Any team's future is always in flux. One day they're giant slayers in the playoffs, and the next they're picking third overall in the NHL entry draft. It's the way of the NHL; as much as a team's future is tied to points, however, it is also linked to how it develops its young talent. Will there be superstars in the future? Is the talent to contend in the team's system? Do trades need to be made for future growth?

Beyond that, how does the team handle young talent? Does it rush them to the NHL, putting too much pressure on them? Does it leave talented players in the AHL for too long while potential wastes away? How much work do they put into developing players, and what is their drafting strategy? Are they drafting defensemen, or small forwards, or are they a team with a particular need? What makes them the team they currently are, and what type of team will they be? Whatever type of team the Arizona Coyotes are becoming their talent pool of draft picks are a huge part of the plan.

The Arizona Coyotes have drafted a surfeit of talented forwards, and among those forwards is Henrik Samuelsson. Samuelsson has all the markers of a superstar-in-the-making. He's a first round draft pick - 27th overall in 2012 - the son of a former NHLer, Ulf Samuelsson, and has a hockey-playing family. Not to mention, he's had success at the junior level and performed well enough to be called up to the NHL during his first year in the AHL.

Background

Samuelsson came to the WHL in January of 2012, after a less than successful stint under his father at MODO in the Swedish League. He landed with the Edmonton Oil Kings and quickly found his stride in the WHL. In his first 28 games, Samuelsson managed to collect 23 points. The WHL was definitely a good fit for Samuelsson's very physical style of play as well as being suited to his size and goal-scoring instincts. Parking a player in front of the net is an art form in the WHL, and Samuelsson is hard to move.

The Edmonton Oil Kings had a remarkable playoff run and captured the Ed Chenowyth the year Samuelsson joined the team. Samuelsson had a fantastic Memorial Cup, which certainly helped his draft stock; he went late first round instead of the lower position projected by Central Scouting.

Samuelsson's time in the WHL was a time of constant improvement. The Edmonton Oil Kings made the Ed Chenowyth Championship series every year Samuelsson played on the team. In 2013, they lost the Championship series to the Portland Winterhawks, but in 2014, the Oil Kings captured both the Ed Chenowyth Cup (defeating Portland) and the Memorial Cup (defeating the heavily favoured Guelph Storm). Samuelsson put in a masterful performance in the Memorial Cup final, ending his junior career with two goals and three assists in his last game. He credited the team's never quit attitude and general team toughness for their ability to play as comprehensively as they did.

Samuelsson made the jump to the AHL after his success at the 2014 Memorial Cup. In his first year, Samuelsson collected 40 points playing for the Portland Pirates during the regular season and five more during a short-lived playoff run. These are not unimpressive statistics for his rookie year and show that Samuelsson definitely has a way with putting the puck in the back of the net.

Power Forward

Samuelsson has the speed, size, and a style of physical play which, put together, make him an excellent power forward. While his speed and skating have improved during his time in the WHL, Samuelsson's instincts on how to play the game led to him being branded a power forward almost from the start.

Samuelsson is also a player with good hands and an impressive physique. He has the size to protect the puck when he's entering the zone but is also able to force defenders and forwards off the puck. He plays a solid two-way game. Samuelsson is also impressive along the boards, winning more battles for the puck than he loses. In short, Samuelsson is a physical force capable of getting the puck to the net when needed.

In addition, Samuelsson has excellent hockey sense. He knows when to take the puck to the net, and his puck-handling skills are excellent. Samuelsson has the instincts required to bring the puck into the offensive end, provide net front presence, and work in the corners and along the boards. Samuelsson seems to be the very definition of a power forward, a literal "wrecking ball on the ice," which is exactly the type of player the Coyotes should be looking to bring in alongside smaller players like Max Domi.

For all that Samuelsson plays a physical game, he's also a goal scorer. He managed a prolific junior career. He finished his last season in the WHL with 95 points in the regular season and added 23 more over the course of the playoffs. He also showed continual improvement throughout his WHL career, tallying more points every season.

Samuelsson can consistently put up points, and though his 40 point rookie season in the AHL isn't as impressive, it does show that Samuelsson's talent isn't contained solely to the junior level. He also managed an impressive five points against the Manchester Monarchs (who eventually won the Calder Cup), proving once again the Samuelsson shows up in the big games.

