NHL Prospect Profile: Mattias Samuelsson

Statistics

Scout Quotes

Samuelsson has the unique combination of size, physicality and skill that NHL teams covet on their blue line. He may not have the offensive game to be a top power play unit player, but could contribute to a second unit. Samuelsson will need to work on refining his skills, cleaning up his skating, and improving discipline. As he is headed to the NCAA, there is plenty of time for him to improve. – Last Word on Hockey

AJ’s Thoughts

Samuelsson is kind of the new age big defender. Instead of being strictly a defensive defenseman, Samuelsson has decent enough skating and a solid shot to go with the classic punishing defensive style. He’s a beast who hits through guys and challenges them to come into his territory. Given his stature and general nasty disposition, crossing his blueline is generally considered a poor decision for one’s long-term health.

Samuelsson’s real question is his offensive upside. The skating is okay but there’s no explosiveness whatsoever. He can get up to speed but it takes a while so you can’t really view his feet as a truly positive asset. He has a decent shot and he surprisingly gets it through traffic with regularity. He’s got nice power behind his shot, no surprise given he’s basically Beast from the X-Men on skates (and not blue), but that’s not why he’s getting drafted.

He’s being drafted because he’s big, mean, and excels at separating puck carriers from the general concept of space and time. He’s a solid second round prospect.

Highlights

Avalanche Fit

He’s left-handed, big, and hits like a truck. That’s to say he’s a solid fit for Colorado. They don’t have many guys like this in their system so he would at least be a fit for them in terms of diversifying the talent pool, especially on their smaller defense. The idea of a future defense with skaters like Girard and Makar but hitters like Zadorov and Samuelsson make this an enticing selection for obvious reasons. He’s fit to play the heavier game the Avs struggle with right now. He’s headed to Western Michigan where he should be well-trained in the art of denying the other team scoring chances. His development track might be slow but Samuelsson is an interesting guy as he is sort of a throwback but might have enough offense to hang in today’s game of speed and skill.

Rankings

#38 Future Considerations
#39 McKeen’s Hockey