DALLAS – As the Buffalo Sabres practiced Saturday in American Airlines Center in preparation for a game against the Stars, coach Don Granato approached Mattias Samuelsson with some sage advice.
“I just talked to him on the ice, ironically, about the fact that we want him to play more aggressive,” said Granato. “And to do that, he's got to build a comfort at the NHL level. … The more he does it, the more games he gets, that's what where we're pushing.”
The conversation occurred one day after a stalwart defensive performance by Samuelsson, a 21-year-old drafted 32nd overall by the Sabres in 2018. An imposing defenseman listed at 6-foot-4, 227 pounds, Samuelsson cut off passing lanes and knocked St. Louis Blues players off the puck Friday night in Enterprise Center.
The performance was another display of the mettle in the Buffalo dressing room and a snapshot of what the club can do against the league’s elite, Lance Lysowski writes.
The Sabres had 77.42% of shot attempts at 5-on-5 with Samuelsson on the ice. The matchups weren’t easy, either, as he routinely faced the Blues’ top line of Ryan O’Reilly, Brandon Saad and David Perron.
People are also reading…
There have been difficult moments for Samuelsson as he adjusts to playing top-four minutes in the NHL. He’s still learning when to kill a play with a body check and, although experience in the American Hockey League is important for development, there’s no way to prepare for the elite speed and strength of the world’s best players.
Talent and potential won’t hinder Samuelsson’s growth on the ice. He has a skill set unlike any in the organization, a rare combination of size and athleticism that immediately improved the team’s penalty kill. He’ll have the opportunity to learn how to consistently use those traits to deny top players in the NHL.
“Obviously, I’m at my best when I’m aggressive and physically engaged,” Samuelsson told The Buffalo News. “I think it’s been a learning curve on when you can and can’t in the NHL because obviously you don’t want to get caught running around and stuff like that. The good players in this league will take advantage of that. I’m really starting to figure out how aggressive I can be and that’s when I’m at my best.”
The mistakes Samuelsson has made are typical for young defensemen in the NHL and they’ve been the product of second-guessing, whether it’s with the puck in the offensive zone or when attempting to stifle an opponent’s rush.
It’s not lost on Samuelsson when those errors are made. He recognizes them immediately after the play, pinpointing whether he should have cut off an opponent skating down the wing or if he could have gained inside leverage in front of the net. Samuelsson also watches video of his shifts after games and receives additional hindsight from the coaching staff.
Samuelsson spent much of the 2021 season with the Rochester Americans.
The NHL wasn’t a mystery for Samuelsson when he arrived for the Prospects Challenge this fall. He got his first taste of the league last spring and his 12 games with the Sabres included a matchup against Sidney Crosby. Samuelsson applied that experience in his offseason training and returned to Buffalo poised to take a spot on the roster. A broken bone in a prospects game sidelined Samuelsson until November, leading to an assignment to Rochester.
Samuelsson thrived with the Amerks, playing a first-pairing role, skating in every situation and showing there’s more upside to his game offensively. He had two goals and 15 points in 22 games. Samuelsson will never be a major point producer, but he makes the smart first pass on the breakout and knows how to find a shooting lane from the point.
“Last year was the AHL, but it wasn’t really an official pro year, if that makes sense,” said Samuelsson. “Being there this year, it’s a real pro schedule, playing different teams. Coming off the injury, it was a confidence booster. Get back into a rhythm, get back into game shape and gain some confidence playing games down there and being a big part of the team, playing big minutes. I think it was huge for me. It gave me the confidence I need that when I did get the call up, to be able to play my game up here, too.”
"We had no problem putting him out there and using him," coach Don Granato said. "Back-to-back nights, he's a young guy, skating well and he's such an efficient skater, too. He plays efficiently there. So that was a reason for more minutes. Minutes are less taxing to him."
In 15 games since Jan. 17, Samuelsson ranks fifth on the team in time on ice, first in hits and second in blocked shots. He’s gotten through the natural phase of realizing he belongs in the NHL. Like the Sabres’ top pair of Rasmus Dahlin and Henri Jokiharju, Samuelsson is going to continue to face opponents’ top players. Granato has no plans to shelter his young defensemen.
Samuelsson has played 20-plus minutes on four occasions, and he’s helped the Sabres kill 14 of their last 15 penalties. He’s even been more involved offensively as of late, recording nine shots on goal over Buffalo’s past three games. His responsibilities Sunday afternoon against Dallas could include time against Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn.
“His skill set is special, even within our league,” said Granato. “He has such an incredible combination of size, strength and athleticism. We need to accelerate the developmental process of our players. So I need to get them fast experience. The hope and objective would be they learn faster because they get opportunity. I want to give him opportunity to play against top players and you know, he's really our number one penalty-kill guy. He's our go-to guy on the penalty kill now."
Injuries depleted the Sabres of their depth, particularly in goal, where coach Don Granato has used six netminders, and rarely have they been able to use a lineup that includes all their top players.
With the Sabres (16-29-8) sitting 29th in the NHL, the final 29 games will be about development of the young core. Samuelsson is part of a defense depth chart that will gain strength this spring with the arrival of fellow left-shot defenseman and 2021 first overall draft choice Owen Power. And nights like Friday, when Samuelsson was exceptional against a Stanley Cup contender, or Wednesday when he dropped Montreal’s Paul Byron to the ice with a big hit, show he has the tools to be the steady, responsible, physical presence Buffalo hasn’t had in some time.
“Going against a team like St. Louis, it’s a very veteran-heavy lineup for them and obviously they won it all a couple years ago,” said Samuelsson. “That core is pretty much still there. Just proving to myself that I belong in this league, and I can play against the other teams’ best players every night.”
Mattias Samuelsson's physicality is a key trait for the Sabres' young blueline.
