Height 6 ft 6 in (198 cm) Name Kjell Samuelsson Career end 1999 Playing career Career start 1983 | Weight 107 kg Shot Right Role Ice hockey player Position Defenseman | |
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NHL Draft 119th overall, 1984New York Rangers | ||
kjell samuelsson crosschecked in face 94 95 playoffs
Kjell Samuelsson (born October 18, 1958) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey defenseman who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning. He is currently the Flyers Director of Player Development.
Contents
- kjell samuelsson crosschecked in face 94 95 playoffs
- odgers vs kjell samuelsson 95 96
- Playing career
- Coaching career
- References
odgers vs kjell samuelsson 95 96
Playing career
Kjell Samuelsson was well into his professional career in his native Sweden when he was chosen 119th overall by the New York Rangers in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft. At age 26 he made the move to North America and spent the bulk of his first season with the Rangers organization with their American Hockey League affiliate in New Haven but did manage to get into nine NHL games. The following year he was a full-time NHLer but found himself on the move when New York traded him to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for netminder Bob Froese. With the Flyers, Samuelsson settled in and became a reliable defender and earned a spot on the All-Star team during the 1987-88 season. He won two Barry Ashbee Trophies (awarded to the Flyers top defensemen) before a deal late in the 1991-92 season sent him out of Philadelphia. The trade was a five-player blockbuster that landed him in Pittsburgh just in time to contribute to back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships. The towering blueliner became an unrestricted free agent following the 1994-95 campaign and signed back with the Philadelphia Flyers. He spent the next three seasons with the Flyers but was only healthy for the first one and when his contract expired, the Flyers opted not to resign him. Samuelsson signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Lightning for the final season of his career then retired following the 1998-99 season. He was the last active NHL player to have been born in the 1950s.
He played 813 career NHL games, scoring 48 goals and 138 assists for 186 points, as well as compiling 1,225 penalty minutes.
Despite his surname and reputation as a physical defenseman, he is not related to former teammate Ulf Samuelsson.
Coaching career
Samuelsson was named an assistant coach of the Phantoms on October 23, 2006, after then-Phantoms coach Craig Berube was named the assistant coach of the Philadelphia Flyers.