Leo Carlsson and Will Smith | The Canadian does his homework

(Buffalo) Leo Carlsson has always stuttered. “It was worse when I was younger. In Swedish, I stutter less and less, but it’s worse in English, because I’m less at ease in this language. It’s part of me and I can’t help it. »

The Swedish center, ranked European hope n^oh 1 by NHL Central Scouting, meets 11 teams this week at draft evaluation camp. Interviews that obviously take place in English.

His stuttering, a speech disorder that affects 10% of children, but which persists into adulthood in 1% of the population^⁠1, therefore emerges during the said interviews. Did he talk about it?

“We talked about it during my interview with the Canadiens, he tells The Press, in a corner of a hotel lobby. Someone in the room was saying he needed some advice for a kid he knows, a neighbor I think. The other teams haven’t told me about it. »

And his advice? “Take your time, try to speak slowly. I don’t always do that myself! But that’s the best advice I can give,” says the likeable striker.

On the hockey side, the interesting aspect of his story is that the Habs go all the way with him. In the eyes of many, Carlsson will have already found a buyer when the Canadian takes the podium in 5^e rank, on June 28 in Nashville. Brothers Bob McKenzie (TSN), Craig Button (TSN) and Sam Cosentino (Sportsnet) all rank him 3^e hope of this draft. And who knows if the Ducks, holders of 2^e choice, didn’t fall in love with this 6’3″ colossus and 198 lbs?

Would he like the Canadian to conclude such a transaction? ” Of course ! It’s a great organization with a long history,” he replies.

He is more hesitant when asked which Habs player he admired when he was younger. After some thought, he ended up appointing PK Subban and Cole Caufield. In his defense, the CH has historically turned very little to Sweden, with the exception of Mats Naslund. Behind the Little Viking, Peter Popovic comes to 2^e rank for matches played by Swedes in team history.

Smith and his former trainer

The bond between Will Smith and the Canadian is more natural. The story is getting better and better known, but the Boston-area forward had Kent Hughes as a minor hockey coach, then as a “counsellor,” the modest term used to describe player agents who head to the NCAA.

Anyway, Smith has known Hughes since he was 13, he said.

“He was one of the best coaches I’ve had, he confides to us, still in the same hotel lobby. He was the first one that challenged me to play well in all three zones. He made me realize that if I want to play in the National League and be successful with the national team, I have to be good at all aspects of the game.”

Like Carlsson, Smith was also interviewed by the Habs, one of the 15 teams that requested a meeting with him. The Sabers, who hold the 13^e choice, were also to meet him: they were the ones who were waiting for him after our interview. In short, several organizations want to get to know players they theoretically have no chance of picking up.

“I get asked who the toughest players are to play against, and I get asked a few questions about my teammates in the US national program,” Smith said.

The information collected about his teammates could indeed be crucial. From the moment Smith, Carlsson and Adam Fantilli are claimed somewhere between Tiers 2 and 4, the possibilities become significantly more numerous, especially if the risk of drafting Matvei Michkov is deemed too high.

Smith formed an ultra-dominant line with Gabriel Perreault and Ryan Leonard this season on the American program. Asked about Leonard on the 5th^e a North American prospect according to NHL Central Scouting, Hughes was praised.

“You just have to see him play and his strengths come out quickly. He plays in the style of Matthew Tkachuk, Brady Tkachuk, physically aggressive, very intense, he always brings his effort”, analyzed the DG. Anyway, if he has an eye on Leonard, talking to Smith isn’t the worst idea.

In addition, the 2022 draft is possibly the best warning to remind you that anything can happen at these auctions. Shane Wright, long seen as the 1^er consensual choice, ended up slipping to 4^e rank, where the Seattle Kraken had selected him.

^⁠1 Source: Association of young stutterers of Quebec