational filler. There are a couple of thing that should temper expectations, half of his goals (13) were scored on the PP and the next closest player only had 6. He was used as a primary trigger man. So don't expect that kind of goal scoring when he comes to North America. It's also hard to fine stats on whether he was playing C at all. Regardless, at this point he's the 2nd or 3rd best prospect in the system.

Karlsson is definitely an interesting prospect. At the time of the draft, his scoring totals at his age ranked among the best ever. Then his development kind of stalled and now as an older SHL rookie he now breaks Petey's record.

All along we projected Karlsson as a bottom 6 forward but his game has really been more of a top 6 forward it seems.

 

[MS]

Karlsson is definitely an interesting prospect. At the time of the draft, his scoring totals at his age ranked among the best ever. Then his development kind of stalled and now as an older SHL rookie he now breaks Petey's record.

All along we projected Karlsson as a bottom 6 forward but his game has really been more of a top 6 forward it seems.

It has to be remembered that the SHL is really weak right now relative to historic levels.

Guys like Adam Tambellini and Max Veronneau who are sitting with Karlsson were very middling AHL players and that league is substantially sub-AHL level at this point.

This is how Nils Lundqvist got so overrated after a big season in that league last year.

It's hard to get a read until we see Karlsson in camp next year.

 

[F A N]

It has to be remembered that the SHL is really weak right now relative to historic levels.

Guys like Adam Tambellini and Max Veronneau who are sitting with Karlsson were very middling AHL players and that league is substantially sub-AHL level at this point.

This is how Nils Lundqvist got so overrated after a big season in that league last year.

It's hard to get a read until we see Karlsson in camp next year.

Meanwhile, Lucas Raymond stepped into the NHL just fine.

I always find it difficult to project players from different leagues. Tambellini IIRC has a pretty good shot and isn't a bad skater. With his size, skating, and shot, that can be enough for him produce at the SHL level.

 

[Eye of Ra]

It has to be remembered that the SHL is really weak right now relative to historic levels.

Guys like Adam Tambellini and Max Veronneau who are sitting with Karlsson were very middling AHL players and that league is substantially sub-AHL level at this point.

This is how Nils Lundqvist got so overrated after a big season in that league last year.

It's hard to get a read until we see Karlsson in camp next year.

really week and yet SHL teams wins Champions league every year?

Why are you ignoring that Raymond and Seider and many others went from SHL to NHL and does great?

 

[timw33]

Why are you ignoring that Raymond and Seider and many others went from SHL to NHL and does great?

No one is ignoring those players, they were just 17 and 19 when playing their first SHL season instead of 22 and that's a pretty big difference when it comes to development curves and the probability of becoming an important contributor in the NHL.

It's still impressive to do at that age, and I'm hopeful he comes over and can succeed immediately at the AHL level to show he's got a future, but expectations need to be tempered with older (in the relative sense) prospects.

 

[RutherPlan]

put it this way, if Linus Karlsson was undrafted right now, he would be the hottest free agent out of Europe with every team in the league wanting to sign him.

Toronto would have signed him and Leafs fans would be projecting him to be as good as Pettersson.

 

[MS]

Meanwhile, Lucas Raymond stepped into the NHL just fine.

I always find it difficult to project players from different leagues. Tambellini IIRC has a pretty good shot and isn't a bad skater. With his size, skating, and shot, that can be enough for him produce at the SHL level.

really week and yet SHL teams wins Champions league every year?

Why are you ignoring that Raymond and Seider and many others went from SHL to NHL and does great?

Raymond and Seider were teenage top-5 picks with massive toolboxes on heater development curves.

Nobody is saying that there aren't good players coming from Sweden. The league is just not as strong as it used to be (although that might change next year with a KHL exodus) and it's dangerous to over-project guys based on production there. Especially when it's propped up by PP points.

 

[sting101]

I'm pretty tempered with Karlsson.

His speed is in question as is his compete level
also i dont think he's played much C as far as what's been reported so that tempers my excitement for a 3C potential down the road as well

What is nice to see is high level IQ and a really good shot that should translate
Has good size at almost 6'1 (185cm) and looks even bigger on ice. Maybe just the way he skates and his reach?
Defensive awareness has been a plus trait since the draft

He's still very much a project and the plan should be Abbotsford to learn smaller ice hockey and get used to systems and North American nuances. At this point he probably would be a minor upgrade to Chiasson if injected but would probably get overwhelmed if there was too much expectation. Also this team needs speed in a bad way so it's best not to rely on him playing in Van for next season unless his off season training blows the doors off which is getting more hopeful than realistic

Am excited to see him play though, a resume as a top scorer from the SHL and only 22 at camp should make for some higher level of expectation than the usual AHL tweeners. See how it goes

 

[Tomatoes11]

Him being one of our top prospects is actually really concerning considering that we are capped out and not even close to being a contender. I don’t envy Alvin that’s for sure. Lol

 

[VanJack]

Maybe it's just the camera angle, but Karlsson looks a lot bigger to me in some of those highlight reels. Has he actually grown and bulked up over the past couple of seasons?

 

[RutherPlan]

Maybe it's just the camera angle, but Karlsson looks a lot bigger to me in some of those highlight reels. Has he actually grown and bulked up over the past couple of seasons?

He does look a lot taller than 6'1

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

Maybe it's just the camera angle, but Karlsson looks a lot bigger to me in some of those highlight reels. Has he actually grown and bulked up over the past couple of seasons?

Oh my goodness. Go to hockeydb, and look up his teammate, Oscar Moller (remember him?). The face to head ratio is insane. Like, Charlie Kirk levels.