MATTIAS SAMUELSSON #23
Defenseman
Acquired: Selected by Buffalo in the second round (32nd overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft.
Contract Status: Signed through 2029-30 ($4.28 million AAV)
Pronunciation: ma-TEE-uhs SAM-yew-uhl-suhn
2025-26 REGULAR-SEASON HIGHLIGHTS:
Ranked second among all Sabres defensemen in goals (13) and even-strength goals (12).
Finished the season tied for ninth among all NHL defensemen in even-strength goals by a defenseman (12).
Recorded new single-season career highs in games played (78), goals, assists (28), points and time on ice per game (22:50).
Registered a career-best plus-41 rating, the best mark by a Sabres defenseman in a single season since Jim Schoenfeld (plus-60) in 1979-80.
Ranked tied for fourth among all NHL defensemen and tied for seventh among all NHL skaters in plus/minus.
Tallied 48.8 percent of his career points in 2025-26.
Led all Sabres skaters in blocked shots (154) and ranked first among all Sabres defensemen in hits (130). Became the sixth Sabres skater (Rasmus Dahlin, Josh Gorges, Toni Lydman, Rasmus Ristolainen, Mike Weber) to record at least 130 hits and 150 blocked shots in a single season since the league began tracking those statistics in 2005-06.
Tallied a single-game career high in goals (2) on Oct. 24 vs. Toronto and Feb. 3 at Tampa Bay. Finished the campaign tied with Dahlin for the most multi-goal games by a Sabres defenseman (2).
Recorded a single-game career high in assists (3) on Jan. 27 at Toronto.
Set a new single-game career high in points on Dec. 27, 2025 vs. Boston (1+2) and matched it on Jan. 27 at Toronto (0+3).
Scored game-winning goals on Oct. 24, 2025 vs. Toronto. Nov. 15, 2025 at Detroit and Jan. 29, 2026 vs. Los Angeles. Entered 2025-26 with two game-winning goals in his career.
Posted a 11.9 shooting percentage on 109 shots, joining Phil Housley (1983-84, 1987-88, 1988-89) and Richard Smehlik (1993-94) as the only Sabres defensemen all-time to record at least 100 shots and a shooting percentage of 11.5 percent or greater in a single season.
Led all Sabres skaters in shorthanded time on ice (227:46), the fourth-most by a Sabres skater since the league began tracking the stat in 1997-98.
2025-26 LONGEST STREAKS:
Goals: 2 games, 11/19/25 vs. CGY to 11/21/25 vs. CHI (two goals)
Assists: 4 games, 1/20/26 at NSH to 1/27/26 at TOR (seven assists)
Points: 5 games, 1/20/26 at NSH to 1/29/26 vs. LAK (1+7)
2025-26 SINGLE-GAME HIGHS:
Goals: 2, (2x). Most recent: 2/3/26 at TBL
Assists: 3, 1/27/26 at TOR
Points: 3, (2x). Most recent: 1/27/26 at TOR (0+3)
TOI: 27:47, 11/26/25 at PIT