Former Penguins defenseman Ulf Samuelsson has joined the Florida Panthers as an assistant coach.
Samuelsson, 56, is reunited with head coach Joel Quenneville. He worked under him as an assistant with the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.
A member of the Penguins’ first two Stanley Cup championship teams in 1991 and 1992, Samuelsson became a folk hero in Pittsburgh for his propensity for violent play. During his five seasons with the Penguins, Samuelsson became one of the most popular players in franchise history.
After retiring as a player in 2000, Samuelsson has embarked on a mostly nomadic existence as a coach throughout North America and his native Sweden.
Samuelsson’s resume includes tenures as an assistant coach with the Phoenix Coyotes (2006-07 to 2010-11), New York Rangers (2013-14 to 2015-16) and Blackhawks. He has also served as head coach of the American Hockey League’s Charlotte Checkers in 2016-17 as well as MODO (2011-12 to 2012-13) and Leksands IF (2019-2) in Sweden.
Last season, he also spent time as a scout for the Seattle Kraken, the expansion franchise scheduled to join the NHL in 2021-22.
