Mikael Samuelsson

Mikael Samuelsson
Position	Right wing
Shoots	Right
Nickname(s)	Mr. Mongo
Height Weight	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 213 lb (97 kg)
NHL Team F. Teams	Vancouver Canucks Florida Panthers Pittsburgh Penguins New York Rangers San Jose Sharks Detroit Red Wings
Nationality	Swedish
Born	(1976-12-23)December 23, 1976, Mariefred, Sweden
NHL Draft	145th overall, 1998 San Jose Sharks
Pro Career	1996 – present

Mikael Samuelsson (born December 23, 1976 in Mariefred, Södermanland County) is a Swedish professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is a member of the exclusive Triple Gold Club, having won the Stanley Cup, Olympics, and World Championship.

Playing career

San Jose Sharks

Samuelsson was drafted in the 5th round, 145th overall, by the San Jose Sharks in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. He was with the Sharks in 2000–01, played in four games and did not register any points.

New York Rangers

The following season he signed with the New York Rangers. Over the two seasons that he played for New York, he scored 14 goals and 24 assists for 38 points as a Ranger. During the 2002–03 season he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Samuelsson would go on to score 2 goals in 22 games. Looking to move up in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft the Pens traded him, along with their 1st and 2nd round picks, to the Florida Panthers. In return, the Pittsburgh Penguins would receive the first overall pick, which would be used to draft goaltender Marc-André Fleury. Pittsburgh also received Florida's third round pick, which was used to draft Daniel Carcillo.

Florida Panthers

Samuelsson was traded to the Panthers on June 21, 2003, the day of the NHL draft. The Florida Panthers also received Pittsburgh's first and second round picks, which were used to draft Nathan Horton and Stefan Meyer respectively. Samuelsson spent most of his time with the Panthers on the injured reserve list. On November 22, 2003, Samuelsson would fracture his jaw after being hit by Branislav Mezei's stick. He would not return until January 22, 2004, missing 22 games. Twelve days later, on January 23, 2004, Samuelsson would fracture his hand. He would miss another 21 games before returning on March 9, 2004. After scoring 9 points in 37 games, Samuelsson did not receive a qualifying offer from the Florida Panthers, therefore making him an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his professional career.

NHL Lockout

During the NHL lockout, Samuelsson played in Europe, splitting his time between Genève-Servette HC of the Swiss Nationalliga A and Södertälje SK of the Swedish Elitserien.

Detroit Red Wings

In the summer of 2005 Samuelsson was contacted by Håkan Andersson of the Detroit Red Wings. Andersson was aware Samuelsson did not have a contract, recommended him to the team, and Samuelsson subseqently signed a one-year contract with Detroit. During his first season with the Red Wings, Samuelsson recorded career NHL highs in games played, goals, assists, and points. In March 2006, Samuelsson signed a three-year contract extension with the Red Wings.

Samuelsson was an important piece of the Red Wings team during their 2008 championship run; he scored the first two goals of Game 1 of the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals. He soon raised the Stanley Cup after the Red Wings defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. The victory made Samuelsson a member of the exclusive Triple Gold Club, along with teammates and fellow Swedes Henrik Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall.

Vancouver Canucks

In the summer of 2009, Samuelsson signed a three year deal with the Vancouver Canucks worth $2.5 million a year.

International play

Medal record
Competitor for Sweden
Men's ice hockey
Olympics
Gold	2006 Turin
World Championship
Gold	2006 Latvia

Played for Sweden in:

• 2005 World Championships
• 2006 Winter Olympics (gold medal)
• 2006 World Championships (gold medal)

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1996–97	Södertälje SK	SEL		29	4	2	6	10		—	—	—	—	—
1997–98	Södertälje SK	SEL		31	8	8	16	47		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	Frölunda HC	SEL		27	0	5	5	10		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	Södertälje SK	Swe-2		18	13	10	23	26		—	—	—	—	—
1999–00	Brynäs IF	SEL		40	4	3	7	76		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	Kentucky Thoroughblades	AHL		66	32	46	78	58		3	1	0	1	0
2000–01	San Jose Sharks	NHL		4	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Hartford Wolf Pack	AHL		8	3	6	9	12		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	New York Rangers	NHL		67	6	10	16	23		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	New York Rangers	NHL		58	8	14	22	32		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		22	2	0	2	8		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Florida Panthers	NHL		37	3	6	9	35		—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	Genève-Servette HC	Swiss-A		12	2	4	6	14		—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	Södertälje SK	SEL		29	7	13	20	45		10	3	3	6	24
2005–06	Rapperswil-Jona Lakers	Swiss-A		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		71	23	22	45	42		6	0	1	1	6
2006–07	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		53	14	20	34	28		18	3	8	11	14
2007–08	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		73	11	29	40	26		22	5	8	13	8
2008–09	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		81	19	21	40	50		23	5	5	10	6
NHL totals				466	86	122	208	244		69	13	22	35	34

International

Year	Team	Comp	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2005	Sweden	WC	9	1	4	5	4
2006	Sweden	Oly	8	1	3	4	2
2006	Sweden	WC	8	4	5	9	4

External links

• Mikael Samuelsson's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Mikael Samuelsson - player profile and career stats at European Hockey.Net