GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — Growing up with a father who played 14 years in the NHL comes with expectations, pressure, and important lessons. For William Samuelsson, it’s about balancing his father’s legacy with his own dreams—and he’s already making his mark on the ice.
“I didn't have to do a big effort there,” his father, Mikael Samuelsson, said. “Like, he was around the locker room, and he loved it from the get-go. Yeah, he could barely walk, but he wanted to play, sit down on his knees, and shoot the puck.”
Mikael played professional hockey from 1996-2015, starting in Sweden before moving to North America, where he spent time with multiple NHL teams.
He played four seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, winning a Stanley Cup in 2008, and later had two successful seasons with the Vancouver Canucks, where he now works as a player development coach.
Mikael is also a member of the Triple Gold Club—having won gold medals with Sweden’s national team at the 2006 Winter Olympics and the 2006 World Championship, in addition to his Stanley Cup win.
Mikael said watching William fall in love with hockey was special for him as a parent.
“As a parent, everything he loves, I want to do with him,” Mikael said. “And he turned out to become a hockey player, which was a ton of fun for me—just to see the enjoyment and excitement in his eyes. That’s what a parent wants.”
William was 4 years old when he started playing hockey.
“I always thought it was very fun,” William said. “I did multiple sports too—when I was in the U.S., I played some baseball, basketball. I did everything. But yeah, I fell on hockey.”
His mother, Sandra Samuelsson, said William spent countless hours playing hockey in the basement.
“He's been playing with us with just a stick, running around on the floor and shooting,” Sandra said. “It was kind of the only thing we did since he started walking.”
William even made his parents sing the national anthem before basement hockey games.
“We usually sang the Canadian one when we were in Canada and the American one when we were in the States,” Sandra said.
Mikael laughed as he remembered it.
“I was like, ‘Hey, can we just play? I have ten minutes before practice,’” Mikael said. “Nope—‘Dad, we have to sing first.’ So we sang the national anthem, and I was like, ‘Okay, here we go again—O Canada.’ That warms my heart. Things like that.”
When he wasn’t playing hockey in the basement, William was attending his dad’s games, spending countless nights in NHL locker rooms and on the ice.
“I remember sometimes like the teams and the NHL had like family skates and stuff,” William said. “So I remember being out there, in this big arena, skating around, having fun. My dad tying my skates, just overall being around the rink.”
But William is focused on carving his own path. He currently plays for the Green Bay Gamblers in the United States Hockey League (USHL) and hopes to play college hockey.
Sandra said that it's important for her son to build his own journey.
“When you have a dad who played, there’s always going to be comparisons and pressure,” Sandra said. “For William, it’s important to say, ‘I’m not my dad. I’m myself.’ We’ve told him to go his own way, do whatever he wants, and we’ll be a part of his sports career and his life no matter what. But, of course, he’s going to do something with hockey—he lives and breathes hockey. When he’s not on the ice or working out, he’s watching hockey.”
William agreed that he's aware of the pressure, but he stays focused on his own goals.
“I hear it a lot,” William said. “But I try not to think about it. At the end of the day, this is my own journey. Yeah, I try to write my own story.”
Mikael said he had heartfelt conversations with William when his son was younger to help him handle any expectations.
“As an 11- or 12-year-old, he was really anxious,” Mikael said. “He felt pressure to be more than he was because of the name on his back. I remember lying down with him before bed and having a couple of hard talks."
“I told him, ‘Just because I had my own journey doesn’t mean you have to follow the same path. I don’t care if you play or how good you become—I will love you anyway. You play because you love the game, not because you need to become something.’”
And William’s path is different from Mikael’s—he chose to play in the United States, rather than following in his father’s footsteps in Sweden.
“Coming to the States is like coming home a bit for him,” Sandra said. “So I think it was a nice opportunity for him to go to the States and play there and see what is it about because he was about he was 8 when we moved back to Sweden. So of course he has memories, but now I think he wanted to see America as a grown-up.”
Mikael credited his son for being brave enough to move overseas at a young age—something he wasn’t ready to do.
“I also had the opportunity to go over there when I was young,” Mikael said. “But I said no—I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t move away from my parents. I was too attached to them and the lifestyle in Sweden. For me, I loved the SHL, and that was my dream—to play here in Sweden for the big team. So yeah, he's brave that way, and I think it's a really good way ti go.”
William was drafted by the Dallas Stars, and Mikael was there in person with the Vancouver Canucks’ coaching staff to witness it.
“I was taking a chance, filming it,” Mikael said. “And then all of a sudden, they called his name. I was like, ‘Oh wow, I got it on tape.’ So that was pretty cool. I was proud, for sure.”
And no matter where William’s hockey career takes him, Mikael said he’s proud of his son for becoming independent and chasing his dreams.
“I really believe in him,” Mikael said. “I have a son who’s actually living in Green Bay, living his dream—or at least trying to. How can you not be proud of that? I’m super proud of him for moving away from his friends and family."
“It’s super cool to see him stand his ground, do what he loves, and aim for something great in his life.”
