Coyotes' Henrik Samuelsson works to improve skating

The pace of play was faster, the opponent stronger and the space he used to have to dance the puck on his stick seemed to vanish.

Life in the American Hockey League wasn’t the same as his time in the junior ranks, and it didn’t take long for Coyotes winger Henrik Samuelsson to notice the difference.

“I thought I was going to come in and be able to be a dominant player right away,” he said. “But I needed to learn.”

Samuelsson worked to adapt and as the season progressed, he showed progress. By the time the team was in the midst of a first-round playoff series, he could have been considered its best player.

Now, on the brink of his second professional season, Samuelsson is hopeful he’s ready to take another step in his career and grab a spot with the Coyotes in the NHL.

“I feel like a pro hockey player now,” he said. “I put in a lot of work to feel this way, but it’s a nice feeling knowing you can play with the best players in the world. But now at camp, there’s a lot of guys fighting for spots so it’ll be interesting to see what happens.”

Samuelsson arrived in the AHL after a stellar junior career in which he eclipsed the 30-goal plateau twice and nabbed a Memorial Cup championship with the Western Hockey League's Edmonton Oil Kings. But the transition posed challenges. Not only would he be playing wing with the Coyotes organization after dressing as a center with the Oil Kings, but his skating needed to improve.

Actually, that’s been on Samuelsson’s to-do list since he was drafted by the Coyotes 27th overall in 2012, and it figures to be an important factor at this year’s training camp when team brass measure his readiness.

“When we talk about Henrik, it’s going to come back to a little of the quickness and the skating and the pace,” General Manager Don Maloney said. “But he’s certainly – based on what we’ve seen so far – put in the time this summer to give himself a better chance to make this lineup.”

Samuelsson spent two weeks of the offseason in Toronto working with Dawn Braid, whom the Coyotes hired this summer as their skating coach.

The pair worked together twice a day, four days a week for two weeks, and Samuelsson has already detected more speed in his stride.

“I feel now that I have an extra gear,” he said.

Although Samuelsson has yet to face off against NHL talent in camp – veterans don’t arrive until Thursday – the results during the five-day clinic for prospects have been positive. Maloney ranked Samuelsson as one of the better-conditioned players in rookie camp.

“It’s all really encouraging what I’ve seen so far,” Maloney said.

But the most valuable test will come in training-camp practices and preseason games.

Fortunately for Samuelsson, he proved to himself he can be productive at the pro level last season.

Despite racking up only 13 points in the first three months of the regular season, he had 27 from January on and added another five in five postseason games.

He also has some familiarity with what it's like to play in the NHL, having appeared in three games with the Coyotes last season.

Samuelsson wants to get back to that stage and by focusing on his skating, he knows his chances of achieving that goal improve.

“Everyone has something they need to work on,” he said. “Mine just happens to be one of the most important things to play in the NHL, but I have all the other tools to play. It drives me to become better.”

Reach the reporter at sarah.mclellan@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8276. Follow her at twitter.com/azc_mclellan.

PHOTOS: Coyotes annual prospect development camp - 2015