22. Derrick Pouliot
23. Tomas Hertl
24. Hampus Lindholm
25. Nicolas Kerdiles
26. Scott Laughton
27. Ludvig Bystrom
28. Cristoval 'Boo' Nieves
29. Oscar Dansk
30. Malcolm Subban
After a disappointing campaign that saw so much hope in a new owner, Buffalo has to regroup and go back to the drawing board. Burdened with some longer contracts, but quality assets, Buffalo will likely look more to tinker, hoping a healthy Miller will turn things around next season.
"With the twenty-first pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Buffalo is proud to welcome, from the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League:
Henrik Samuelsson."
A big powerful winger, Samuelsson is in the same mold of his father, Ulf, who crossed that invisible line in the game so many times. Despite a crackdown by media types on violence in the sport, teams still look for those rare breeds of players with a true mean streak. Hockey is a game of will and fear.
At six-foot-two and 200 lbs, Henrik is a big boy already with some room to grow. He's a very strong player who controls the boards and down low play, as an object hard to move. He uses his size and reach to protect the puck and bull his way through coverage with the puck, looking to create havoc at the net.
He shows a quick pair of hands, with some real offensive upside that seems untapped at this point. He has a quick release shot with some accuracy to find holes. At times he shows some reluctance in his ability, but when confident he's a real force.
Defensively, Henrik comes back and is a willing teammate. Whether blocking shots or using his strength a long the boards, he's shown commitment to learning and growing in that regard. He can at times look a bit lazy and uninterested, but with maturity should come better things for his two-way game.
The question mark for Samuelsson is his feet. His boots are heavy and he has a very choppy and awkward stride. However, with added strength and adjustments to the mechanics of his stride (lengthening it), Henrik should improve his skating over the next few years.
The only question becomes whether he's just a third line pest, or if he can realize some of his offensive potential to become more than that. Whatever the case, 30 NHL teams are more than willing to add healthy levels of truculence and belligerence to their lineup.
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