In Samuelsson, the Coyotes have a big, powerful forward who is not afraid to go into corners and fight for the puck. He's versatile enough to also provide a net-front presence or simply score goals. Samuelsson does have his less than fantastic elements - his skating and temper aren't fantastic- but, overall, he's a solid offensive producer.

Attitude

The importance of attitude cannot be overstated. Samuelsson has the killer instinct that elevates him from a potential NHLer to a potential superstar. Samuelsson isn't on the ice to make friends, he's there to win. There's an aggressive edge to Samuelsson's play that sometimes sees him penalized: slashing is his penalty of choice on most nights.

The nasty edge sometimes seen in Samuelsson's game is actually an advantage because it means he's not afraid to play physical and be confrontational. He's willing to work in places of which other players might be afraid and not back down from challenges just because they're of a physical nature. (Just don't ask him to fight...)

Arizona was looking for the hockey sense and grit, which is often found in tandem with Samuelsson's attitude. In him, they found all three. His take-no-prisoners attitude may not win fans in cities outside of Phoenix, which is indicative of how difficult Samuelsson can be to play against, but it seems likely to delight Coyotes fans. Samuelsson likely isn't worried about that, content to follow in his father's footsteps as a dynamic and aggressive player.

Samuelsson is also a big-game player. Watching him throughout junior, the games into which he put the most effort where the ones that mattered most. Notable among those were three Championship series with Portland, where Samuelsson was not well liked. This big-game attitude can be seen by Samuelsson's performance in the Memorial Cup Final against Guelph. He scored the most goals of the tournament, including two in the Final, and put in a dominant effort. Samuelsson knows what it takes to win, and he's not afraid to put in the work and effort to get there.

That's exactly what the Coyotes should be looking for out of Samuelsson, as attitude and hard work are what set him apart in junior and should be key components for him to successfully make the jump to the NHL.

Drive

Samuelsson has more than a nasty edge and work ethic going for him. He also has a drive to prove all of his doubters wrong. He seems as fuelled by as what might be considered slights as he is by his triumphs.

After being cut by Team USA before the 2014 World Juniors, Samuelsson returned to the Edmonton Oil Kings and went on a tear. Samuelsson proceeded to collect 14 points in 13 games after being cut, including a four-goal game during that stretch.

Samuelsson rebounds from disappointments and perceived slights in one of two ways. The first is he loses his temper and takes a penalty, which may hurt his team. Hopefully, this tendency is lessening as Samuelsson ages and gets a better handle on his temper. Samuelsson's second method of expressing displeasure is to go out and show why cutting or slighting him was a bad idea. Normally, this retribution takes the form of goals and assists.

Samuelsson plays his best against teams which have gotten the better of him before. His efforts in games 3 and 4 of the 2014Ed Chenowyth Championship series were fantastic. Portland had dominated the Oil Kings through the first two games, but Samuelsson and the team found their drive and bounced back a in the third game and built on that until the team won the Championship in front of Portland's fans in Game 7, the first time the road team had won the Cup.

Conclusion

Samuelsson is a safe bet for the Coyotes. He's big, strong, puts up points, and isn't afraid to play with a rough edge. All these qualities are individually valuable in a player, but they are worth more together than separated. Samuelsson's characteristics form a player who is obviously NHL-bound, as displayed by his call-ups during the last season. Samuelsson was called up by the Coyotes twice over the course of the season for a total of three games. If the organization didn't believe in his potential, they wouldn't waste time calling him up to play in the NHL.

Samuelsson, like Domi, is heralded as part of the future of the Arizona Coyotes because he knows what brought him to the dance, so to speak. He plays physical. He plays with an edge and has excellent hockey sense. He can move the puck well and isn't afraid of the corners. Samuelsson has been compared to Shane Doan in the style and grittiness of his game, a comparison that has Coyotes fans excited.

Samuelsson was a beast during his junior career, and though he is not without his areas of concern, he is a solid player for the Coyotes and looks to be a safe bet to become a key component in the Coyotes future. If developed correctly, Samuelsson can look forward to a long career in the NHL, much like his father. Samuelsson might start the coming year in the AHL, but another impressive training camp might see him making the team instead being sent down.

Either way, Coyotes fans will soon be seeing Samuelsson in their colours on a more permanent basis.