Mattias Samuelsson

Mattias Samuelsson (born March 14, 2000) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played collegiately at Western Michigan.

Mattias Samuelsson
Lillehammer 2016 Finale Hockey hommes (24903547960).jpg
Samuelsson in 2016
Born (2000-03-14) March 14, 2000
Voorhees, New Jersey, U.S.
Height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight 217 lb (98 kg; 15 st 7 lb)
Position Defense
Shoots Left
NHL team Buffalo Sabres
NHL Draft 32nd overall, 2018
Buffalo Sabres
Playing career 2021–present

Playing career

Junior

Samuelsson played three seasons in the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. He was part of the team that won the silver medal at the 2019 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[1] He was captain of the team at the 2020 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[2][3]

Samuelsson was drafted by the Sarnia Sting in the fourth round of the 2016 Ontario Hockey League Draft, but chose not to play there.[4]

College

After originally committing to the University of Michigan, Samuelsson de-committed and went to Western Michigan instead.[5] He played two seasons at Western Michigan, where he scored seven goals and 19 assists.[6] He was an alternate captain for the team in his sophomore year, despite being the youngest player on the team.[7]

Professional

Samuelsson was drafted in the second round, 32nd overall, by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.[8][9] He signed a three-year contract with the Sabres on March 25, 2020.[1] He made his NHL debut with the Sabres on April 18, 2021, in a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.[10][11] Samuelsson scored his first career goal on November 30, 2022, against the Detroit Red Wings.

The Sabres signed Samuelsson to a seven-year, $30 million contract on October 12, 2022.[12]

Personal

Samuelsson's Swedish-born father, Kjell, played 14 seasons as an NHL defenseman for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning.[13][14] His mother Vicki is a Pennsylvania native.[15] Mattias grew up modeling his game after that of longtime NHL defensemen Mattias Ekholm[5] and Victor Hedman.[16]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2015–16 Northwood School USHS 47 14 15 29 18 — — — — —
2016–17 U.S. National Development Team USHL 30 5 5 10 26 — — — — —
2017–18 U.S. National Development Team USHL 23 4 10 14 64 — — — — —
2018–19 Western Michigan Univ. NCHC 35 5 7 12 37 — — — — —
2019–20 Western Michigan Univ. NCHC 30 2 12 14 41 — — — — —
2020–21 Rochester Americans AHL 23 3 10 13 12 — — — — —
2020–21 Buffalo Sabres NHL 12 0 2 2 4 — — — — —
2021–22 Rochester Americans AHL 22 2 13 15 16 — — — — —
2021–22 Buffalo Sabres NHL 42 0 10 10 16 — — — — —
2022–23 Buffalo Sabres NHL 55 2 8 10 20 — — — — —
NHL totals 109 2 20 22 40 — — — — —
Medal record
Representing  United States
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Silver medal – second place2019 Canada
World U18 Championships
Silver medal – second place2018 Russia

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2018 United States U18 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 7 1 1 2 6
2019 United States WJC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 7 0 0 0 0
2020 United States WJC 6th 5 0 0 0 6
Junior totals 19 1 1 2 12

Awards and honors
Award Year
College
NCHC Honorable Mention All-Star Team 2020

References
  1. "Sabres agree to sign prospect defenseman Mattias Samuelsson". ESPN. March 25, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  2. Isaac, Dave (March 25, 2020). "Voorhees' Mattias Samuelsson turns pro with Buffalo Sabres". Courier-Post. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  3. "Samuelsson to Captain USA at World Junior Championship". WMUBroncos.com. December 24, 2019. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  4. Isaac, Dave (June 19, 2018). "No more holding back for NHL legacy Mattias Samuelsson". Courier-Post. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  5. Mahiban, Dhiren (June 22, 2018). "NHL Draft 2018: Big defenseman Mattias Samuelsson follows in father's footsteps". Sporting News. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  6. "Mattias Samuelsson Signs with the Buffalo Sabres". WMUBroncos.com. March 25, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  7. LaBarbour, Jourdon (June 28, 2019). "Samuelsson led by example as a freshman". Buffalo Sabres. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  8. Dougherty, Tom (June 23, 2018). "From Voorhees to Sabres, Mattias Samuelsson continues family's NHL tradition". NBC Sports. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  9. Lysowski, Lance (February 26, 2022). "Mattias Samuelsson learning how to be a consistent physical presence for Sabres". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on February 26, 2022. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  10. "Mattias Samuelsson Makes NHL Debut". WMUBroncos.com. April 19, 2021.
  11. Harrington, Mike (April 18, 2021). "Mattias Samuelsson's solo lap a start of big day for Sabres prospect". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  12. "Samuelsson signs seven-year, $30 million contract with Sabres". NHL.com. October 12, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  13. Yerdon, Joe (July 10, 2018). "Samuelsson develops physical style for Sabres similar to father Kjell". NHL.com. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  14. Lysowski, Lance (April 30, 2021). "Sabres' Mattias Samuelsson using lessons from his father to continue NHL dream". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on May 1, 2021. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  15. "Team Member Spotlight: Vicki Samuelson". 5 November 2019.
  16. Kimelman, Adam (February 15, 2018). "Samuelsson using size, pedigree to develop into top prospect". NHL.com. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
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