Mikael Samuelsson

Karl Mikael Samuelsson (born 23 December 1976) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey right winger and current player development coach for the Vancouver Canucks.

Samuelsson began his career in Sweden, starting with small town team IFK Mariefred, followed by Södertälje SK as a junior in 1994.

He went on to also play for Swedish teams IK Nyköping, Frölunda HC and Brynäs IF.

After playing for IFK Mariefred during his childhood, Samuelsson played junior with Södertälje SK of the J20 SuperElit, beginning in 1994–95.

Scoring at a point-per-game pace at the junior level the following season, he was called up to the club's professional club, scoring five goals and an assist in 18 games.

He helped Södertälje SK earn a promotion from the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan to Sweden's premier league, the Elitserien, for the 1996–97 campaign.

Debuting in the Elitserien, Samuelsson recorded six points over 29 games.

While improving to 16 points in 31 games the following season, he also played in ten games for IK Nyköping in the Allsvenskan.

After being selected 145th overall in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft by the San Jose Sharks, he moved to North America for the 2000–01 NHL season.

During the subsequent off-season, Samuelsson was selected in the fifth round, 145th overall, by the San Jose Sharks in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft.

Upon being drafted, he remained in Sweden for two more seasons.

As Södertälje SK was demoted back to the Allsvenskan for the 1998–99 season, Samuelsson remained in the Elitserien by joining Frölunda HC, playing with both teams over the course of the season.

While scoring 23 points over 18 games with Södertälje, he managed five points over 27 games with Frölunda.

The following season, 1999–2000, Samuelsson transferred to Brynäs IF of the Elitserien and recorded seven points in 40 games.

He helped the club to the second-best record in the regular season, before losing in the semifinals to Modo Hockey.

He ranked second in team-scoring with nine points in 11 post-season games.

Samuelsson moved to North America in 2000–01 to begin playing within the San Jose Sharks organization.

He was assigned to the club's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Kentucky Thoroughblades, out of training camp, where he spent the majority of the season.

He had 32 goals and 78 points over 66 games in the AHL to finish seventh in League scoring.

Called up to the Sharks on two occasions over the course of the season, he appeared in his first four NHL games, recording no points.

In the subsequent off-season, Samuelsson was traded to the New York Rangers, along with fellow prospect Christian Gosselin, in exchange for veteran forward Adam Graves on June 24, 2001.

He began the 2001–02 season with the Rangers' AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, but after notching nine points in eight games, he was recalled to the NHL on November 5.

He scored his first two NHL goals on November 20 against goaltender Patrick Roy in a 5–3 win against the Colorado Avalanche.

Samuelsson's first goal came short-handed and broke Roy's three-game shutout streak, which was in contention to tie the modern-day NHL record at the time of four games.

Samuelsson remained with the Rangers for the rest of the season and recorded six goals and 16 assists over 67 games as an NHL rookie.

He was utilized in primarily defensive roles during his time in New York, playing on the penalty kill and matching up against opposing teams' top offensive lines.

In the off-season, Samuelsson was re-signed by the Rangers and made the club's opening roster for the 2002–03 campaign.

Late in the season, he was dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins in an eight-player trade on February 10, 2003.

Along with Samuelsson, the Rangers sent Rico Fata, Joël Bouchard, Richard Lintner and cash to the Penguins in exchange for Alexei Kovalev, Dan LaCouture, Janne Laukkanen and Mike Wilson.

Samuelsson scored two goals in 22 games with the Penguins to finish his second NHL season with a combined 10 goals and 24 points between Pittsburgh and New York.

Looking to move up in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, the Penguins traded him on draft-day, along with their first- and second-round picks (used to select Nathan Horton and Stefan Meyer, respectively), to the Florida Panthers in exchange for the first overall selection that year (used to pick goaltender Marc-André Fleury) and a third-round pick (Daniel Carcillo) on June 21, 2003.

Samuelsson spent most of his time with the Panthers on the injured reserve list, beginning with a fractured jaw after receiving a high-stick from Branislav Mezei on November 22, 2003.

Samuelsson spent short stints with the Sharks, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Florida Panthers, before returning to Europe during the 2004–05 NHL lockout.

In addition to his Stanley Cup championship, he has won gold medals with the Swedish national team at the 2006 Winter Olympics and 2006 World Championships.

As NHL play resumed, Samuelsson signed with the Detroit Red Wings, where he enjoyed individual and team success, winning the Stanley Cup with the club in 2008.

After four seasons in Detroit, he signed with the Vancouver Canucks in July 2009.

He enjoyed the two most successful individual seasons of his career with Vancouver, recording back-to-back 50-point campaigns in 2009–10 and 2010–11.

In his third year with the club, he was traded to the Panthers for his second stint in Florida.

At the end of the season, he re-signed with the Red Wings in July 2012.

Internationally, Samuelsson is a member of the Triple Gold Club.