Born a year after his father stepped away from the game, Mattias Samuel son never saw his father Kjell Samuel son play in the National Hockey League.However, the apple didnt fall far from the tree when it comes to their playing styles.
Drafted by the New York Rangers in 1984, Kjell Samuel son appeared in 813 NHL games with the Rangers, Flyers, Penguins and Lightning, registering 186 points and 1,225 penalty minutes over his 14-year career.
Now his youngest son, Mattias, hopesto follow in dad'sfootsteps. The six-foot-three, 217-pounder -- a defenseman, like his father --is expected to hear his name called late in the first round or early in the second round at in Dallas.
NHL DRAFT 2018:|
ISS Hockey has Samuel son ranked 31st on its list of top-200 prospects eligible for selection while NHL Central Scouting has him 21st amongst North American Walter Payton Jersey skaters.
I think hes got a little more grit in his game than dad did, said ISS Hockey Scouting Director Dennis MacInnis. With that said, his father was a defensive stay-at-home guy. He wasnt nece sarily a punishing, pounding hitter.
(Mattias) is a big, mobile, physical, two-way guy. We see him more with the defensive upside at the next level. He does everything well, hes got good hands, hes above average puck control, sees the ice, makes good decisions, theres a lot of grit in his game. Hes got a lot of size, tremendous reach and hes just an intimidating presence out on the ice.
MORE: NHL Draft 2018 -- Quinn Hughes "as valuable as anyone" playing a style his own
Originally committed to the University of Michigan for the fall, Samuel son de-committed in January, switchingto Western Michigan University a move Kyle Fuller Jersey that will see him reunite with older brother Lukas who just completed his freshman year with the Broncos.
Its something weve dreamed of for a long time, so just seeing the whole college experience and playing college hockey together with him, itll be something fun, said Mattias. When he was a senior and I was a freshman in high school we played like half the season together, but thats it.
(Lukas) loves it. They have a really good time. The coach, Andy Murray, runs a tight ship so hes been warning me a little bit about that.
No one knows the tight ship Murray runs better than Kjell Samuel son. The veteran NHL coach was an a sistant in Philadelphia for two seasons when Kjell was with the Flyers.
Hes a good coach and I think hes in a very good environment in college because he teaches hockey and hes very pa sionate about teaching the right way to play and I think hes top-notch in thats his niche to teach the right way and I think that can go a long way, if youre a player, to have a coach like that, said Kjell Samuel son.
Murray, who joined Western Michigan University in 2011, already sees similarities in the father and son.
Mattias reminds me of Kjell with his reach and hes a long-body guy, long-arm guy and has got a good stick, said Murray. Maybe thinks a little more offensively than what Kjell did, but from just a mentality perspective Kjell was a very very difficult guy to to play against and tough to get around and Mattias I think jumps up with the play a little bit more.
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Despite being born after his dads playing days came to an end, Mattias Samuel son understands the kind of player Kjell was.
He had a good, long career, played for some good teams, racked up a few PIMs, but he had a pretty good career, he said.
MORE: NHL Draft 2018 -- Why Andrei Svechnikov's star potential is on par with Rasmus Dahlin
While working for the Flyers American Hockey League affiliate between 2000-13, Kjell regularly had his boys on the ice.
They were around a lot and watched a lot of Phantoms games when I coached, said the elderSamuel son. They kind of grew up around hockey. When they started, they played in the same rink as we practiced in.
Mattias credits his dad with being his first coach.
When I was young, he taught me everything I knew and then still today.If he watches a game, hell give me a little tip or pointer somewhere, he explained. I think it helps me a lot.
Off the ice, Mattiascould follow in his brothers path, as well. A product of the U.S. National Team Development Program, Samuel son is considering a major in sports management at Western Michigan University, but will take general courses in his first semester.
Samuel son credits his two seasons with the national program for getting him to where is today.
When I was younger, I Gale Sayers Jersey always played with older kids, that was a way for me to mature, Samuel son said. I realized what they were doing to have succe s and thats what Ive tried to do. At the program, just getting treated like pros there, the team that we had, playing against older guys night-in and night-out, it shows you how hard it is to win so thats something I can take with me the rest of my career.
MORE: NHL Draft 2018 -- How Rasmus Dahlin can fit Sabres, fast-track league's slowest rebuild
This season, Samuel son registered 11 goals and 20 points in 58 games while playing for Seth Appert. He also captained the Americans at the Under-18 world championship scoring a goal and an a sist in seven games as the U.S. won silver.
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As he looks to take the next step in is hockey career, the Voorhees, NJ native will need to work on his quickne s, according to scouts.
Hes got to work on his pivots and his foot speed more than anything, said MacInnis. Hes a big guy, still growing into his body. But his footwork is a little bit sluggish.
Thats something he can work on in his game.
MORE: NHL trade rumors 2018 -- Erik Karl son, Phil Ke sel top list of po siible players on the move
The Jonathan Bullard Jersey 18-year-old, who tries to model his game after Mattias Ekholm, met with the Flyers at the recent scouting combine as part of the interview proce s.
Philly has picks 14 and 19 in the first round of the draft and pick 50th in the second round, but Kjell Samuel son, now a member of the Flyers development staff tasked with overseeing the defensive prospects, says he isnt aware of the clubs interest in his son.
We havent really talked about it and Im not really involved in that side of it so I dont even know if theyre interested because they havent talked to me at all, said Kjell Samuel son. I dont know really what the plan is, theyre looking for defence, everybody is, this year, theres a lot of good defencemen in the draft too, but I dont
Born a year after his father stepped away from the game, Mattias Samuel son never saw his father Kjell Samuel son play in the National Hockey League.However, the apple didnt fall far from the tree when it comes to their playing styles.
