The pick is in.
Sabres General Manager Kevyn Adams declined to tip his hand ahead of the NHL Entry Draft, but in the end, Adams selected the player that scouts and analysts presumed would go first overall: University of Michigan defenseman Owen Power.
Power, an 18-year-old with a left-handed shot, became the 16th defenseman to be drafted first overall and the first since the Sabres selected Rasmus Dahlin in 2018. Power was atop every notable prospect ranking and mock draft, sitting atop NHL Central Scouting’s list of North American skaters for this draft class.
Here are five things to know about Power:
Multi-sport athlete
Hockey didn’t consume Power’s life while he grew up in Mississauga, Ontario. He also played basketball and volleyball in high school, but the most useful sport was box lacrosse. Power has explained in interviews that his time playing lacrosse taught him how to find pockets of space while on the attack, a particularly useful skill when he’s carrying the puck in an opponent’s offensive zone in hockey.
Power’s sister, Emily, plays lacrosse at the University of Guelph.
On the move
Prior to arriving at Michigan, Power played two seasons with the United States Hockey League’s Chicago Steel. He was named to the USHL All-Rookie Team in 2018-19 with 28 points in 58 games and earned the title of USHL Defenseman of the Year for 2019-20. Power had 12 goals and 45 points in 40 games during his final season in Chicago.
International competition
Power did not compete in the IIHF World Junior Championship because his coach at Michigan, Mel Pearson, declined to release Power to Team Canada.
Power would have joined a Canada team that also included Sabres center Dylan Cozens and prospect Jack Quinn. A defenseman with Power’s talent would have aided Canada’s bid for a gold medal. However, Pearson did not want to disrupt Power’s academics during the first semester of his freshman year.
“Owen’s right in the middle of his first semester here at Michigan,” Pearson said during an interview on TSN radio. “One of the issues was, if he makes the team, he would be gone 51 days, and on the academic end of it … that was a no-go for our school, with his midterms coming up and his finals.”
Canada lost to the United States in the gold medal game, but this wasn’t Power’s final opportunity to represent his home country. Power was selected to play for Canada at the IIHF World Championship in Latvia, where he excelled against older competition. His responsible play on the blue line helped Canada capture a gold medal.
College days
Across 26 games as a freshman, Power totaled three goals and 16 points. His 0.62 points per game helped him secure rookie of the year honors from the College Hockey News, and he was a Big Ten Freshman of the Year finalist.
The Wolverines’ season ended abruptly, though, because the team had multiple positive Covid-19 tests. They learned of the decision hours before a scheduled game against Minnesota Duluth in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.
"You don't get those answers any way, that's what really is difficult to understand," Pearson told The Detroit News. "I don't completely understand how they get to this point, but I have to, obviously, respect their decision.
This is one of the reasons why Power expressed interest in returning to Michigan for his sophomore season.
“I think that’s probably one of the big parts of why I want to go back to school, to just be able to experience the true college experience, especially at Michigan with Yost and the fans there, playing in front of them, I think, would be pretty special,” Power said. “Just actually going to class and not do it online. Just being able to do stuff other than go to the rink and home I think would be something that I would like to do.”
Your guide to the 2021 NHL draft
Welcome to Buffalo
Power is the 22nd defenseman drafted in the first round by the Sabres, joining Jim Schoenfeld (1972), Lee Fogolin (’74), Larry Playfair (’78), Mike Ramsey (’79), Phil Housley (’82), Calle Johansson (’85), Shawn Anderson (’86), Kevin Haller (’89), Phillipe Boucher (’91), David Cooper (’92), Denis Tsygurov (’93), Jay McKee (’95), Dmitri Kalinin (’98), Keith Ballard (2002), Dennis Persson (’06), Tyler Myers (’08), Mark Pysyk (’10), Rasmus Ristolainen (’13), Nikita Zadorov (’13), Rasmus Dahlin (’18) and Ryan Johnson (’19).
