Player Discussion Owen Power, D (1st overall, 2021) Calder Finalist

[Chainshot]

 

[Old Navy Goat]

He looked good especially in the 3rd when he tried to impose his will

 

[Chainshot]

He looked good especially in the 3rd when he tried to impose his will

That one shift where it was basically his puck and he was going to do what he wanted... just mana.

 

[Old Navy Goat]

That one shift where it was basically his puck and he was going to do what he wanted... just mana.

He was, I'm the best player out here and there isn't a damn thing you can do about it. I mean you see Dahlin do that on occasion and you're, yes yes yes what we're waiting for. I just hope he's more consistent with it

 

[buffalowing88]

Good grief the hyperbole.

He was fine and he had a possession or two where he controlled the puck. I'm very excited about him.

But he has hardly been a world-beater out there.

Once again. Bryan Berard pre-eye injury but with height. Our number one pick is going to be an excellent 2/3 defenseman. For all the crap I give Dahlin, at least he's literally an all-world talent. Power can be BEAT and beat badly by a smaller forward with speed. Tampa would feast on him.

 

[Irie]

Once again. Bryan Berard pre-eye injury but with height. Our number one pick is going to be an excellent 2/3 defenseman. For all the crap I give Dahlin, at least he's literally an all-world talent. Power can be BEAT and beat badly by a smaller forward with speed. Tampa would feast on him.

Come on. The kid is barely 19 years old and you are predicting his ceiling as Berard?

The one constant I have learned in watching the NHL for 40 years is that there is absolutely no guarantee in anyone predicting the floor or the ceiling of teenaged defensemen in this league before they've played a game.

Some below-average defensive prospects went on to become hall of famers. Some can't miss prospects busted badly.

A lot of big defensemen make their biggest development leap after age 24. With Power at 19, we may be barely scratching the surface of what is to come. No one knows.

We should all just be happy that he is a really nice prospect and Buffalo was lucky enough to draft him.

 

[Jimmybarndoor2]

Come on. The kid is barely 19 years old and you are predicting his ceiling as Berard?

The one constant I have learned in watching the NHL for 40 years is that there is absolutely no guarantee in anyone predicting the floor or the ceiling of teenaged defensemen in this league before they've played a game.

Some below-average defensive prospects went on to become hall of famers. Some can't miss prospects busted badly.

A lot of big defensemen make their biggest development leap after age 24. With Power at 19, we may be barely scratching the surface of what is to come. No one knows.

We should all just be happy that he is a really nice prospect and Buffalo was lucky enough to draft him.

Agrees but some on here are already saying he is better now than dahlin. He is playing college kids. Dahlin is playing nhl players. I hope he is great but some always have the grass is greener in the other pasture. Remember the people that said dahlin should have had some ahl time? Power will be in the same boat

 

[Irie]

Agrees but some on here are already saying he is better now than dahlin. He is playing college kids. Dahlin is playing nhl players. I hope he is great but some always have the grass is greener in the other pasture. Remember the people that said dahlin should have had some ahl time? Power will be in the same boat

Yeah, I think the first mistake is trying to compare them. They are going to be different style of players.

But if they both reach their potential, Buffalo will likely have one of the best D cores in the league.

 

[joshjull]

Good grief the hyperbole.

He was fine and he had a possession or two where he controlled the puck. I'm very excited about him.

But he has hardly been a world-beater out there.

Once again. Bryan Berard pre-eye injury but with height. Our number one pick is going to be an excellent 2/3 defenseman. For all the crap I give Dahlin, at least he's literally an all-world talent. Power can be BEAT and beat badly by a smaller forward with speed. Tampa would feast on him.

Any defenseman can be beaten 1 on 1, no matter how good they are. A well known example of this being Brad May walking hall of famer Ray Bourque for the famous May Day goal.

I don’t know what Power will end up being. Nor do I think this tournament tells us much (Good or bad). But I’m not sure where you got the idea top level dmen can’t be beat 1 on 1.

 

[Chainshot]

Good grief the hyperbole.

He was fine and he had a possession or two where he controlled the puck. I'm very excited about him.

But he has hardly been a world-beater out there.

