Dylan Samberg

Growing up in Minnesota, Samberg made his way through the junior prep ranks before enrolling at Hermantown High School.[2] During his bantam year, he switched from forward to defence in order to make the team.[4] Although an ankle injury during his sophomore year forced him to miss most of the season, he improved in his junior year and led the team to the Class A state hockey title. After finishing the season with seven goals and 15 assists in 29 games, Samberg was drafted by the Waterloo Black Hawks of the United States Hockey League (USHL).[5] Samberg returned to the Hawks for his senior year where he again led the team to its second consecutive Minnesota Class A Tournament title by scoring the game-winning goal in double overtime to clinch the title. As a result of his play, Samberg was a finalist for the Minnesota Mr. Hockey Award and secured the Associated Press All-State (first team), All-Lake Superior Conference and Duluth News-Tribune All-Area honors.[2] Following the tournament, Samberg played 14 games with the Blackhawks and recorded five points and a plus-5 rating.[6]

Samberg's play during his junior and senior seasons earned him attention from National Hockey League (NHL) scouts. He was originally ranked as a fourth through sixth-rounder by NHL Central Scouting Bureau (CSS) but quickly moved up the official lists throughout the 2016–17 season. His final CSS ranking was 67th amongst all North American skaters.[7] Before starting his collegiate career, Samberg was drafted in the second round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft by the Winnipeg Jets and participated in their development camp.[8]

Following the NHL Draft and the Jets' development camp, Samberg joined the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs men's ice hockey at the University of Minnesota Duluth for the 2017–18 season.[6] Midway through his freshman season, Samberg joined Team USA at the 2018 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships,[9] where he helped them win a bronze medal.[10] At the time of the selection, Samberg had tallied four assists and a minus-5 rating in his first 19 games. Upon returning with a bronze medal, he scored his first collegiate goal and added eight assists to help the Bulldogs reach a second consecutive NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament.[11] Upon completing his freshman season, Samberg was again invited to participate at the Jets' summer development camp.[12]

Upon completing his junior season, Samberg concluded his collegiate career by signing a three-year, entry-level contract with the Jets worth an average annual value of $1.175 million.[13]

In February 2021, Samberg was assigned to the Jets' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, for the shortened 2020–21 season.[14] In his first professional season, Samberg tallied one goal and six assists through 32 games.[1] In September 2021, Samberg suffered a high ankle sprain during the Jets' training camp and he was expected to miss six to eight weeks.[15] When he fully recovered, Samberg re-joined the Moose and became top defensive partners with Johnathan Kovacevic.[16] He eventually made his NHL debut on January 13, 2022, in a 3–0 win over the Detroit Red Wings.[17] Samberg played 17:52 in his debut and recorded his first career NHL point, an assist on Andrew Copp's first goal of the game.[18] He played six games with the Jets following his debut, recording two assists, before returning to the AHL. After returning to the Moose, Samberg continued his impressive offensive output as he tallied 12 assists through 32 games. He was eventually recalled on an emergency basis in April 2022.[19] In his first game back at the NHL level, Samberg assisted on both of Morgan Barron's goals to tally two secondary assists in the 4–2 win over the Montreal Canadiens.[20] Once the Jets were eliminated from playoff contention, Samberg returned to the Moose to assist in their 2022 Calder Cup playoffs push.[21]