Drafted by the New York Rangers in 1984, Kjell Samuel son appeared in 813 NHL games with the Rangers, Flyers, Penguins and Lightning, registering 186 points and 1,225 penalty minutes over his 14-year career.
Now his youngest son, Mattias, hopesto follow in dad'sfootsteps. The six-foot-three, 217-pounder -- a defenseman, like his father --is expected to hear his name called late in the first round or early in the second round at in Dallas.
NHL DRAFT 2018:|
ISS Hockey has Samuel son ranked 31st on its list of top-200 prospects eligible for selection while NHL Central Scouting has him 21st amongst North American Walter Payton Jersey skaters.
I think hes got a little more grit in his game than dad did, said ISS Hockey Scouting Director Dennis MacInnis. With that said, his father was a defensive stay-at-home guy. He wasnt nece sarily a punishing, pounding hitter.
(Mattias) is a big, mobile, physical, two-way guy. We see him more with the defensive upside at the next level. He does everything well, hes got good hands, hes above average puck control, sees the ice, makes good decisions, theres a lot of grit in his game. Hes got a lot of size, tremendous reach and hes just an intimidating presence out on the ice.
MORE: NHL Draft 2018 -- Quinn Hughes "as valuable as anyone" playing a style his own
Originally committed to the University of Michigan for the fall, Samuel son de-committed in January, switchingto Western Michigan University a move Kyle Fuller Jersey that will see him reunite with older brother Lukas who just completed his freshman year with the Broncos.
Its something weve dreamed of for a long time, so just seeing the whole college experience and playing college hockey together with him, itll be something fun, said Mattias. When he was a senior and I was a freshman in high school we played like half the season together, but thats it.
(Lukas) loves it. They have a really good time. The coach, Andy Murray, runs a tight ship so hes been warning me a little bit about that.
No one knows the tight ship Murray runs better than Kjell Samuel son. The veteran NHL coach was an a sistant in Philadelphia for two seasons when Kjell was with the Flyers.
Hes a good coach and I think hes in a very good environment in college because he teaches hockey and hes very pa sionate about teaching the right way to play and I think hes top-notch in thats his niche to teach the right way and I think that can go a long way, if youre a player, to have a coach like that, said Kjell Samuel son.
Murray, who joined Western Michigan University in 2011, already sees similarities in the father and son.
Mattias reminds me of Kjell with his reach and hes a long-body guy, long-arm guy and has got a good stick, said Murray. Maybe thinks a little more offensively than what Kjell did, but from just a mentality perspective Kjell was a very very difficult guy to to play against and tough to get around and Mattias I think jumps up with the play a little bit more.
###
Despite being born after his dads playing days came to an end, Mattias Samuel son understands the kind of player Kjell was.
He had a good, long career, played for some good teams, racked up a few PIMs, but he had a pretty good career, he said.
MORE: NHL Draft 2018 -- Why Andrei Svechnikov's star potential is on par with Rasmus Dahlin
While working for the Flyers American Hockey League affiliate between 2000-13, Kjell regularly had his boys on the ice.
They were around a lot and watched a lot of Phantoms games when I coached, said the elderSamuel son. They kind of grew up around hockey. When they started, they played in the same rink as we practiced in.
Mattias credits his dad with being his first coach.
When I was young, he taught me everything I knew and then still today.If he watches a game, hell give me a little tip or pointer somewhere, he explained. I think it helps me a lot.
Off the ice, Mattiascould follow in his brothers path, as well. A product of the U.S. National Team Development Program, Samuel son is considering a major in sports management at Western Michigan University, but will take general courses in his first semester.
Samuel son credits his two seasons with the national program for getting him to where is today.
When I was younger, I Gale Sayers Jersey always played with older kids, that was a way for me to mature, Samuel son said. I realized what they were doing to have succe s and thats what Ive tried to do. At the program, just getting treated like pros there, the team that we had, playing against older guys night-in and night-out, it shows you how hard it is to win so thats something I can take with me the rest of my career.
MORE: NHL Draft 2018 -- How Rasmus Dahlin can fit Sabres, fast-track league's slowest rebuild
This season, Samuel son registered 11 goals and 20 points in 58 games while playing for Seth Appert. He also captained the Americans at the Under-18 world championship scoring a goal and an a sist in seven games as the U.S. won silver.
###
As he looks to take the next step in is hockey career, the Voorhees, NJ native will need to work on his quickne s, according to scouts.
Hes got to work on his pivots and his foot speed more than anything, said MacInnis. Hes a big guy, still growing into his body. But his footwork is a little bit sluggish.
Thats something he can work on in his game.
MORE: NHL trade rumors 2018 -- Erik Karl son, Phil Ke sel top list of po siible players on the move
The Jonathan Bullard Jersey 18-year-old, who tries to model his game after Mattias Ekholm, met with the Flyers at the recent scouting combine as part of the interview proce s.
Philly has picks 14 and 19 in the first round of the draft and pick 50th in the second round, but Kjell Samuel son, now a member of the Flyers development staff tasked with overseeing the defensive prospects, says he isnt aware of the clubs interest in his son.
We havent really talked about it and Im not really involved in that side of it so I dont even know if theyre interested because they havent talked to me at all, said Kjell Samuel son. I dont know really what the plan is, theyre looking for defence, everybody is, this year, theres a lot of good defencemen in the draft too, but I dont