Karl Mikael Samuelsson (born 23 December 1976) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey right winger and current player development coach for the Vancouver Canucks.

Samuelsson began his career in Sweden, starting with small town team IFK Mariefred, followed by Södertälje SK as a junior in 1994.

Samuelsson spent short stints with the Sharks, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Florida Panthers, before returning to Europe during the 2004–05 NHL lockout.

As NHL play resumed, Samuelsson signed with the Detroit Red Wings, where he enjoyed individual and team success, winning the Stanley Cup with the club in 2008.

He helped Södertälje SK earn a promotion from the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan to Sweden's premier league, the Elitserien, for the 1996–97 campaign.

He was assigned to the club's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Kentucky Thoroughblades, out of training camp, where he spent the majority of the season.

In the subsequent off-season, Samuelsson was traded to the New York Rangers, along with fellow prospect Christian Gosselin, in exchange for veteran forward Adam Graves on June 24, 2001.

[7] He began the 2001–02 season with the Rangers' AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, but after notching nine points in eight games, he was recalled to the NHL on November 5.

[8] Samuelsson's first goal came short-handed and broke Roy's three-game shutout streak, which was in contention to tie the modern-day NHL record at the time of four games.

He was utilized in primarily defensive roles during his time in New York, playing on the penalty kill and matching up against opposing teams' top offensive lines.

[6] Along with Samuelsson, the Rangers sent Rico Fata, Joël Bouchard, Richard Lintner and cash to the Penguins in exchange for Alexei Kovalev, Dan LaCouture, Janne Laukkanen and Mike Wilson.

[10] Samuelsson spent most of his time with the Panthers on the injured reserve list, beginning with a fractured jaw after receiving a high-stick from Branislav Mezei on November 22, 2003.

[6] As it became apparent that the following NHL season would be suspended due to a lockout, Samuelsson initially signed with Genève-Servette HC of the Swiss National League A in September 2004.

With NHL play set to resume following the lockout, Samuelsson was contacted by Håkan Andersson, director of European scouting for the Detroit Red Wings, in the summer of 2005.

[23] He advanced with the Red Wings to the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals, where they met the Penguins for the second consecutive year despite initially building a 3–2 series lead.

Becoming an unrestricted free agent in the 2009 off-season, Samuelsson signed a three-year deal with the Vancouver Canucks on July 3, 2009, worth an annual average value of $2.5 million.

[25] He signed with the Canucks anticipating an expanded offensive role with more ice time, while also commenting that Detroit's efforts to re-sign him "came up too short, too late.

Then-Head Coach Alain Vigneault played Samuelsson primarily on the second line with Ryan Kesler and Mason Raymond,[31] while he also earned time on the top unit of Henrik and Daniel Sedin.

[34] Samuelsson suffered a mild concussion after colliding with St. Louis Blues forward Vladimír Sobotka on December 5, 2010,[35] causing him to miss one game.

[39] With Samuelsson out of the lineup, Vancouver advanced to the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, where they were defeated in seven games by the Boston Bruins, despite initially holding a 3–2 series lead.

[40] In an interview with HockeySverige.se at the end of the season, he told Swedish reporters that while he enjoyed playing in Vancouver, competing alongside countrymen Alexander Edler and the Sedins in particular, he "didn't think very highly of management."

[32] Samuelsson did not make his Panthers debut until December 8, 2011, missing the team's first 20 games following the trade due to groin complications that had not fully healed in the off-season.

[44] Becoming an unrestricted free agent in the off-season, Samuelsson signed a two-year, $6 million deal to return to the Detroit Red Wings on July 1, 2012.

[45] After two injury plagued seasons with the Red Wings, Samuelsson agreed to a one-year contract with Djurgårdens IF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) on July 29, 2014.

[22] He recorded an international career-high nine points over eight games to tie for second in team scoring, while also leading Sweden in shots on goal.

[60] Before becoming an offensive threat later in his career, he established himself first as a defensively responsible forward in the NHL, earning time on the penalty kill and against opposing team's top players.

[64] In September 2010,[65] Samuelsson posted an online charity auction for fans in Sweden to benefit minor hockey in Mariefred.

The highest bidder at $6,500, won an all-expenses paid trip for two to Vancouver, featuring tickets to two Canucks games at Rogers Arena, access to the team's locker room and a five-night stay in Samuelsson's personal home.