(WGR 550) – Mattias Samuelsson has only played seven National Hockey League games, but the 21-year-old defenseman has shown he has a long future ahead of him.
One thing that sticks out in watching the kid is how calm he is. He never gets flustered. Don Granato feels that comes from his father, Kjell Samuelsson, who played 14 years in the NHL.
“He has a calm to him that’s way beyond his years. If you knew his father you would understand why," the Sabres interim head coach said following Friday's practice. "He’s a player that’s benefited from having a father that was a very good NHL player. He’s been around the game since he’s been a kid, and you can see it's pretty second nature for him, because he does have a real nice calm to him within the context of a pretty competitive environment.”
Much of Kjell Samuelsson’s career took place with the Philadelphia Flyers. Mattias said his dad and being around the Flyers helped him learn the game.
“Having my dad involved in the NHL still helps. Growing up, he’d always teach me stuff or show me little things,” he said.
It was more than just advice. Being a rink rat helped too.
“When I was younger, I’d go on the ice with the Flyers or Phantoms whenever I had a chance and practiced and played against them. I think that was a huge help too,” Samuelsson said.
Samuelsson said he talks to his dad after games, and he’ll always give him a few notes. Kjell Samuelsson is currently a scout for the Flyers.
In his final season with the U.S. National Under-18 Team, Samuelsson played with Jack Hughes, Joel Farabee, Oliver Wahlstrom, K’Andre Miller, Cole Caufield, Alex Turcotte, Spencer Knight and Matt Boldy. He said he got great development spending two seasons there.
“The [U.S. National Team Development] Program is an unbelievable place to develop players. Playing against the best players in your age group everyday makes every day a battle.”
It didn’t stop there, though. Samuelsson moved on to play two seasons at Western Michigan.
“That was huge for me. Moving into college and playing against older guys is big, and playing for a legendary coach like Andy Murray," Samuelsson said. "I think he taught me more details about the game than I learned at [the USNTDP], so that was huge to play for him.”
Samuelsson said every game he plays, he gets more confident with the puck.
Granato said Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will probably start in goal for Saturday’s game in Boston against the Bruins.
Join Brian Koziol for pregame coverage on WGR starting at 12 p.m. ET when we’ll hear from Granato and talk about Ryan Miller’s retirement.
