Canucks add Sedins, Mikael Samuelsson, and Mike Komisarek to player development department

Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin announced multiple changes to the team’s player development department in a press release on Monday.

The biggest news: Henrik and Daniel Sedin have been given new roles in the player development department. The move comes after the Sedins spent the 2021–22 season working in the club’s hockey operations department as special advisors to the general manager.

“We’re pleased to have solidified our Player Development department for next season with the additions of Mikael Samuelsson and Mike Komisarek, as well as Daniel and Henrik Sedin,” said Allvin in a press release. “Cammi Granato and Ryan Johnson led an extensive search to find the individuals with the right attributes, winning pedigrees, and who fit the overall strategy of the Vancouver Canucks moving forward.”

According to the release, the Sedins will “[work] daily on and off the ice with young players in Vancouver and Abbotsford.”

The Sedins are both 41 years old. Drafted by the Canucks in 1999, they played together with Vancouver from 2000 to 2018 and had their jersey numbers retired by the team in 2020.

Joining the Sedins in player development are former National Hockey League players Mikael Samuelsson and Mike Komisarek, “who will primarily work with Canucks prospects throughout the organization.”

Samuelsson, 45, played with the Canucks from 2009 to 2011, appearing in 11 games during the team’s run to the 2011 Stanley Cup Final. He scored 49 goals and 106 points in 155 regular-season games with Vancouver.

The Swedish winger played 699 NHL games over 13 seasons with the San Jose Sharks, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Florida Panthers, Detroit Red Wings, and Canucks, winning the Stanley Cup with Detroit in 2008.

Komisarek, 40, played 551 career regular-season games with the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Carolina Hurricanes between 2002 and 2014.

The Canadiens originally selected the towering right-handed defenceman in the first round (seventh overall) of the 2001 NHL Draft. Shortly after being named to the 2009 NHL All-Star Game, Komisarek signed a five-year deal with the Maple Leafs as a free agent.

Both Samuelsson and Komisarek join the Canucks after previously occupying multiple off-ice roles throughout the hockey world.

Samuelsson served as general manager of HockeyAllsvenskan club Södertälje SK from 2019 to 2022 and as a European development coach for the Chicago Blackhawks from 2017 to 2019. Komisarek most recently worked as a player development coach for the Buffalo Sabres from 2017 to 2020.

Canucks assistant general manager Cammi Granato oversees the personnel working in the player development department alongside Ryan Johnson, the team’s senior director of player development. Chris Higgins remains in his role as the Canucks’ assistant director of player development.