One of the keys to the Buffalo Sabres’ success this season is Mattias Samuelsson. In only his fourth season, the 23-year-old defenseman will be the glue that holds the Sabres’ defense together.
While top defenseman Rasmus Dahlin and second-year Swede Owen Power receive most of the headlines, it’s Samuelsson’s sturdy play that pundits often overlook. The second-round pick from 2018 supplies most of the nuts and bolts that don’t always show up in the box score. If the team needs a spark, Samuelsson can provide it with his tenacity. He delivers good hits and isn’t shy about sacrificing his body to block shots.
Samuelsson Trusted Defensively
A defenseman who uses his 6-foot-4, 231-pound frame to keep opponents honest, Samuelsson is trusted defensively by head coach Don Granato.
Samuelsson mostly starts his shifts in the defensive zone, with over 63 percent of faceoff starts in his end. That includes even strength and the penalty kill, which ranks seventh in the league with a 90.9 percent (20 for 22) success rate through six games. These are two areas where he excels due to his gritty physical style.
Following Monday night’s loss to the Montreal Canadiens (Oct. 23), Samuelsson is tied for the team lead with 10 blocked shots and is third in hits with 13. A good positional defenseman, he can pick his spots well during games. That’s what makes him an important cog for his team.
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He’s also a good skater for his size, which allows him to recover well in the defensive zone and break up plays. If there’s an area he’s improving on, it’s being able to make the right offensive read.
In Saturday’s (Oct. 21) 3-1 home win over the New York Islanders, Samuelsson scored his first goal of the season late in the second period to put the Sabres up 2-0. He jumped in on the play to take a Casey Mittelstadt pass and beat goaltender Semyon Varlamov with a quick snapshot. It proved to be the game-winner.
Samuelsson’s Contract Extension
Recently, both Dahlin and Power signed long-term contract extensions to remain Sabres into the next decade. While it was vital for general manager Kevyn Adams to lock them up long-term, he also made sure to get Samuelsson extended on Oct. 12, 2022. He agreed to a seven-year contract extension worth $30 million for a $4.3 million annual cap hit that will expire in 2030.
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When Samuelsson was signed, Dahlin, his partner on the top pairing, had some nice things to say about him:
“We don’t talk about him enough,” Dahlin said. “He’s an amazing guy on and off the ice. … It’s super easy to have a guy like that. He plays the right way and (goes) great places with the puck. He’s a guy that you can really trust. … He’s hilarious and never shuts up,” Dahlin said. “So, it’s amazing to have those guys in the locker room and he’s amazing for us”
from “Sabres sign Samuelsson to 7-year contract extension,” NHL.com, 10/12/2022.
Having a steady defensive defenseman who can cover his partner on the blue line allows Dahlin to take more chances offensively, and they have good chemistry on and off the ice.
It was during last season that the two defensemen started to evolve. Dahlin set new career highs in goals (15), assists (58), and points (73) to pace the Sabres’ blue line. Samuelsson scored the first two goals of his career while adding eight assists in 55 games. He also had 107 hits and 91 blocked shots, while Dahlin recorded 105 hits and 132 blocks.
On a team that just missed the playoffs (91 points), both Dahlin and Samuelsson played responsibly, even if the team wasn’t known for its defense. Samuelsson paced all Sabres defensemen with a plus-14 rating, and Dahlin was right behind him at plus-12.
Samuelsson Must Stay Healthy
If there was one drawback last season, it was Samuelsson’s inability to stay healthy; he missed 27 games in 2022-23 due to injuries. He was able to return down the stretch to help the Sabres in their quest to make the postseason, but it was later revealed that he played through a broken hand and a sprained MCL.
So far, so good to start the season. Samuelsson already has his third career goal, an assist, and a plus-2 rating in six games. If the Sabres’ warrior can avoid the injury bug, it will go a long way in helping the team find success.
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Expectations are higher this season. The goal is to make the playoffs for the first time since 2010-11 when Ryan Miller, Thomas Vanek, Jason Pominville, and Tyler Myers were the headliners.
Like Father, Like Son
Samuelsson has followed in his father’s footsteps. In the 1980s and 1990s, Kjell Samuelsson was also a physical force on the blue line.
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Originally a New York Rangers sixth-round pick in 1984, he went on to have a successful NHL career with the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins in the old Patrick Division. After the Flyers traded him to the Penguins in a blockbuster deal that included Rick Tocchet and Mark Recchi, Samuelsson won a Stanley Cup in Pittsburgh during the 1991-92 season.
Represented Team USA
Born in Philadelphia, Samuelsson played for the U.S. National Under-18 Team and represented Team USA at two Under-20 World Junior Championships. In 2019, they finished runner-up to Team Finland, taking home silver.
Samuelsson spent two years playing for Western Michigan University in 2018-19 and 2019-20, with seven goals and 19 assists in 65 games.
Path to the NHL
Samuelsson’s path to the NHL didn’t take long. During the shortened 2020-21 season, he spent 23 games playing for the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League, with three goals and 10 assists, before making the jump to the NHL.
He concluded the season by playing 12 games for the Sabres, including his NHL debut against the Penguins on April 18, 2021. In 19 shifts and 14:12 of ice time, he recorded two hits. Samuelsson picked up the first two points of his career versus the Boston Bruins on April 23, 2021, notching two assists in a 6-4 win.
In 2021-22, Samuelsson played in 42 games, finishing with 10 assists, 100 hits, and 60 blocks. That was enough for the Sabres to make a long-term commitment, and he proved himself last season by improving overall.
Samuelsson’s Bright Future
Now in his fourth year, Samuelsson is one of the key players on the Sabres. He continues to get the tough assignments along with Dahlin. At 23, both are young core pieces with a bright future — Samuelsson is 29 days older than Dahlin — and both were selected in the same draft a round apart. The big difference is that Dahlin was the top pick, while Samuelsson waited until number 32.
Who knew that the Sabres would find their top pairing in the 2018 Draft? In 2021, they grabbed Power with the first overall pick to further strengthen their blue line. Featuring three defensemen 23 or younger who are playing significant roles, the future is bright in Western New York.
