Mikael Samuelsson had played on many different impressive teams throughout his career in the NHL, including playing for teams that won Stanley Cups and were playoff regulars, and yet what remained consistent regardless of the team was the mentality, and the manner in which each player approached their training and their role on the team.
Now, as a player development coach with the Vancouver Canucks, Samuelsson works with prospects throughout the year and at annual development camps, imparting one of the most important learned lessons of his career: To find your role on a team with your specific skillset and work relentlessly to improve those skills.
“If you can stick handle through three guys, that’s a different story, [but] not everybody can do that. To learn to be successful in your way of playing, that's what I learned the most. I would say that you can be successful if you do your things and work on your craft," Samuelsson said.
‘Grit’ is the other component of this mentality that Samuelsson has seen in truly great players, the ability to grind through any and all situations and stay on a continuous journey of improvement and growth. Players like the Sedin twins and Sidney Crosby are notable examples of individuals who never solely relied on their skills alone but understood that true consistency required a level of persistence.
“You can’t expect to go in and be successful with your skills alone; players are too good. They will shut you down, they will figure you out, they will shut your skill down, [but] they can’t beat grit,” Samuelsson said. “You don’t have to be the best player, the most skilled player, but you have to be the guy who never quits.”
Samuelsson and the player development staff work to convey this message to prospects from the moment they come into development camp. In doing so, it allows each athlete to visualize a path for themselves,while pushing them to ask how they will be successful in the NHL. This provides a better system that encourages prospects to work hard both on and off the ice and helps establish what their game looks like based on their natural skillset and potential role on a team.
“Whatever we talk about in the first year, I don’t think they really believe it themselves, so a combination of we’re sending the right message, and they have to live it, they have to see it themselves,” Samuelsson said. “You can’t force success; you have to be patient with it.”
Samuelsson also stressed the importance of reinforcing this message repeatedly throughout a prospect’s development journey, as it is critical in ensuring that prospects have fully internalized and can apply it as they move through their career. It is the early stages of a career where good habits, including mindset habits, get solidified, and give athletes a better chance at both long-term and short-term success.
“We put our standards and send the message that we want to send. Pretty much the whole four years we [are] working with these guys. I can’t emphasize that enough,” Samuelsson said.
As the Canucks hope to continue expanding their prospect pool in this upcoming draft, the development program will be key in helping the new generations of Canucks prospects and hopefully help them see success not only for themselves, but for the team as well.
“They have to feel like they’re not on their own, and that’s such a great feeling for them for me, to see them succeed like that,” Samuelsson said.
The Canucks are back at practice as they prepare for their first game after the Olympic break against the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday, February 25.
Listen to this and much more as Samuelsson joins Chris Faber on the latest episode of the Canucks Insider Podcast.
