Practice was over Tuesday and Owen Power stayed on the LECOM Harborcenter ice with several other Buffalo Sabres for some extra work. The players started filtering off but Power remained, honing skills with development coach and longtime NHL defenseman Dan Girardi.
The one-on-one session lasted about 25 minutes, and it’s the kind of luxury the Sabres can take with Power over the final two weeks of the season. The schedule has finally gotten much lighter on games and can provide lots of practice time for players to work on individual areas heading into the offseason.
“It's nice to have people here that help you out with your development,” Power said of Girardi, who played 13 NHL seasons with the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay. “And he's obviously good with me out there.”
One week and four games into his NHL career, Power has obviously been good out there, too.
The 19-year-old is averaging 22 minutes, 2 seconds of ice time and looks every bit the part of a No. 1 overall pick. His passes out of his defensive zone and through neutral ice are on a string. His positioning is sound, his skating sublime for a 6-foot-6 defenseman. The Sabres are getting nearly 57% of the shot attempts at 5-on-5 when Power is on the ice and they’re 3-1 since he joined the team. Power has one assist.
Under trying circumstances in Tuesday's game against the Leafs, Power showed why he was selected first overall by Buffalo in the 2021 NHL Draft.
Unlike the majority of young players, especially those coming directly from college, Power has had zero trouble adjusting to the speed of NHL play. Where has the biggest adjustment been so far?
“I think everyone just thinks way more faster. So your brain kind of has to be be working at all times,” he said. “I think that's kind of what's been the biggest difference.”
That type of fast-forward thinking, coach Don Granato said, is how NHL players capitalize on mistakes.
“You have a stick on a puck and you move it 3 inches to the left and the top players in this league are waiting for you to move it 3 inches,” Granato said. “And then you realize. It’s kind of an ah-ha moment. … His base of details, positional knowledge, system awareness and time and space is all really solid that I think he can readjust immediately once he realizes why I moved my stick a little bit too soon. He knows the next time not to do it.”
Owen Power, who signed an entry-level deal with the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, took part in his first full practice with the team on Monday.
Power’s season has been a whirlwind, topped by his quick move from the University of Michigan to the Sabres 10 days ago after the Wolverines’ loss at the Frozen Four semifinals in Boston. One morning skate in Tampa, one practice in Toronto and Power was on the ice making his NHL debut April 12 against the Leafs.
Sabres forward Casey Mittelstadt had a similar experience to Power when he left Minnesota in 2018 to join the Sabres in late March. His college team, however, had to wait five days to find out it wasn’t playing in the NCAA Tournament before Mittelstadt turned pro.
“I pretty much went from eating (Midwest sub shop) Erbert & Gerbert's every day to being here and playing in the NHL and having fun riding on private planes,” said a smiling Mittelstadt. “So it was complete culture change, I guess. You're just in the locker room and it feels like you're playing hockey. I feel like hockey guys don't change that much. They're all just hanging around the rink and trying to have a good time.”
Mittelstadt said he watched Power on television a few times when Michigan played Minnesota and has been “super impressed” by Power’s puck movement at the NHL level. Forward Peyton Krebs said he was also taken aback by Power's speed.
“He's got an unbelievable hockey sense. You can see that with his breakout passes and his awareness to where he is on the ice,” Krebs said. “The big thing for me was, I didn't realize how well he can move offensively. He's been a lot of fun to watch. He’s a big guy and it's exciting. There's not a lot of young D-men that can do that.”
Power said he’s still wrapping up some course work at Michigan that he had left behind. This is just another part of the journey of a bizarre hockey season that has included trips to the World Juniors, Olympics and NHL in less than five months.
And it might not be over when the Sabres' season ends. Hockey Canada might want Power on its team for the World Championships for the second consecutive year when the tournament is played next month in Finland.
“I don't think he'll even realize all that happened until we decompress,” Granato said. “Because to him, it's hockey. it's exciting for him. I think each challenge has been exciting. But I'm sure when the season finally ends, and he gets a little time to sit back, he will realize, ‘Oh, this is this is what a free day is like, this is what a free moment is like.’ Right now he’s in it like all the guys and there's just a constant surge of adrenaline when you're into it.”
Power said defense partner Henri Jokiharju and Rasmus Dahlin make sure to invite him to activities away from the rink. Power confirmed what General Manager Kevyn Adams revealed on a WGR Radio interview Saturday: On Power’s first night with the Sabres in Tampa, veteran alternate captains Kyle Okposo and Zemgus Girgensons took him to dinner to welcome him to the team.
“It was nice to get out there and kind of get to know them,” Power said. “I was able to ask a lot of questions about their careers and everyday life in the NHL. So I think it's nice to have two older guys take me out to dinner and make me feel part of the group.”
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The Sabres practiced minus Okposo (maintenance) and defenseman Mattias Samuelsson (family matter). Granato said Samuelsson should be back for practice Wednesday, after which the Sabres will fly to New Jersey to prepare for Thursday night’s game against the Devils in Prudential Center.
Buffalo Sabres 2021 No. 1 overall draft pick Owen Power takes a solo lap at Scotiabank Arena before making his NHL debut against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, April 12, 2022.
