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Ice Lab

Defence · #23

Mattias Samuelsson

Age
26
Shoots
Left
Height
193 cm
Weight
106 kg
Born
Philadelphia, USA
Draft
2018, round 2, #32 (BUF)

Career · 2020–21 to 2026–27

Games
293
Goals
21
Points
86
TOI per game
21:01
xGF% (5v5)
48.6%
Goals above expected
+4.6

Season by season

The regular-season line for each season, with the total, by team for traded players.

2020–21BUF12022−818:02100.0%00.244.5%
2021–22BUF4201010−1020:00440.0%02.145.4%
2022–23BUF552810+1422:11762.6%03.949.2%
2023–24BUF41167+420:30442.3%01.450.2%
2024–25BUF6241014+319:18527.7%11.945.0%
2025–26BUF78132841+4122:5010911.9%06.751.1%
2026–27BUF3112−221:44425.0%00.255.6%
Total1 team293216586+4221:013396.2%116.448.6%

Form

Rolling averages smooth out single games so the trend shows.

Form, ten-game rolling

Points and individual expected goals per game (left scale), averaged over the previous ten games. Ice time is on the second chart.

Points per gameixG per gameTOI per game (minutes)
00.20.40.60.811.250100150200250
16m18m20m22m24m26m50100150200250Game

Player card

How 2020–21 to 2026–27 compares with everyone else at the position over the same seasons, and the players with the most similar profile.

Overall rating

2nd pair

50th percentile among qualified defencemen, blending scoring 30%, play-driving 50%, usage 20%.

  1. 1st pair
  2. 2nd pair
  3. 3rd pair
  4. Extra / AHL

Scoring

3rd pair
  • Goals /600.2057th pct
  • Assists /600.6346th pct
  • ixG /600.1639th pct
  • Shots /603.3029th pct

Play-driving

3rd pair
  • xGF% (5v5)48.6%46th pct
  • CF% (5v5)47.9%37th pct
  • Relative xGF%−0.455th pct
  • xGA /60 (lower is better)2.6433rd pct

Usage

1st pair
  • TOI per game21:0181st pct
  • PP time share2.7%40th pct
  • PK time share58.8%99th pct
  • Quality of competition25.2%97th pct

Percentiles among defencemen with 200+ minutes at 5-on-5 and 20+ games. Ratings rank each column's average percentile among the same players and read it as a role on a depth chart (how).

Finishing

Did the goals match the chances?

Goals against expected goals

Cumulative goals (solid) and individual xG (dashed) through the season. The gap is finishing: above the dashed line, the player scored more than an average shooter would from the same chances.

+4.6 goals above expected

0510152050100150200250Game

Goals above expected, everyone at the same position with 20+ games

−100+10+20+30+40

Speed and tracking

From the NHL's EDGE tracking system (2021–22 on): skating speed, shot speed, distance and zone time, for the selected seasons and then every tracked season, to show improvement or decline.

Tracking data (NHL EDGE)

Values from the NHL's puck and player tracking, with the NHL's own league percentile for each. Missing values mean the player wasn't tracked enough.

Tracking

  • Top skating speed33.8 km/h71st pct
  • Speed bursts over 20 mph590th pct
  • Hardest shot139.6 km/h72nd pct
  • Distance skated16 km70th pct
  • Offensive-zone time42.4%61st pct
Tracking, season by season

Each season against the other defencemen that season with 20+ games. A season in progress appears once half its games are played, as provisional: season bests only grow. Bursts and distance are per 60 minutes of ice time, so seasons with fewer games still compare. Percentiles are on these rates, so they can differ from the NHL's, which are on season totals.

This playerMedian defencemanMiddle half (25th–75th percentile)Hollow dot: too few games to rank, or a season in progress (*, dashed). Dotted line: no NHL games that season.

Top skating speed

36.8 km/h87th pct

▲ +0.6 km/h since 2024–25

343536373821–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 35.2 km/h, 51st percentile (42 games)2022–23: 35.3 km/h, 54th percentile (55 games)2023–24: 36.1 km/h, 74th percentile (41 games)2024–25: 36.2 km/h, 76th percentile (62 games)2025–26: 36.8 km/h, 87th percentile (78 games)

Bursts over 20 mph per 60

3.187th pct

▲ +1.6 since 2024–25

0123421–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 2.4, 75th percentile (42 games)2022–23: 2.0, 66th percentile (55 games)2023–24: 3.2, 88th percentile (41 games)2024–25: 1.6, 51st percentile (62 games)2025–26: 3.1, 87th percentile (78 games)

Distance skated per 60

13.4 km37th pct

▲ +0.1 km since 2024–25

1313.213.413.613.81414.221–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 13.3 km, 31st percentile (42 games)2022–23: 13.5 km, 52nd percentile (55 games)2023–24: 13.5 km, 45th percentile (41 games)2024–25: 13.3 km, 25th percentile (62 games)2025–26: 13.4 km, 37th percentile (78 games)

Hardest shot

157.9 km/h87th pct

▲ +8.4 km/h since 2024–25

14014515015516021–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 145.5 km/h, 22nd percentile (42 games)2022–23: 144.2 km/h, 22nd percentile (55 games)2023–24: 145.8 km/h, 31st percentile (41 games)2024–25: 149.4 km/h, 59th percentile (62 games)2025–26: 157.9 km/h, 87th percentile (78 games)

Offensive-zone time

39.3%16th pct

▲ +1.4 points since 2024–25

36%38%40%42%44%46%21–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 37.4%, 3rd percentile (42 games)2022–23: 38.3%, 9th percentile (55 games)2023–24: 39.6%, 24th percentile (41 games)2024–25: 37.9%, 2nd percentile (62 games)2025–26: 39.3%, 16th percentile (78 games)