Linus Karlsson holds no ill will towards the San Jose Sharks.

But the Swedish winger still feels extra motivation when he faces the organization that drafted him.

“It’s kind of fun,” Karlsson told San Jose Hockey Now in Vancouver on Saturday before facing the Sharks. “They traded me away… It’s kind of fun to show [out.] You want to play well against [your] former team. It’s a fun thing to do, play against them, even [against] the Barracuda.”

Karlsson, quietly, has been terrorizing both the San Jose Sharks and Barracuda, since he was selected by the Sharks in the third round of the 2018 Draft.

“I was actually on vacation, and remember the scout called me and said they drafted me,” Karlsson reminisced.

That scout was Sharks’ Director of European Scouting Shin Larsson, who had scouted him heavily.

“It was a lot of emotions, and was really a fun day for me.”

Karlsson enjoyed his brief time with the San Jose organization, saying that he spent a lot of time at 2018 development camp with former goaltending coach Johan Hedberg and current scout Niklas Sundstrom, both Swedes. For a while, he was a part of the three Karlssons, unrelated, in the organization, Erik, Melker, and Linus.

In Feb. 2019, the Sharks sent Karlsson to the Vancouver Canucks for 2016 second-rounder Jonathan Dahlen. At the time, Karlsson was playing for Karlskrona HK in Allsvenskan.

This time, his agent informed him.

“I hadn’t spent much time in San Jose,” Karlsson said. “Because I was playing in Sweden, nothing much changed to be honest. I switched teams. I didn’t have to move or stuff like that.”

For the Sharks, Dahlen played the entire 2021-22 season and put up 12 goals and 22 points in 61 games but returned to Sweden that off-season. Dahlen has starred in the SHL since.

Karlsson, meanwhile, is a late NHL bloomer: The 26-year-old winger is enjoying something of a breakout season with the Vancouver Canucks, with eight goals and 15 points in 34 games. Before that, he produced three consecutive 20-goal campaigns with the Abbotsford Canucks, highlighted by leading Abbotsford with 14 goals and 26 points in their 2025 Calder Cup triumph.

“This is first time I’ve really been in the lineup [consistently],” Karlsson said of his first full NHL season. “It’s been tough, and it’s so fun to play in this league. I worked really hard for this, improved a lot of stuff, like skating … Just [trying] to enjoy it and keep working hard to take the next step.”

Thus far, Karlsson has averaged 10:20 time on ice, mainly on the Canucks’ fourth line, after being healthy scratched for the first three games of the season. After a recent Karlsson three-point night, head coach Adam Foote applauded the Swede’s play.

“He’s playing in the hard areas,” Foote said. “He didn’t shy away from the dirty areas and is smart around the net. And getting involved physically allowed him to get that shot away and it was nice to see. He’ll grow a lot from that.”

Last night, Karlsson scored his second power play goal of the season, off a brilliant Conor Garland pass, and going hard to the paint.

Perfect pass from Garly. 🍎
Perfect finish from Karly. 🚨 pic.twitter.com/fqMI7HVu40

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) December 28, 2025

Karlsson has two goals in just three career games against the San Jose Sharks.

That’s on top of nine goals and 17 points in 16 contests against the Cuda from 2022 to 2025. Abbotsford also won 11 of those 16 match-ups.

“It’s always a little bit extra [exciting] to score [against your former team,]” Karlsson said. “You want to show well, they traded you away. No hard feelings. It’s just more a fun thing to play the team that drafted me.”