Samuelsson named head coach in Sweden

Swedish Hockey League club Leksands IF named former Penguins defenseman Ulf Samuelsson head coach on Monday.

Samuelsson replaces Roger Melin behind the Leksands bench as Leksands ranks last in the SHL with a 11-24-3 record.

"It was exciting," Samuelsson told hockeysverige.se. "I was craving a coaching job even before (Leksands sports manager Thomas Johansson) called. It didn't take long for me to decide."

Samuelsson played for Leksands from 1981-84 before breaking into the NHL, and again for a brief period during the 1994-95 lockout.

Samuelsson's last coaching job was as an assistant coach for the Blackhawks until he was fired in November 2018. He has also worked as the head coach of the AHL’s…