"This season has been two years in the making for Carlsson. After the Ducks selected him second overall in 2023, Anaheim applied load management to his rookie season, where Carlsson played 55 games. His sophomore campaign saw him start to fulfill his potential with 20 goals and 25 assists in 76 games. But now we're seeing Carlsson unleashed: 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists) through 16 games for the Ducks, powering them to the top of the Pacific Division in the first month of the season."
"What's changed? The coach, for one. Joel Quenneville has helped turn the Ducks into a puck-possession juggernaut, and Carlsson's offensive explosion is a result of it. So far this season, the Ducks are generating 58.7% of the shot attempts and 59.6% of the scoring chances with big Leo on the ice. That's way up over the average of the last two seasons for Carlsson in shot attempts (48.7%) and scoring chances (48%)."
""Leo's really taken off," Anaheim GM Pat Verbeek told ESPN this week. "I think with the younger guys, Joel preaches it every single day: Puck possession, hang onto it and if we lose it, we got to get it back fast. I think that has resonated well and the guys have taken to it. They've been executing and they've been getting rewarde"
The NHL season's first month produced notable surprises in team and player performances. Leo Carlsson, the Ducks' 2023 second-overall pick, progressed from a load-managed rookie season to a 20-goal sophomore year and now a breakout early stretch with 26 points in 16 games. Joel Quenneville's coaching emphasis on puck possession has dramatically increased Anaheim's share of shot attempts and scoring chances with Carlsson on the ice. Carlsson's individual metrics have risen from roughly 48% to nearly 59% in possession stats, and he has contributed nine power-play points as the Ducks' special teams have improved markedly.
Read at ESPN.com
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