Feel Good, Play Good: Linus Karlsson Putting In Work For the Next Level

Linus Karlsson has put in years of work to get to where he is now. He just turned 24, so getting the call up for his birthday present was fitting, and he’s got the last year of work he put in to thank for it.

Last season with the Abbotsford Canucks was an opportunity to get himself acquainted with North American hockey. The Swedish native was the leading goal scorer, racking up 24 goals last season, and 49 points (24-25-29) through 72 games.

He worked on his strength in the offseason and it’s paying off.

“I feel much better this year, much stronger, I feel better out there,” he said, adding, “I feel like I’m a little bit faster. I can beat one guy more often sometimes than last year. In the corners and stuff, I feel a bit stronger.”

Head coach Jeremy Colliton can see Karlsson’s made the commitment to get better.

“I think he had a good summer. He came back stronger, fitter – you can see it in his shifts – he's not fading in the second half of his shifts,” Colliton said, going on to share “Last year in the back-to-back sometimes the second game was hard for him, and I don’t see that this year. It’s important, seeing your shifts in the second period, your team needs you, and I think he’s still able to do those things that lead to winning late in the game, late in the shift. It’s noticeable.”

This season he’s tallied 11 points (2-9-11) through 13 games with Abbotsford, good for fifth on the team in points. A pair of highlight reel tape-to-tape assists against the Henderson Silver Knights made him smile, but he’s more concerned about helping his team win.

“I don’t try to be a scorer or assist guy, I’m just trying to be a guy that creates chances and if I score that’s nice, and if I get assists, that’s nice. But right now, we’re just trying as a team to win games to get a streak going,” Karlsson said.

Learning how to play a different style of hockey in North America was tougher than he expected, but with determination and help from Colliton and the Sedins, sticking to the plan over the summer was part of the puzzle. The other part is just feeling more comfortable with his surroundings in Abbotsford.

“I feel more calm,” said Karlsson about his second season in the Fraser Valley. Last year when I came to Abbtosford, I had to get an apartment, car, know where all the stores are. Now I know everything here so it’s just much easier. If you feel good outside the rink, you play good in the rink too.”

His overall game is on the rise, feeling better about his defence, breaking the puck out, and his offensive zone changes feel more natural. Feeling out where the line is for drawing a penalty and taking one is also something he’s fine-tuning.

“I think it’s like a thin line, sometimes I can cross over that line, so I want to be right at that line, that’s when I play the best hockey and that’s what I try to do every night.”

Colliton mentioned Karlsson is focusing on the details of the game that will help him in the AHL that also translate to the NHL. Consistency is a big factor in being able to make the leap and that’s what Colliton is looking for in Karlsson’s game this season.

“I think he’s taken a big step this year,” Colliton said. “The first 11 games, it’s noticeable how strong he is on the puck. He’s doing little things that protect the guys he’s on the ice with, protecting the offensive zone, drawing penalties, taking the puck to the net. To me, he’s really improved.”

“For the most part he’s been really consistent and a bit of an example for how we want our guys to play. So individually, a really good sign for him going forward and hopefully it keeps getting better.”

Karlsson has been getting a lot of power play time as well as five-on-five this year, so Colliton has been using him less on the penalty kill to keep him fresh. Colliton says he’s a smart player and can confidently put Karlsson on the ice in any situation.

Karlsson is an example for his teammates, and he also tries to bring his teammates along, giving some European newcomers tips for the North American game.

“He’s one of those guys that understands now and when you have guys who get it you show the other guys and that helps,” Colliton said.

The 24-year-old says getting advice from the coaching staff and being able to communicate easily with the Sedins greatly helped his development and they’ve put in some solid work going through film.

“Jeremy takes me into his office and says, ‘This is good, this is what you can do better.’ With the Sedins here, it’s easy to talk Swedish. I always ask them how they look at my game and what they think about it,” he said.

Seeing the results of his hard work is even more motivation for Karlsson to keep working on his game. He’s more than up for the challenge and feeling like he’s on the right path.