Canucks make multiple additions to player development staff
By Joshua Rey
On Monday morning, the Vancouver Canucks announced they have made multiple additions to their player development staff.
The first additions were Henrik and Daniel Sedin. The twins have spent the last year with the Canucks as Special Advisors to the General Manager. They will now transition to the player development side of things and with young players with Vancouver and the Abbotsford Canucks on and off the ice.
The Canucks also announced they brought in two former NHL players as part of the player development staff. Mikael Samuelsson and Mike Komisarek join the organization to help with the prospects.
Samuelsson was most recently the GM of Södertälje SK in the Allsvenskan in Sweden from 2019-20 to 2021-22. Before that, he was the European development coach for the Chicago Blackhawks from 2017-18 to 2019-20.
Samuelsson of course is a former Canuck. The former right-winger played 155 games in Vancouver from 2009-10 to 2011-12. With the Canucks, he scored 49 goals and got 57 assists. It’s fair to say Samuelsson played his best hockey in Vancouver as he reached the 50-point mark in 2009-10 and 2010-11. He had a career-high 30 goals in 2009-10. Samuelsson also played 11 playoff games in the Canucks run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2011.
Samuelsson also played for the Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers and San Jose Sharks in a career that spanned 13 years. (2000-01 to 2013-14) He won the Stanley Cup in 2008 with the Red Wings, and an Olympic Gold medal and World Championship with Sweden in 2006 making him a member of the Triple Gold Club.
Komisarek most recently was a player development coach with the Buffalo Sabres from 2017-18 to 2019-20. Before that, he was an undergraduate assistant coach with the Michigan Wolverines at the University of Michigan. There, he also got his degree in Sports Management and Communication.
Komisarek was drafted seventh overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 2001. As a defenceman, his career lasted 12 years (2002-03 to 2013-2014) and he played with the Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes. Komisarek scored 14 goals and managed 67 assists for 81 points in 551 games.
In addition to the Sedins, Komisarek and Samuelsson, Assistant GM Cammi Granato will continue to oversee the player development department with Senior Director, Player Development and Abbotsford GM Ryan Johnson and Assistant Director, Player Development Chris Higgins.
“We’re pleased to have solidified our Player Development department for next season with the additions of Mikael Samuelsson and Mike Komisarek, as well as Daniel and Henrik Sedin,” said Canucks GM Patrik Allvin in the press release. “Cammi Granato and Ryan Johnson led an extensive search to find the individuals with the right attributes, winning pedigrees, and who fit the overall strategy of the Vancouver Canucks moving forward.”
dark. Next. How did the Canucks players do at the World Hockey Championship?
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