Henrik Samuelsson Recalled

Henrik Samuelsson gets the call from the Arizona Coyotes

Today’s been a busy day, but Henrik Samuelsson probably hasn’t noticed — he’s too busy heading to Glendale, Arizona.

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  • Drafted in the first round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Samuelsson is one of two kids from his family currently in the Coyotes system — and although the team has already given fans a glimpse of older brother Philip on the blue line, this will be Henrik’s first chance this season to show what he’s got.

    Taller than most of the other forwards the team currently employs and known for being a powerful player on the wing, he needed to improve his skating — and recover from a particularly nagging head injury — before the team called him up. A standout final season with the Edmonton Oil Kings last season, though, showed plenty of promise for one of the few players in the Coyotes system who can probably be projected to develop into a true power forward.

    The first half of his AHL season looked pretty rough, as is expected for a first year AHL rookie (and one with an injury, at that) — but over his last twelve games, he has three goals and seven points. He’s putting up shots in every game, and takes his fair share of hits with a sizeable PIM record.

    In his place, forward Jordan Martinook has been reassigned by the team to Portland; although Martinook looked good on the wing with Sam Gagner and Mark Arcobello during the team’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning earlier this week, it’s likely the front office wants a chance to see how all the young players are shaping up before the season ends.

    A native of Scottsdale, Arizona, Samuelsson and his older brother Philip are the two eldest children of former NHLer (and New York Rangers assistant coach) Ulf Samuelsson.

    Things to keep an eye on:

    -The younger Samuelsson has been reported as a clunky skater, but he’s smart — and with his size, he adds some power that the Coyotes are sorely lacking. Much of their youth corps are on the smaller side, with Lucas Lessio looking to be one of the biggest forwards on the team moving forward. Shane Doan has been tired lately, so Samuelsson will need to be physical in his NHL debut.

    -Although Samuelsson is likely going to slot on a line with Max Domi, things could change if the Coyotes manage to draft Domi and Christian Dvorak’s linemate from London, Mitchell Marner. Seeing if Henrik can slot in with any of the rest of the team’s youth could bode well for the team long-term if he finds chemistry with anyone else… particularly smaller guys like Tobias Rieder or Mark Arcobello.

    -Brandon Gormley and Connor Murphy have both been struggling in the lineup, and Dylan Reese was a nice feel-good call up… but it would be cool to see if the team manages to get both Henrik and Philip in the lineup together.

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