Gabriel Carlsson

October 2019 – The 6’2 defender has begun his 2019 campaign on the Cleveland Monsters top defensive unit alongside veteran Adam Clendenning. The two complement each other well as Carlsson prefers to make the safe defensive play while the other carries more offensive value. The former first-round pick uses his stick wisely and can break up plays with ease. He should be considered a strong candidate for a call up this season and could battle for a roster spot with the Jackets next season. However, he will be used in more defensive situations and still holds little to no fantasy value. Dave Hall

May 2019 – Carlsson wrapped up his 2018-19 campaign having scored a career-high 12 points in 67 games. The 22-year-old has had a few cups of coffee with the Blue Jackets but he has not been able to land full-time duties. Unless he signs a one-way contract this summer, next season could bring much of the same. Regardless of where he plays, he will have not carry any fantasy value except in the deepest of leagues. Frank Pellegrini

November 2018 – Carlsson has begun the 2018-19 season with the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL. He is off to a scorching start, accumulating one goal and five assists through seven games. He is a good skater who is tough to knock off the puck, and a stud in his own end of the rink with a will to win every shift he takes. With such a big frame and lengthy reach, he is very good on the penalty kill. Carlsson was unsuccessful in securing a top-six role with the Blue Jackets, but his time is now. As a result, expect him to be the first defenseman called up by the Jackets when needed. Frank Pellegrini

February 2018 – Carlsson has spent the bulk of his time in the AHL this campaign, further developing his shutdown style which should translate well to NHL ice in the next year or two. As a big-bodied left-shot with solid fundamentals, the former first round selection may be a solid component to a winning blue line someday. It likely won’t translate into much fantasy production however. Kevin Wickersham

December 2017 – Bouncing between an NHL bottom-paring spot, time with AHL Cleveland and healthy scratches, Carlsson hasn’t yet taken the NHL bull by the horns. While his offensive stats will never be out of this world, he has shown a good propensity to slow oppoenents as well as move and protect the puck. It just hasn’t been enough yet in his 10 games with CBJ to ensure a permanent role. Kevin Wickersham

October 2017 – Carlsson beat out several other CBJ prospects for an opening night roster spot, likely on a bottom pairing with Ryan Murray. He will try to build on his strong postseason showing last year and stay in the bigs for the bulk of 2017-18. Kevin Wickersham

September 2017 – Carlsson is listed on Columbus’ 23-man roster for the annual Traverse CIty NHL Prospects Tournament running Spetember 8-12. After a brief but solid regular and postseason showing late last year, the big, 20-year-old blueliner is a candidate to make the Jackets’ opening night roster, and a good showing at the tournament would further improve his odds. Kevin Wickersham

September 2016 – Carlsson is yet another in an increasingly long line of big, mobile, puck-moving defenseman coming out of Sweden in the past four or five years and is likely to see time in the NHL in the near future. Unfortunately for fantasy owners, that future does not include this season. Carlsson will play the 2016-2017 season on loan with Linkoping of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) and will again be a fixture on the Swedish blueline during the U20 world junior championship. Like more than a few European prospects, Carlsson’s status as it pertains to crossing the pond is a bit murky. He is under contract in Europe through the 2018-2019 season but that does not mean he will not find his way to North America before that time. He is an intriguing prospect to keep on fantasy radar but expectations should be kept to a minimum until it becomes more clear when he will make the move to professional hockey in the U.S. Erik Schiefer

December 2015 – Carlsson has made Team Sweden to compete in the World Junior Championships. In one game so far he tallied two assists. Hayden Soboleski

March 2015 –Big one-dimensional shutdown blueliner who will eat up a ton of tough minutes, stiffling attacks with a rangy wingspan, quick footwork and suffocating gap control. Teams know what they are gettnig with Gabriel Carlsson and there’s few who do it as well as he does in this class. He will likely never light up the game sheet but he’s mobile, smart with his outlets and thinks the game well enough to pick up modest production from the backend. Brendan Ross