Mattias Samuelsson Named Captain of US WJC Team

[Brawndo]

Per press release
 

 

 

Edited December 24, 2019 by Brawndo

[Gatorman0519]

Can he play center? Lol 

[OhMyDahlin]

He's going to be a defenseman this team desperately needs in a couple years...a true shutdown kick-your-@ss type of player.

[pi2000]

That's nice.   

Trade him now while he's at peak value.

[PASabreFan]

1 hour ago, OhMyDahlin said:

He's going to be a defenseman this team desperately needs in a couple years...a true shutdown kick-your-@ss type of player.

Someone cut my brake lines. I'm serious.

But Elaine did do a nice job of editing that release, so maybe I want to live.

[nfreeman]

Very nice. 

[Curt]

This is cool.  I’m still concerned about  whether his skating will be good enough though.

[tom webster]

1 hour ago, Curt said:

This is cool.  I’m still concerned about  whether his skating will be good enough though.

It’s funny, the only place I’ve ever heard any concerns about his skating is here. Granted, I’m not into all the analysis of draft picks that some are but the four people whose opinion I trust all list his skating as above average.

[SwampD]

Good lord. I was 6'4" at 19yo and it was everything I could do to get to 204 lbs.

220 and a skater?! He's got to be a monster. Who cares about his skating.

[TrueBlueGED]

Said it before, I'll say it again: we traded a GM who couldn't evaluate defensemen for a GM who can't evaluate forwards.

[Pimlach]

10 hours ago, TrueBlueGED said:

Said it before, I'll say it again: we traded a GM who couldn't evaluate defensemen for a GM who can't evaluate forwards.

The scouts do the detailed grading.   The GM evaluates the grades and makes the picks.  Some GMs are like scouts and spend time on the road scouting but there are many other duties for the GM in today’s game.  The GM also manages the salary cap, set the strategy, hires the coaches, makes trades and cuts  

Pegula trusted his team to a first time President who quit, and to first time GMs - twice.  

[bob_sauve28]

That's a good thing! Can never have enough good defensemen

[Curt]

19 hours ago, tom webster said:

It’s funny, the only place I’ve ever heard any concerns about his skating is here. Granted, I’m not into all the analysis of draft picks that some are but the four people whose opinion I trust all list his skating as above average.

I’m not saying that he is a terrible skater.  I generally see it written that he is “a good skater for his size”, which doesn’t necessarily mean he is good though.

Even if he is pretty good now, he is 220 at 19.  If he ends up 235 at 22, will his skating be good, or will he slow down.

[MakeSabresGrr8Again]

22 minutes ago, Curt said:

I’m not saying that he is a terrible skater.  I generally see it written that he is “a good skater for his size”, which doesn’t necessarily mean he is good though.

Even if he is pretty good now, he is 220 at 19.  If he ends up 235 at 22, will his skating be good, or will he slow down.

I won't care if he reaches 260 lbs if he as good as Byfuglien or his bloodlines.

[Curt]

1 hour ago, MakeSabresGrr8Again said:

I won't care if he reaches 260 lbs if he as good as Byfuglien or his bloodlines.

That’s exactly what I’m saying.  Guys like Byfuglien are the exception.  If he can, that’s great.

[tom webster]

1 hour ago, MakeSabresGrr8Again said:

I won't care if he reaches 260 lbs if he as good as Byfuglien or his bloodlines.

Read four scouting reports only one qualifies it by adding “for his size.”

[Billssabres33]

Hopefully this means good leadership in the pipeline.  I think Jack is a good leader, but the rest of the roster seems pretty void.

[GASabresIUFAN]

This is from Dobber Prospects. https://dobberprospects.com/player/mattias-samuelsson/

Quote

The only issue with Samuelsson is his skating. When you watch the World Junior Summer Showcase game tape, you will see how sluggish and slow Samuelsson is at times. In addition, he does not utilize his outside and inside edges. Samuelsson needs to beef up his edge-work and work on his turns. While he does have some work to do skating-wise, his transitioning from forwards to backwards is quite solid. Josh Tessler

 

[Hank]

Was McCabe the captain of a gold medal winning team?

[Wyldnwoody44]

Jbot should be fired immediately for this decision 

[Zamboni]

From July 2019 ...

July 2019 – Mattias Samuelsson is coming off of his first season in the NCAA. In 35 games played for Western Michigan University, he tallied 5 goals, 7 assists and 37 PIM. Samuelsson has worked on discipline as he took far fewer penalties last season than he did in his 2017-18 campaign with the USNTDP, but he still has work to do. Aside from discipline concerns, he is showing improvement in his overall game. Samuelsson has good positioning, solid physicality and decent hands. Even though he tends to be more of defensive defensemen, he will get involved in the offensive zone and will pick up the puck and attempt to spark scoring chances. The only issue with Samuelsson is his skating. When you watch the World Junior Summer Showcase game tape, you will see how sluggish and slow Samuelsson is at times. In addition, he does not utilize his outside and inside edges. Samuelsson needs to beef up his edge-work and work on his turns. While he does have some work to do skating-wise, his transitioning from forwards to backwards is quite solid. Josh Tessler

Like his father, Mattias is a big defenseman (6’4”/220) who does not shy away from laying his body into opponents. After getting into the US National Team Development Program, he added around 22 pounds to his body. “When I arrived, I was just skin and bones” he said to NHL.com in November 2017. Aside from his big frame, Samuelsson has developed his game with the puck and improved his skating, given his size. The left-handed blueliner is mostly praised for his ability in the defensive zone, but is getting more and more involved in the offensive side of the game, picking up twelve points (including five goals), during his first year with Western Michigan University which ranked him third-best among the team’s defensemen. After serving as captain for the United States at the U18 WJC in 2018 (where his team ended up with a silver medal), just like in last years WJC, Samuelsson will get another big role in the upcoming season as he is slated to get a ‘C’ sewn onto his jersey at Western Michigan. Given his continued development in the NCAA, where he made strides in his game overall last season, he looks like a potential top-four defensive defenseman, just like his father.

 

Like all prospects, he’s a work in progress. No big deal. Some try so hard to Dig up any “negative” or “concerning” sentences when it comes to developing young prospects  Any perceived weaknesses are absolutely nothing to worry about at this early stage of his hockey career. It would be great if he developed into a combo of his dad and Risto. 

Edited December 26, 2019 by Zamboni

[Weave]

6 hours ago, Hank said:

Was McCabe the captain of a gold medal winning team?

Yes.

[triumph_communes]

10 hours ago, Hank said:

Was McCabe the captain of a gold medal winning team?

McCabe overpricing himself is what Samuelsson is going to replace

[Hank]

1 hour ago, triumph_communes said:

McCabe overpricing himself is what Samuelsson is going to replace

Perhaps. But, because of my own hyped expectations, and disappointment, with a previous USA WJC (gold medal winning) captain, I will tamper my expectations with this USA WJC captain. 

[LGR4GM]

My problem with the pick is Samuelssons agility. His edges and turning get exposed at speed. I'm fairly certain a player like Cozens could just cut around him. If Samuelsson improves his agility, he projects as a #4 defender with pk aptitude. 

Johnson is impo the better of our 2 recent defense selections.