TAMPA, Fla. – Owen Power always knew this day was coming, that he would be on the ice with the Buffalo Sabres. And it came Sunday in Amalie Arena: The No. 1 overall pick's first steps with his NHL team took place during an optional morning skate after he signed his entry-level deal on Saturday.
"It's pretty cool," Power said. "Obviously, it wasn't a real practice, just morning skate, but it's definitely nice to get out here and just get on the ice. It was pretty easy to adjust. All the guys were great. So it was lighter skate this morning, nice to kind of get out there and just get a sweat."
And the 19-year-old revealed something that had been left unsaid all season at the University of Michigan: He was paying close attention to the Sabres all year.
"I was able to watch quite a few games. I always checked to see how they're doing," Power said. "If I wasn't able to watch the game, pretty much every time they played, I knew how they did. I would always check. It's been good lately. They've obviously been playing good hockey. It's exciting to come in with the team playing good."
Owen Power skated with the Sabres for the first time Sunday.
Power met with GM Kevyn Adams and coach Don Granato on Saturday and they laid the groundwork for his upcoming days.
"The base message would be just be myself and play my game," Power said. "Just get in here, try to meet all the guys and just get adjusted. Go out there and play and have fun. I know I'm obviously gonna have to work to get in the lineup every night."
Power worked with the Sabres during an optional morning skate prior to their late-afternoon game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Assistant coaches Marty Wilford and Jason Christie then put him through other drills after the players in the game left the ice and Power did an off-ice bike workout as well.
"He's an intuitive kid, intuitive player," said Granato, who first saw Power play in youth tournaments in Toronto and with the USHL's Chicago Steel. "I've watched him grow and develop over the last 4-5 years, so I don't want to give him too much. I certainly don't want him playing Tuesday on information overload. And we need to see him in his natural state, too."
The dynamic 19-year-old defenseman will join the club during its road trip and is tentatively scheduled to make his debut Tuesday night in Toronto.
Power's next steps are a full practice Monday in Toronto, followed by his NHL debut Tuesday night in Scotiabank Arena against the Maple Leafs. Heady stuff for the kid who grew up in suburban Mississauga.
"It's pretty special," he said. "Everyone's first game in the NHL is obviously really special, but to have it in my hometown with all my family there I think it's just gonna make it that much more special."
"I can only imagine," Granato said. "... It's a huge stage, an enormous hockey area as far as cities go in the world. And so for him to play his first game there, have lots of family around, I'm sure it's special. I'm sure it'll be a little bit nerve wracking, but he knows how to play the game. So at some point, he'll just plow right through that, immerse himself in the game itself that he's played his whole athletic life."
Power said he didn't have an idea yet how many friends and family might attend. "I got my mom figuring that out," he said.
The pride of Michigan via Mississauga, Ont., is going to have a chance to play eight games this season, a veritable hockey lab for the Buffalo coaches to assimilate the No. 1 overall pick into NHL life on and off the ice and give him a huge head start on the 2022-23 campaign.
On attending a Sabres-Leafs game in Buffalo as a teenager, Power said: "I was probably cheering for the Leafs. I grew up as a fan. Obviously, that's changed now."
The NHL debut will continue a whirlwind 11 months for Power, who has played in the World Championships, World Juniors, Olympics and Frozen Four in that span.
"He's done a lot of things over the last many years to get ready for his first NHL game," Granato said. "Just in watching him play, he's very, very intense about it. He's been very intense about making himself a better hockey player and competing at a high level. ... It's not a player out of junior hockey that doesn't have experience playing in huge situations."
Some other nuggets from Power on Sunday:
• On Michigan goalie Erik Portillo's decision to return to school and not sign with the Sabres: "The last time I was in school, we were kind of talking. I obviously knew what I was doing. I was just kind of seeing what he was thinking and just trying to pick his brain. I wasn't really trying to persuade him or anything. I think he had his decision made up for a little bit. He's in the business school at Michigan so that's a pretty good school. School is big to him in his family and getting another year was important to him."
The collaboration between Portillo and three Michigan students led to their creation of Dualete, a platform that allows youth athletes to register for one-on-one video sessions in which college athletes detail how they excel in a specific sport.
• On Michigan's overtime loss to eventual national champion Denver in the Frozen Four: "Losing a game we obviously wanted to win was tough, but I kind of had a day to relax and sign. It was nice to get a day and chill with the guys here and then just come here the next day."
• On getting some work at right defense over these eight games as opposed to just his natural left side: "Anywhere they put me. I think I'd be happy to play. I don't mind it. This year I played mostly on the left, but I think there's some some advantages to the right side as well as some disadvantages. So I don't mind either way. I played the right side a little bit (at Michigan) because I wanted to learn to play both sides and get adjusted. It's a good skill to have."
• On the impact of having played in the World Championships and Olympics before making his NHL debut: "I think it just gives me a little bit more confidence coming in knowing I've played against some pro guys in those tournaments. Those tournaments have been great for me to kind of see where I'm at with the pro guys."
• On watching the defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning: "There's a lot of good players on that team. I think I'll mostly be focused on the way we play in Buffalo but also just watching some of their top guys will be pretty cool."
Observations: Lightning thunder past Sabres to snap four-game skid
