Only being in America for less than a week, it has been a whirlwind adventure for former first-round draft pick Gabriel Carlsson.
Having already played three games with the Cleveland Monsters and recording one assist, it would be tough to say that Carlsson has mastered the North American game. Nonetheless, he was tossed to the wolves when he started with Seth Jones in today's game against the Flyers.
His debut was a mixed bag but it wasn't the tire fire one would expect from someone who has now changed leagues three separate times within the past week. He was a -3 on the day, not a great mark, yet it doesn't tell the whole story.
He played the fourth-most minutes on the team with 19:15 of ice time, including 44 seconds on the penalty kill. At even strength he sported a 45% Corsi For, a number that put him on par with his partner Jones.
Even head coach John Tortorella liked Carlsson's debut and had good things to say about the young Swede:
"I was impressed with him from the first shift. You can tell he wasn't timid. He tried to make a difference each shift. It's really encouraging as we enter into Wednesday."
It was also mentioned that he would play tomorrow against Toronto in the regular season finale. A good sign moving forward and bodes well for his chances to make the Blue Jackets' playoff roster.
His development has taken a turn and it looks the Jackets have big plans for him. No better time than the present, right?
[Stats courtesy of HockeyStats.ca]
