Lucas Carlsson thought he was heading on a bus to Bakersfield on Friday morning.
Instead, San Jose Barracuda head coach John McCarthy informed him he that he had been called up to the NHL. It’s a long time coming for the left-handed defenseman, who missed San Jose Sharks’ training camp, recovering from a torn ACL suffered in Feb. 2024.
“It’s one of the worst injuries you can have,” Carlsson said. “The summer was tough, just rehabbing … trying to get back to where I [was,] then start playing again. It’s been a tough time, but, I’m just happy to be back.”
Carlsson, signed to a two-year contract by the San Jose Sharks last off-season, has 10 goals and 23 points in 44 games with the Cuda this season.
“[Carlsson is] a guy that can help move pucks out of the back end,” San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “It’s an area we’ve struggled at. We envision him helping us move pucks on zone breakouts to the neutral zone and then gives us some offense at the blueline.”
The 6-foot-0, 192-pound Swede is one of the premier offensive blueliners in the AHL, with 45 goals and counting over the last three years. Between the Chicago Blackhawks and Florida Panthers, Carlsson has three goals and 11 points in 60 NHL games in parts of four seasons.
Carlsson also has some significant connections with San Jose Sharks, past and present.
He was teammates on the Charlotte Checkers with Patrick Giles for the last three seasons.
“He’s a power forward, big guy, great on the PK,” Carlsson said.
And he grew up playing with former Sharks forward Oskar Lindblom in Sweden, in the Brynas IF organization. The cancer survivor returned to Brynas this past summer.
“[Lindblom is] doing great,” Carlsson shared. “He loves being home again. It’s his hometown too. It’s good for him. He’s doing great. I’m just happy for him, after all he’s been through.”
Saturday versus the Boston Bruins will be Carlsson’s first NHL game since his ACL injury.
“I know what I can do at this level,” Carlsson said, “so I’m just gonna be myself.”
San Jose Sharks (18-42-9)
Alexandar Georgiev will start.
Forward lines are a question mark — they won’t look like Friday’s practice — but Alex Wennberg is probable.
Wennberg should be available tonight. Kostin and Gregor are out.
— Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) March 22, 2025
Warsofsky did confirm defensive pairings:
Ferraro-Mukhamdullin
Cagnoni-Desharnais
Carlsson-Liljegren
Boston Bruins (30-31-9)
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Where To Watch
Puck drop between the San Jose Sharks and Boston Bruins is 7:30 PM PT at SAP Center. Watch it live on NBC Sports California. Listen to it on the Sharks Audio Network.