Once again. Bryan Berard pre-eye injury but with height. Our number one pick is going to be an excellent 2/3 defenseman. For all the crap I give Dahlin, at least he's literally an all-world talent. Power can be BEAT and beat badly by a smaller forward with speed. Tampa would feast on him.

I remember seeing Berard play live in the OHL and thinking he was at that point the most dynamic OHL defenseman I had ever seen live. His ability to score off a wrist shot from the point was Ray Bourque level good. He skated like a dream and was an excellent distributor everywhere on the ice. That said, Berard's d-zone play was a cut below Power's at similar points - he wasn't very interested in defending.

I don't see that with Power from collegiate viewings. Power's ability to rotate during possession and essentially play like a forward, then recover using his speed to be back is one of the best things I've seen from any defenseman on a pinch ever. He uses reach and his skating to deny space better than Berard at similar levels. Physical battles aren't either one's strengths.

 

[Fezzy126]

I remember seeing Berard play live in the OHL and thinking he was at that point the most dynamic OHL defenseman I had ever seen live. His ability to score off a wrist shot from the point was Ray Bourque level good. He skated like a dream and was an excellent distributor everywhere on the ice. That said, Berard's d-zone play was a cut below Power's at similar points - he wasn't very interested in defending.

I don't see that with Power from collegiate viewings. Power's ability to rotate during possession and essentially play like a forward, then recover using his speed to be back is one of the best things I've seen from any defenseman on a pinch ever. He uses reach and his skating to deny space better than Berard at similar levels. Physical battles aren't either one's strengths.

This is a better description of his play than any scouting report I've read, really well said.

The biggest reason I was personally down on him a year ago as a prospect was because of two of the things you mentioned:

1. His physicality was very troubling to me, watching him get worked along the boards by much smaller players left me continually saying "what? but why?"
2. When playing aggressive in the offensive zone, I wasn't sure if his ability to get back would translate to higher levels when the opposition is much faster and more decisive in their ability to counter

There were also some other minor things, e.g. I saw him struggling to pick pucks up off the boards on retrievals, not something I like seeing from defensemen. But to be honest this year many of those concerns have evaporated. Partly probably because he's a future Sabre, but I'd like to think more so because his game has grown across the board and his IQ has really impressed. He is just always around the puck and he really does control the game when he's on the ice.

 

[Chainshot]

This is a better description of his play than any scouting report I've read, really well said.

The biggest reason I was personally down on him a year ago as a prospect was because of two of things you mentioned:

1. His physicality was very troubling to me, watching him get worked along the boards by much smaller players left me continually saying "what? but why?"
2. When playing aggressive in the offensive zone, I wasn't sure if his ability to get back would translate to higher levels when the opposition is much faster and more decisive in their ability to counter

There were also some other minor things, e.g. I saw him struggling to puck pucks up off the boards on retrievals, not something I like seeing from defensemen. But to be honest this year many of those concerns have evaporated. Partly probably because he's a future Sabre, but I'd like to think more so because his game has grown across the board and his IQ has really impressed. He is just always around the puck and he really does control the game when he's on the ice.

Yeah, I had similar concerns and was leaning toward Berniers for a while. That said, I think people who are casual fans need to temper their expectations on what sort of player they are getting because heaven knows we get seagulls who circle around and randomly shit-post about just about everyone because the said seagulls have expectations built on their personal fiction about a player.

 

[Zman5778]

Yeah, I had similar concerns and was leaning toward Berniers for a while. That said, I think people who are casual fans need to temper their expectations on what sort of player they are getting because heaven knows we get seagulls who circle around and randomly shit-post about just about everyone because the said seagulls have expectations built on their personal fiction about a player.

Whenever I've seen him play, I keep seeing a Bouwmeester type. Better skating version, obviously. Never going to wow defensively, but will generally be in solid position at all times. He'll be a rock-solid top-pair defenseman for a long, long time.

 

[BG82]

I remember seeing Berard play live in the OHL and thinking he was at that point the most dynamic OHL defenseman I had ever seen live. His ability to score off a wrist shot from the point was Ray Bourque level good. He skated like a dream and was an excellent distributor everywhere on the ice. That said, Berard's d-zone play was a cut below Power's at similar points - he wasn't very interested in defending.

