Another product of the U.S. National Development Team, this is one big blue-liner. Not particularly flashy, Samuelsson is an effective two-way player. Even though top-end speed is not his forte, his skating is good enough once he gets going to allow him to keep pace with play. His asset, not surprisingly, is his shut-down work. Using his stick or his body, no matter how much traffic and commotion, he can alleviate pressure. Willing to sacrifice to keep pucks out of his net. But he’s not all defence. He possesses got hockey sense and vision, meaning he is able to make strong choices moving the puck or putting it on net. To go with his over-sized dimensions, the Voorhees, N.J., native is also a character presence. A leader for the U.S. squad for whom he collected 14 points and 64 penalty minutes in 23 appearances. In 2016-17, a season split between the U-17 and U-18 sides, Samuelsson managed 10 points in 30 outings. Plenty of upside on display here.

– FCHockey’s 2022 NHL Draft Guide