The Rochester Americans on Thursday named Philip Samuelsson, who recently retired following a 15-year pro career as a defenseman, as an assistant coach.
He replaces Nathan Paetsch, who earlier this month left the Buffalo Sabres’ AHL affiliate to become head coach of the Youngstown Phantoms.
Samuelsson, 35, played nearly 900 games as a pro, including 13 in the NHL and 512 in the AHL.
His father, Ulf, a former defenseman, spent 16 seasons in the NHL and later served as an assistant coach.
The Pittsburgh Penguins drafted Philip Samuelsson in the second round in 2009, 61st overall. He won a national championship with Boston College in 2010 before turning pro in 2011-12.
He played five games for the Penguins in 2013-14 and eight contests for the Arizona Coyotes over the next two seasons.
After leaving North America in 2019, he played the rest of his career in Europe, playing in four leagues, including the Swedish Hockey League and Deutsche Eishockey Liga.
While he was born in Sweden, Samuelsson represented Team USA in international competitions.
Samuelsson’s hire completes Amerks coach Mike Leone’s staff. Scott Moser, a Tonawanda native, recently replaced Vinny Prospal, who left Rochester to become an assistant coach with the St. Louis Blues.