‘He can do it all’ | Mattias Samuelsson is breaking out and having a blast

“Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!”

When those chants flood the Buffalo Sabres’ postgame dressing room, as they have on multiple occasions this season, it means Mattias Samuelsson just had himself a moment. Like his two-goal game versus Toronto. Or his first career overtime winner to cap off an epic three-goal comeback in Detroit, a game in which he also blocked five shots.

Samuelsson declined to share its origins, but the 'Jerry' nickname is an endearing one for a revered teammate in the Sabres' room. Now, the sixth-year defenseman is 20 games into a breakout season, and with his play complementing his personality, he’s emerging as a key cog in the 2025-26 Sabres.

“It’s no surprise to anyone in this room,” Tage Thompson said. “He’s an unbelievable hockey player, really hard to play against, loved by everyone in the room. Great presence in here.”

Added Alex Tuch: “He’s playing free and loose, and, man, is he playing hard. … He’s a great guy to make us smile, too, so it’s great to have him around.”

Samuelsson shares the title of alternate captain with those star forwards, but he doesn’t feel the ‘A’ on his sweater changes his approach to leadership; he admits to not being a very vocal guy, preferring instead to let his performance speak for itself. After a series of up-and-down, injury-shortened seasons, that’s becoming a reality.

“Last year there was times where I wasn’t playing well, so I wasn’t having fun at the rink,” said the 25-year-old, who these days is typically seen smiling on the ice.

“Anybody that knows me, I like to joke around and have a good time. So, I would say I feel like myself more, personality-wise. When you’re doing that and enjoy coming to the rink and having fun, I think it’s easy for it to translate into your play.”

Compared to 2024, when Samuelsson dealt with offseason shoulder-surgery rehab, he entered this season with a full summer of training under his belt. That, on top of a strong foundation from the end of the 2024-25 campaign, has contributed to his early success.

“When I look at the last 30 games of last year, he was our best defenseman in that segment, too,” coach Lindy Ruff said. “He went and had a great offseason, got himself in unbelievable shape, and I think he’s getting dividends for it.

“He continues to be our best defenseman. He’s a shutdown guy.”

So far, those dividends have been apparent in all zones and all situations. Here's how.

'Mentality of fearlessness'

Samuelsson owns a plus-nine rating, near the top of the NHL defenseman leaderboard, despite matching up against some of the league’s top offensive talent. In recent weeks, he’s been Buffalo’s defender of choice against the likes of Connor Bedard, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Alex Ovechkin, David Pastrnak and Auston Matthews.

Leaguewide, among blueliners who've played 30 or more minutes against opponents' top lines, Samuelsson ranks second with a 64.1-percent expected goals share during those minutes, per Stathletes. Simply put, he’s been effective at limiting elite scorers' chances from the slot and high-danger areas, while also helping Buffalo generate offense at the other end.

“He’s just hard to play against each and every night for their top guys,” Tuch said. “I can see they’re getting frustrated out there playing against him.”

Samuelsson has already blocked 47 shots, 16th most in the NHL, and he’s on pace to shatter his career high of 93 from last season. Eleven of those 47 have come on the Sabres’ best-in-class penalty kill, where he’s played 2:56 per game.

“[He’s] willing to take a significant shot to keep it away from getting at our goaltender,” Ruff said. “More than anything, I think it’s a mentality of fearlessness.”

'You want to hit someone'

Sunday versus Carolina, Samuelsson had his stick checked out of his hands. He casually skated back to the defensive-zone slot, picked it up, detected traffic near Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s crease, took one heavy stride and steamrolled the Hurricanes’ Jackson Blake.

Good health has allowed the 6-foot-4, 229-pound Samuelsson to assert himself, physically. His 28 hits lead Sabres defensemen by wide margin, and several have knocked opponents off their skates. Check out some of the big-name players he's flattened, with the Blake hit at the end:

“The game is so fast now that players are pretty good at (not) putting themselves in spots to get hit, so I think the big ones are a little more rare nowadays,” Samuelsson said.

“I think games are more fun when they get physical. You get the adrenaline going, you want to hit someone – it feels pretty good when you catch them.”

Offensive explosion

The goal-scoring leaderboard among NHL defensemen begins with some predictable names: Cale Makar with 9, Jakob Chychrun with 8, Zach Werenski with 7, etc.

Not far behind them, however, sits Samuelsson, who’s already set a career high with five goals. He’s gotten the puck in prime scoring position and capitalized with a 20.8 shooting percentage, tops among blueliners. Pretty good for a guy whose calling card is his defense.

“We all knew he had it, but now it’s every game, he’s getting a couple grade-A (scoring chances),” Tuch said.

The common theme? Well-placed shots, yes, but also plenty of space to step up and take them. As long as he remains paired with a threat like Rasmus Dahlin, Samuelsson should continue finding time to pick the corners. That duo has excelled during its 181:09 of 5-on-5 ice time, leading opponents 10-4 in goals, 85-70 in shots and 45-38 in scoring chances, per Stathletes.

“I think they’re more worried about Ras on the other side of the ice, so maybe that’s why I’m open a fair bit, which is nice,” Samuelsson said. “He usually takes most of the worry. Rightfully so.”

That overtime in Detroit, with four recent 3-on-3 losses fresh in his mind, Ruff tested his luck with an unconventional, two-defenseman setup. Dahlin hopped over the boards, of course. So did Samuelsson, who continues to prove his worth in every situation.

With room to shoot, like usual, No. 23 walked into the slot and didn’t miss.

“He’s big, he can skate, he can shoot, he can pass, he can do it all, so I love playing with him,” Dahlin said.