On this episode, we discuss the Anaheim Ducks selecting Leo Carlsson at second overall, why they did not select Adam Fantilli, and the new 30th Anniversary jersey. Enjoy!
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7 Comments
I was surprised by the pick as well. Fully prepared myself for Fantilli, but secretly wanted them to trade back for Carlsson. I actually had an eirie feeling about Fantilli. I even got excited about the Mitckov reports despite the risk because Fantilli doesn’t excite me despite being a great skater and making the flashier highlight plays.
For me in sports the guys with the puck or ball (think basketball or football) in their hands have to be elite at something and their game sense has to be high high level; especially in the playoffs.
And the thing that kept nagging me about Fantilli; is I just couldn’t find that elite trait; he was just very good at everything.
Fantilli is ahead of the curve, it’s hard to tell if he’s close to topped out or has another developmental arc since he’s still so young. It’s also hard to tell if his outlier production has something to do with him being a key cog ⚙️ in a powerhouse Michigan team.
Fantilli is going to be a good player; he plays the right way; has a good shot, skates well, has solid size and uses it.
But when you compare him to Carlsson; he looks small even though Fantillis frame is maxed out.
Carlsson has elite size, and he has elite hockey sense. He’s able to dictate play at young age in a professional league and then he goes to worlds and dominates while Fantilli let’s be honest had some flashes but struggled overall. Fantilli wasn’t a play driver for Canada because he simply isn’t that right now.
Carlsson’s positioning on the ice 🧊, and just ability to keep the puck on his stick just flashes; he plays with so much good deception and is constantly creating advantage situations for his team on even ice situations. It’s very easy to see him being a problem for defenses in the near future.
He’s also only going to physically mature into his huge frame, become a better skater (although not necessary), and the main thing for him will be becoming a better finisher. But these are all things that will improve with reps. He won’t ever have the scoring instincts and touch of draisittl but he can be just as effective big forward playing his own playmaking style.
People get enamored with production numbers but production in lower levels like junior hockey or Aau for basketball doesn’t really translate to the ice or court in the pros in the playoffs. Dunks and break aways are fun but mean very little unless you are outlier athlete (generational) or unless you pair it with high game iq and skill.
In the pros everyone is strong, has good enough speed, and reads scouting reports and knows your strengths and weakeness. To be successful you need to constantly adapt and be cerebral.
If I have a concern about Carlsson is probably him as a leader. He seems to be more of an introvert and it’s clear media situations or social situations give him some level of anxiety.
But in the end if you are a great player and you work your but off you will be respected in the locker room even if you are a quiet guy. So it’s not a big concern. Their are many examples of super star talents across sports that aren’t alpha raw raw types but are hyper competitive.
Anyway TLDR; like the pick; liked that Pat didn’t give into consensus and stuck by his guns. History has shown consensus gets it wrong because no one really knows the future of these guys and 3 years is eternity in terms of development trajectories. It’s easier to piece together Fantillis skill set across multiple players, but a play dictating center is a franchise player.
Why are people upset? We got a great young player. It’s a total crap shoot anyway. Bedard could be a flop. U never know at this age. Just another guy to add to our young core.
Carlson’s a special player
Carlsson is more ready, he played already with men. but I think Fantilli has more potential, but I was a bit disappointed at the worlds, expected more from a "coming superstar" then one nice goal. on a no-name-team which won gold…
and Fantilli said he wants to play for Columbus, I dont like that the players says where they want to play (Michkov too). plus I think Fantilli has some character thinks (alpha, showman?) as Zegras and both in the same locker room could be difficult to handle…
so next step is to resign RFAs and to trade Gibson… I am wondering what we receive…
We will know in 3 years
Terrible pick. I wonder if all the Ducks fans will still try to justify the pick when Fantilli puts up 100 point seasons, and Carlsson barely cracks 60
I can't agree more when you said how the Ducks need less cockiness in the locker room and have a player that kind of resembles Getzlaf.
I'm sure Fantilli's video about preferring CBJ was a red flag for PV. Hell, Leo Carlsson's flight got delayed and he and his family had to rent a van to make it to the draft the next morning! That alone says a lot about this guy!