I don't see that with Power from collegiate viewings. Power's ability to rotate during possession and essentially play like a forward, then recover using his speed to be back is one of the best things I've seen from any defenseman on a pinch ever. He uses reach and his skating to deny space better than Berard at similar levels. Physical battles aren't either one's strengths.

I remember watching Bryan Fogarty in the late 80s and early 90s Niagara Falls Thunder

No clue how anyone can come in here and use "hyperbole" to defuse a kids hype than use Bryan Berard as a example. I bet a large wager Owen Power will be closer to a star than Bryan Berard

 

[Chainshot]

I remember watching Bryan Fogarty in the late 80s and early 90s Niagara Falls Thunder

No clue how anyone can come in here and use "hyperbole" to defuse a kids hype than use Bryan Berard as a example. I bet a large wager Owen Power will be closer to a star than Bryan Berard

Fogarty - people failed that guy so hard. I recall seeing him his last year in NF but by then he'd already been drafted. That team was something else in terms of aggressive play.

And I agree, Power should be a better player than Berard.

 

[BG82]

Fogarty - people failed that guy so hard. I recall seeing him his last year in NF but by then he'd already been drafted. That team was something else in terms of aggressive play.

And I agree, Power should be a better player than Berard.

Early 90s Thunder were fun to watch. Brad May would score, fight, than score another. Keith Primeau, Brad May, Steve Staios and Manny Legace all had long NHL careers

I'd love to find out how many Gordie Howe hat tricks, May had in Niagara Falls

 

[Chainshot]

Early 90s Thunder were fun to watch. Brad May would score, fight, than score another. Keith Primeau, Brad May, Steve Staios and Manny Legace all had long NHL careers

I had a fun conversation with Legace's mother once. Chatted with Keith when he was there to watch Wayne. McKee even had some good games there - had an animated conversation with Benning, Carriere and Luce at one of those Thunder-Gens game (post-Keith leaving the Platters).

 

[BG82]

I had a fun conversation with Legace's mother once. Chatted with Keith when he was there to watch Wayne. McKee even had some good games there - had an animated conversation with Benning, Carriere and Luce at one of those Thunder-Gens game (post-Keith leaving the Platters).

Yea McKee came with another hot prospect at the time Jason Bonsignore. Good ole days. May and McKee jumping to the Sabres was a big deal for me back then.

Alot of guys had a cocaine problem in Niagara Falls. Stan Drulia mentioned that in a article years ago

 

[Chainshot]

 

[joshjull]

Yea McKee came with another hot prospect at the time Jason Bonsignore.Good ole days. May and McKee jumping to the Sabres was a big deal for me back then.

Alot of guys had a cocaine problem in Niagara Falls. Stan Drulia mentioned that in a article years ago

Damn thats a blast from the past.

 

[sabresfan129103]

So is Power's season done for Michigan? I thought I heard he has to quarantine for 2 weeks once coming back. If he got back tomorrow and had to sit out for 2 weeks he could play in the big 10 tournament at the beginning of March and he would definitely have a chance to play in the NCAA tourney.

 

[Chainshot]

So is Power's season done for Michigan? I thought I heard he has to quarantine for 2 weeks once coming back. If he got back tomorrow and had to sit out for 2 weeks he could play in the big 10 tournament at the beginning of March and he would definitely have a chance to play in the NCAA tourney.

If he is negative on testing for COVID, there shouldn't be any issues: COVID-19 and Your Health.

 

[Jim Bob]

Pronman: Standout NHL prospects and takeaways from the Olympic men's hockey tournament

Owen Power, LHD, Canada (Buffalo)

I will preface this blurb by saying that I thought Power was quite good for Canada — he was their best defenseman and played a lot of minutes for them. That said, for a first overall NHL pick, and someone who has had a lot of success at events like the cancelled World Juniors or the World Championships, I did expect more impact from Power. He had one point, which came against China. He did the good things you expect given his size and skating at both ends of the rink and did make some tough offensive plays but I never felt he took games over.

 

[sabres4ever]

 

[Fjordy]

Yeah, big kid will soon come to help Dahlin.