Adam Samuelsson Leaves Boston College

A difficult year for young defenseman Adam Samuelsson takes another strange turn. Samuelsson, 18, has made the decision to cut his first collegiate season short and further complicate his hockey future. The USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers have announced that Samuelsson has joined the team for the remainder of the season, meaning his time with the Boston College Eagles is over.

Samuelsson, the son of two-time Stanley Cup champion Ulf Samuelsson and younger brother to Phillip and Henrik, was once considered to be a surefire NHL draft pick if not potential second- or third-round selection in last year’s entry draft. Yet, the U.S. National Development Team standout was one of the most surprisingly snubs of the 2018 draft class. At 6’6″, 240 lbs., Samuelsson has the type of size that you can’t teach, but also brought a good amount of skill to his game. He had played regular minutes for the USNTDP and recorded 24 points in 62 games, but it clearly wasn’t enough to impress scouts. Some cited mobility concerns and a lack of shutdown physicality as making it hard to project what type of player Samuelsson would be. For whatever reason, Samuelsson’s bloodlines were not enough to save him, as he slipped through the cracks in June

Nevertheless, Samuelsson still had his commitment to Boston College to fall back on, as a top collegiate programs is one of the best ways for an undrafted prospect to increase his stock for the next go-round. Teammate Logan Hutsko had accomplished that same feat last year, selected by the Florida Panthers in the third round after a strong freshman campaign at BC showed that NHL teams had mis-evaluated him in his first year of eligibility. However, Samuelsson was not following in Hutsko’s footsteps with an impressive showing for the Eagles early this season. In fact, Samuelsson only played in seven games in the first half of the NCAA season and had yet to record a point. It was not what was expected of the promising defenseman, but also not totally surprising for a true freshman on a talented roster. Yet, it also was not what Samuelsson had hoped for after going undrafted, making his decision to move on more understandable. The question now is what the future holds for the formerly highly-regarded prospect. Will he light up the USHL and reassert himself as an NHL prospect? Will he return to the NCAA? A once-promising pro career is right now just a question mark for Samuelsson.

Samuelsson is not alone in joining Sioux City after the holiday break. Ironically, the former Boston College freshman depth defenseman will now be playing alongside a former Boston University freshman depth defenseman, somehow preserving the yin and yang of college hockey’s top rivalry. Dominic Vidoli, in his first year with the Terriers out of Culver Military Academy, had been unable to recreate the immense offense he showed at the prep level. In six games with BU, Vidoli had been held off the score sheet, a far cry from last season when he scored better than a point per game for Culver in 43 contests. Vidoli has also opted for a change in his development path, leaving the stacked Terriers lineup in hopes of showcasing his skill with the Musketeers. Adding both Samuelsson and Vidoli, two players from elite college programs, should be a major boost for Sioux City, who currently sit fourth in the USHL’s Western Conference but easily within striking difference of a top playoff spot by year’s end.