Yesterday the Blue Jackets announced they have signed first round pick defencemen Gabriel Carlsson to an entry level contract.

2015 first-round pick Gabriel Carlsson (@Gabbecarlssn) has signed his ELC. #CBJ

DETAILS: https://t.co/TMW3H833IY pic.twitter.com/My7wkmF6IF

— NHL Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) April 19, 2016

Carlsson was the team’s second first round pick, 29th overall last season. The front office is very high on Carlsson trading up in the draft to select him. A year later the team is still very high on him. General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen reiterated that in his comments yesterday. Quote is from the article linked above.

“Gabriel played very well against his peers at the 2016 World Junior Championships and made great strides throughout the season in Sweden’s top professional league with Linköping,” said Kekalainen. “We are excited about his future as he is a smart, two-way defenseman who has a chance to be a very good player as he continues to grow and develop.”

Carlsson spent this past season playing in the Swedish Hockey League. He recorded one goal and eight assists in 45 games. He was held pointless in six playoff games. He also had two goals and six assists in 11 games in the SuperElit league.

Carlsson is a big (6’4, 183) shutdown defencemen. He's a stay at home player who is at his best on the penalty kill. Watching him during the World Juniors I was impressed with his play without the puck. He used his size and strength to box players out and keep them away from the crease.

The downside with Carlsson as with many big defencemen is they don’t provide much if any offense. Carlsson keeps it simple offensively, making short passes to his defence partner or quick shots on net. That lack of offense really limits his upside. I believe Carlsson will play in the NHL but he won’t have the impact you would expect from a first round draft pick.

Carlsson will be back in the SHL with Linkoping next season. That will give him another season to develop in a professional league, before coming over to North America. He should again be a part of Sweden’s World Junior team who will be looking to medal after missing the podium last season.

You can follow me on Twitter @PaulBerthelot

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