Philip Samuelsson has a ton of ties to Arizona hockey despite being a native of Sweden.
The defenseman was born in Sweden but spent a decent chunk of his teenage years living in Scottsdale, AZ while his father Ulf Samuelsson was an assistant coach with the then Phoenix Coyotes.
This led to Samuelsson spending two years as a part of the PF Changs AAA hockey program (now known as the Jr. Coyotes), which is why this sweater is part of my Arizona born or trained collection.
Philip parlayed his success in midget hockey in Arizona into a stint with the Chicago Steel and was selected 61st overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2009 NHL Draft.
Philip Samuelsson with his father Ulf Samuelsson after being selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2009 NHL Draft.
To say Samuelsson has had a journeyman’s career would be an understatement.
He played as part of five different NHL organizations in his North American hockey career while skating in just 13 NHL games (8 with the Coyotes and 5 with the Penguins).
He now plays in Sweden in the SHL for IK Oskarshamn where he serves as an alternate captain.
Philip Samuelsson played in just five games in the ECHL in his career, and all of them were in the stint where he wore this jersey with the Wheeling Nailers in 2011-2012.
He tallied 1 assist and was a -3 in those five contests.
The sweater has a surprising amount of wear leads me to believe it may have been recycled from another player before being worn by Samuelsson.
There are stick and puck marks throughout the front and both sleeves, as well as a few faint marks on the back.
The jersey is emblazoned with the Wheeling Nailers’ 20th Anniversary patch, as well as three different sponsor logos. One on each breast and another below the number on the back.
Philip Samuelsson skates for the Arizona Coyotes on January 15th, 2015 against the Calgary Flames.
While his NHL career didn’t quite live up to expectations, Samuelsson is still a nice story for Arizona hockey.
He spent time in the desert and played two seasons with a local organization and still found his way to the second round of the NHL Draft, a cup of coffee in the NHL, and a professional hockey career that is a decade strong and still going.
Samuelsson is one of the few local products to be drafted to the NHL, and part of an even smaller group who also played with or were part of the Arizona Coyotes organization.