Stocked with talented youngsters on defense, Pittsburgh dropped Philip Samuelsson from training camp on Monday with the purpose of sending him to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton -- but Samuelsson will have to clear waivers first.
Samuelsson, 23, is the son of former Penguin Ulf Samuelsson and was Pittsburgh’s second-round pick (61st overall) at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. A decorated player in junior and at the collegiate level -- he won gold for the U.S. U-18 team, and helped Boston College win the Frozen Four in 2010 -- Samuelsson has spent the majority of his professional career in the AHL, but debuted for the Pens last season and went on to appear in five games.
As mentioned above, waiving Samuelsson comes as Pittsburgh finds itself with a crowded blueline. Kris Letang, Paul Martin, Christian Ehrhoff, Rob Scuderi, Simon Despres and Olli Maatta are already entrenched, while the likes of Roberto Bortuzzo, Brian Dumoulin and ’12 first-rounder Derrick Pouliot are all looking to make the leap.
