In 2012, the Arizona Coyotes capped off a trip to the Western Conference Final by selecting Henrik Samuelsson with their first round pick, number 27 overall. Samuelsson was a hero in Edmonton for his work with the Oil Kings, helping the team win the WHL title and advance to the Memorial Cup.
It’s no secret that the Oilers wanted the gritty center in the draft, but they couldn’t find a way to move up and select him during the annual selection process, and settled on Mitch Moroz at pick 32. Moroz, to put it in frank terms, has never adjusted to professional hockey and has not lived up to his draft position.
Then again, neither has Henrik Samuelsson, which resulted in the two being traded for each other on Wednesday afternoon.
The #Oilers have acquired forward Henrik Samuelsson from the @ArizonaCoyotes in exchange for forward Mitchell Moroz. pic.twitter.com/EXb9PDOqAd
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) February 1, 2017
Personally, I don’t mind the deal. Our own Megan Fowler had the immediate reaction here, but I’m going to go in-depth a little more in this piece. I had the pleasure of working for the broadcast team with the Springfield Falcons last season, at the time Arizona’s AHL affiliate.
First off, Henrik Samuelsson is a great guy and will be a solid addition to the locker room in Bakersfield. He’s a veteran and a team first guy who players truly like. From that aspect, I expect him to fit right in on the farm.
In terms of playing style, Samuelsson is a strong defensive forward who doesn’t really make a lot of mistakes away from the puck. One of the things I noticed about him was his smarts. He always seemed to know where to be in the defensive zone and always was on top of his assignments.
The Falcons weren’t a strong defensive team, and that impacted his overall number, but I thought he was strong in this area. I’d make the argument that he was a top three defensive forward for that group a year ago.
Foot speed is a concern in my books with Samuelsson. His speed was very average for the AHL level, and he was noticeably behind the true impact prospects that he played against last season. Speed is such an important part of the NHL game today, and I simply did not see enough of it last year with Henrik Samuelsson. It’s a weakness in his game and it should be noted.
The offense is of concern as well. After notching 18-22-40 in 68 tilts during his rookie season in 2014-15, Samuelsson was being counted on as a top producer last year in Springfield. He ended the season with just 3-9-12 in 43 games and struggled mightily in this area.
Not only were the boxcars not there, I noticed his line continually struggled to create chances in the offensive zone. Rarely, if ever, did Samuelsson’s trio dominate a shift or strike fear into the opponent. Even though he was a former first round pick, he was rarely used on the top line, usually skating on the second unit.
That was mainly because, in my view, he couldn’t be trusted with the offensive situations. Those spots went to veteran Dustin Jeffrey, who ended up being moved at the deadline.
Overall, Samuelsson is a solid defensive forward at the AHL level who lacks the necessary footspeed and offensive acumen, in my opinion, to make it at the NHL level. He’s struggled mightily the last two seasons, and that’s a major issue for his development. He has just three points (2-1-3) in 20 games this season and hasn’t been getting a lot of ice time when in the lineup.
Injuries have been an issue with this player, he’s been hurt this season and missed a large portion of last season with a nasty lower-body injury. While it’s not to fully blame, it has certainly played a role in Henrik’s career coming off the tracks after his rookie season in Portland.
I wish the best for Henrik, but those I’ve talked to would be surprised if he made it as a full-time NHL’er. Based off of what I saw over the course of a full season a year ago, I would be too.
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