01-14-2018, 12:14 AM
<div align="center">![[Image: Clayton-Keller.jpg]](https://ssl.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000nT1TDfGkDUA/s/600/600/Clayton-Keller.jpg)
The son of an SHL star with his eyes set on making his own legacy</div>
For 13 seasons Sven Karlsson has been a presence in the SHL, playing for four teams, finding his name among the SHL's top 100 all time point scorers and with a Challenge Cup ring to his name, his career has been infinitely better than many people, himself included, would have given him any hope of before he entered the league. Sven entered the world of the SHL with no fanfare, arriving in Detroit as a SMJHL free agent before being a second round pick in the S26 SHL Draft. It is only fitting that Sven's eldest son looks set to now break into the SMJHL, after being granted exceptional status to enter the league in next season's S40 draft, at the tender age of 14.
Daniel Karlsson has been terrorising goalies in minor hockey since the day he first put on skates. His natural ability and love for the game has proved to be a very effective combination and has meant that the only thing standing in the way of his growth was the lack of stability he faced when having to move around to follow his father's career. Born in Los Angeles during his father's time as a Los Angeles Panther, Daniel spent his early years in California. The family enjoyed life there, but Sven's trade in S32 to the Toronto North Stars meant the family had to up roots and move north of the border. Toronto provided incredible opportunities for Daniel to play hockey with some of the best youth coaches in the world, and under their guidance and that given by his father, Daniel soon began to excel and dominate the kids unfortunate enough to play against him. But as soon as it looked like the young Karlsson had found his groove and was going to be able to become one of Canadian minor hockey's best, the family were on the move again, this time to a place not exactly known as the best location to be a young hockey player; Dallas, Texas.
![[Image: Keller-usa-cze.jpg]](https://www.thedraftanalyst.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Keller-usa-cze.jpg)
Sven made it a priority however to ensure his son's hockey development didn't suffer, and arranged for Daniel to receive intensive coaching from the staff at the Texas Renegades as a condition of him signing a contract extension with the team. Daniel joined the Dallas Stars Elite U15 HC at the age of 11, Texas' only AAA hockey team, and it was there that he really began to flourish. Where his father plays the game as a playmaker and someone able to get it done in his own zone, Daniel models himself as a pure goalscorer, dynamic on the ice and with the natural instinct to put pucks in the net. Perhaps the biggest difference between the two is one of nationality. Sven has been a proud Swede and representative of the Swedish national team, winning 2 gold and 2 silver medals as well as being a captain on the team. Daniel on the other hand considers himself to be an American, born and raised in the US (besides the two years in Canada of course) to an American mother. Daniel has played his first games for the USA in his age group recently and has made it clear that he will not be switching allegiance if he gets the opportunity to represent the full national team.
The news that Daniel is to enter the SMJHL in a years time marks an exciting time for the league and the Karlsson family. Daniel believes himself to have the talent to shine no matter who he shares a draft class with, and wants to make his case to be the first overall pick in both the S40 SMJHL Draft and the S41 SHL draft. With the S39 SMJHL draft not far away, the league has a lot more to think about before then, but the prospect of adding a talent like Daniel might be in the back of the mind of some GMs as they plan out what they can add to their team in the rapidly approaching future.
The son of an SHL star with his eyes set on making his own legacy</div>
For 13 seasons Sven Karlsson has been a presence in the SHL, playing for four teams, finding his name among the SHL's top 100 all time point scorers and with a Challenge Cup ring to his name, his career has been infinitely better than many people, himself included, would have given him any hope of before he entered the league. Sven entered the world of the SHL with no fanfare, arriving in Detroit as a SMJHL free agent before being a second round pick in the S26 SHL Draft. It is only fitting that Sven's eldest son looks set to now break into the SMJHL, after being granted exceptional status to enter the league in next season's S40 draft, at the tender age of 14.
Daniel Karlsson has been terrorising goalies in minor hockey since the day he first put on skates. His natural ability and love for the game has proved to be a very effective combination and has meant that the only thing standing in the way of his growth was the lack of stability he faced when having to move around to follow his father's career. Born in Los Angeles during his father's time as a Los Angeles Panther, Daniel spent his early years in California. The family enjoyed life there, but Sven's trade in S32 to the Toronto North Stars meant the family had to up roots and move north of the border. Toronto provided incredible opportunities for Daniel to play hockey with some of the best youth coaches in the world, and under their guidance and that given by his father, Daniel soon began to excel and dominate the kids unfortunate enough to play against him. But as soon as it looked like the young Karlsson had found his groove and was going to be able to become one of Canadian minor hockey's best, the family were on the move again, this time to a place not exactly known as the best location to be a young hockey player; Dallas, Texas.
Sven made it a priority however to ensure his son's hockey development didn't suffer, and arranged for Daniel to receive intensive coaching from the staff at the Texas Renegades as a condition of him signing a contract extension with the team. Daniel joined the Dallas Stars Elite U15 HC at the age of 11, Texas' only AAA hockey team, and it was there that he really began to flourish. Where his father plays the game as a playmaker and someone able to get it done in his own zone, Daniel models himself as a pure goalscorer, dynamic on the ice and with the natural instinct to put pucks in the net. Perhaps the biggest difference between the two is one of nationality. Sven has been a proud Swede and representative of the Swedish national team, winning 2 gold and 2 silver medals as well as being a captain on the team. Daniel on the other hand considers himself to be an American, born and raised in the US (besides the two years in Canada of course) to an American mother. Daniel has played his first games for the USA in his age group recently and has made it clear that he will not be switching allegiance if he gets the opportunity to represent the full national team.
The news that Daniel is to enter the SMJHL in a years time marks an exciting time for the league and the Karlsson family. Daniel believes himself to have the talent to shine no matter who he shares a draft class with, and wants to make his case to be the first overall pick in both the S40 SMJHL Draft and the S41 SHL draft. With the S39 SMJHL draft not far away, the league has a lot more to think about before then, but the prospect of adding a talent like Daniel might be in the back of the mind of some GMs as they plan out what they can add to their team in the rapidly approaching future.
