Philip Samuelsson is making the jump from playing to coaching after a long run on the back end. AHL Rochester, the Sabres’ affiliate, announced that the 35-year-old has been hired as an assistant coach.
Samuelsson was a second-round pick by Pittsburgh in 2009, but his NHL time was limited to five games before he was dealt to Arizona in 2014. He picked up eight more games across two seasons with the Coyotes before his career took him from team to team. In recent years, he played overseas, and last season he wrapped things up in Italy with HC Bolzano of the ICEHL, posting 21 points in 43 games.
Minnesota also made a pair of staffing moves earlier this week. The Wild brought in Dan Mackinnon as Assistant Director of Amateur Scouting after a decade in New Jersey, where he spent the last seven seasons as an Assistant GM. They also elevated Alex Goligoski, who moved from Player Development Advisor to Player Development Coach.
There’s movement involving a Blues prospect as well. OHL Flint acquired the rights to defenseman Nick Bogas from Sarnia in a deal that sent back a player and four draft picks.
Bogas, who was drafted in June out of the U.S. National Team Development Program, had four points in 37 games there last season.
He’s already committed to Michigan State University for next season, so his stint in junior hockey is expected to be a brief one.
Another young defenseman could be headed elsewhere soon. Sport-Express’ Artur Khairullin reported that Timur Kol is expected to be moved to Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk in the KHL.
The 19-year-old Hurricanes prospect, a sixth-round pick in 2024, has spent most of the last two seasons in Russia’s junior league. Last year in Dynamo’s MHL system, he put up 13 goals and 16 assists in 35 games, and the move could open a path to higher levels.
In Other News...
Hurricanes Fans Just Got A Better Feel For This Season
The Stanley Cup has been making the rounds in a way that feels tailor-made for a hockey market like Carolina, showing up at several meaningful stops connected to the franchise and its broader community before landing back in front of fans. Players including Jaccob Slavin and Andrei Svechnikov have already had their own personal time with the trophy, while the Cups return to the United States has given Hurricanes supporters one more reminder of how close this team has stayed to the leagues biggest prize.
There is also a fresh layer of anticipation around what the Hurricanes will wear once the season gets going, with the NHL and Fanatics announcing the Hometown Remix jersey program and the actual reveal still ahead after the opener. Add in the ongoing work at Lenovo Center, where renovations are changing the building with new seating arrangements and upgraded speakers, and it is not hard to see why this stretch has fans leaning in a little harder to what comes next. [Read more 🡒]