The 56-year-old played 16 seasons in the NHL as a defenseman for the Hartford Whalers, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers before retiring in 2000. He was a pro scout for the Seattle Kraken, who will join the NHL as its 32nd team next season, and an assistant with the Chicago Blackhawks, Rangers and Phoenix Coyotes. He also coached Modo in the Swedish Hockey League and Charlotte of the American Hockey League.
Since February, Samuelsson was coach of Leksands in the SHL, where he played before joining the Whalers for the 1984-85 season.
"Ulf is a knowledgeable and experienced coach who will be a great addition to the Panthers," general manager Bill Zito said. "We are excited for him to join (coach Joel Quenneville's) coaching staff and look forward to his competitive mentality and the impact that he can have on our team."
Samuelsson was an assistant under Quenneville with the Blackhawks from June 15, 2017, until each was fired Nov. 6, 2018.
The native of Fagersta, Sweden, won the Stanley Cup twice with the Penguins (1991, 1992). He scored 332 points (57 goals, 275 assists) in 1,080 regular-season games and 34 points (seven goals, 27 assists) in 132 Stanley Cup Playoff games. His 2,453 regular-season penalty minutes are the most among Sweden-born NHL players.
