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At last, a Swedish super set-up man
By Matthew Wuest - RedWingsCentral.com / June 23, 2008Hakan Andersson counts himself lucky for making the trip to Norrkoping, Sweden, to watch Jesper Samuelsson play before Christmas. If he had waited until after, Samuelsson might not be a Detroit Red Wings draft pick today.
The Red Wings selected Samuelsson with the last pick in the NHL draft on Saturday at 211th overall. He scored 20 goals and added 42 assists for 62 points in 40 games at Sweden's third level last season with Hasten, the same team in Norrkoping that produced another Mr. Irrelevant, Jonathan Ericsson.
Andersson, the Red Wings' director of European scouting, said Samuelsson collected two-thirds of his points in the first half of the season.
"At Christmas, he got a new coach, who is known to be a bit of an idiot," Andersson said. "At mid-season, Samuelsson, who was by far the leading scorer on the team and league, wouldn't even get on power plays.
"I know two other scouts went to watch him, but they did it late in the year, and so what they saw probably didn't impress them much."
What Andersson saw in Samuelsson against low-level competition was, first and foremost, a terrific playmaker with impressive hockey sense. The 20-year-old, unknown and ignored in the past two NHL drafts, has an uncanny knack for finding the open man, skills that were lost on some of his teammates.
"If he played with a good winger, he could have had another 30 points," Andersson said. "There were times he'd make plays and his winger wasn't even close to being ready for the puck. He'd be looking somewhere else with his stick up in the air and there was the puck, in front of him, and the net was wide open."
None of Samuelsson's other skills will knock you off your feet, but Andersson said his "skating is fine" and his "hands are good."
The biggest concern is size. Andersson called the 5-foot-11 center weak and said he likely isn't more than 170 pounds. Andersson also said Samuelsson just found out in October he has gluten intolerance, which causes weight loss.
"He told me, 'I work out for months and I feel good, then all of a sudden my stomach goes bad and I lose all my weight,'" Andersson said. "He's had that problem for years, and now they finally gave him a good diagnosis. They tell me if you know you have it, it's no problem. We hope he can put on weight."
Andersson has unearthed some solid prospects at Sweden's third level, a circuit scouts rarely bother to watch. Ericsson actually played for Hasten's junior team in his draft year, but Dick Axelsson and Johan Ryno are products of the league, as are former prospects Mikael Johansson and Johan Berggren.
Samuelsson is saying goodbye to the team and league he has called home his entire career, having signed with Timra of the Swedish Elite League. Timra, it just so happens, is the same team that produced Henrik Zetterberg.
Andersson said the jump is "going to be overwhelming, it doesn't matter what you do in the summer," but it's a jump Samuelsson has to make.
Fabian Brunnstrom went from an unknown at Sweden's third level to the Swedish Elite League and became one of hockey's most coveted prospects overnight. But Brunnstrom was 22, and Samuelsson just turned 20 two weeks ago.
Still, Andersson hopes he has found another late-round gem.
"I don't see any big flaws with him," Andersson said. "He needs to fill out and play hockey at a higher level to improve. It's a tremendous jump. He has to adapt (to the tempo and the strength). I can't tell you if that takes two months or a year and a half. With his smartness, I think he's going to be able to play."
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