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

[Jim Bob]

 

[UnleashRasmus]

Ready for next season NOW! LFG!

 

[Jim Bob]

 

[Ace]

If Hughes ever learned the part of being a defenseman that involved defending look out!

 

[shaner8989]

Had the pleasure of meeting him during my sons hockey tournament. He was working out upstairs in the arena my a few other nhlers and my cousin. He took the time to sign my sons hate and a puck. Took some pics and even let my son workout with him.

You guys got a special player and person.

 

[Dingo44]

Corey Pronman's NHL Pipeline Rankings: No. 1 Buffalo Sabres' future looks bright

Ranking the top prospects and under-23 players in the organization. Plus, what to expect of every player.

theathletic.com

3. Owen Power, D

19 years old | 6-foot-6 | 214 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 1 in 2021
Tier: Bubble NHL All-Star and top of the lineup player

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: NHL average

Analysis: Power didn’t pop off in his second college season as I thought he may do, but he was still one of the best defensemen in the NCAA. His best hockey was probably in the cancelled World Juniors where he took over games. Power isn’t a player who will land on a lot of highlight reels, but as a huge, mobile defenseman with puck-moving skill it’s easy to imagine him playing high in an NHL lineup for a long time. He’s not the most physical defender, but with his reach and feet he’ll make plenty of stops to go with strong offense. He projects as a legit top of the lineup defenseman with some star potential.

 

[Jim Bob]

Skinner & Subban are there, as well.

 

[Dingo44]

View attachment 580515

Skinner & Subban are there, as well.

I hope they stay away from Eichel.

 

[WhereAreTheCookies]

I hope they stay away from Eichel.

Not me. I hope they ask him if he was happy he finally made it to a playoff team.... oh wait.

 

[Jim Bob]

 

[ForsbergMoDo21]

It’s so crazy how often I forget about this guy. Like, a player that projects to be a major fixture of the team—possibly even of the entire league.

Can’t wait to see him regularly this year and be reminded why he was a 1st overall pick.

 

[Jim Bob]

 

[Ace]

Power is the first drafted guy who got to join a Sabres team whose room didn’t hate life and felt like a funeral since?

 

[Faceboner]

Power is the first drafted guy who got to join a Sabres team whose room didn’t hate life and felt like a funeral since?

Gilbert perrault

 

[NotABadPeriod]

Power is the first drafted guy who got to join a Sabres team whose room didn’t hate life and felt like a funeral since?

Drew Stafford.

 

[Jim Bob]

Prospect confidential: Travel, big purchases and ... 'How I Met Your Mother'?

The Athletic caught up with 13 prospects and asked them about life in the big leagues.

theathletic.com

Besides you, who is going to be 2022-23 rookie of the year?

Owen Power, the Sabres’ 6-foot-6 defenseman and the 2021 No. 1 pick, ran away with this one, earning six of the 13 votes.

Ignoring the “besides you,” one Eastern Conference player shot back excitedly, “Me!”

When he was reminded of the question’s rules, he laughed, paused for a second and fell in line.

“Owen Power,” he said, nodding.

Seattle’s Matty Beniers, who led Michigan with 43 points in 37 games last season, and Anaheim’s Mason McTavish, who led Canada to gold last month at the World Junior Championship, each earned a pair of votes. Juraj Slafkovsky, Montreal’s No. 1 pick this summer, and Shane Wright, who went fourth to Seattle, garnered one vote apiece.

 

[Jim Bob]

Ranking the top 20 Calder Trophy candidates for the 2022-23 NHL season

For the fifth straight year, Scott Wheeler gives us his list of the top 20 candidates for the Calder Trophy.

theathletic.com

1. Owen Power, LHD, 19 (Buffalo Sabres — No. 1, 2021)

There isn’t a player on this list who is going to play more — or be counted upon more — than Power will in Buffalo this season. We saw it at the tail end of last year with the Sabres, when he averaged 22:05 in his eight games in April (third on the team in ice time during that period). So where an assessment has to be made about opportunity and likelihood of success within it for each of the other players on this list, only the latter must be considered here because he’s going to play. There’s no reason to believe he won’t be successful, either, which is a pretty impressive thing to say about a defenceman who doesn’t turn 20 until the end of November. His play and statistical profile as a sophomore at Michigan signalled immediate success at the NHL level. And maybe more importantly, so did his play against professionals at the men’s world championships (where Team Canada got better the more they played him), the Olympics, and especially down the stretch with the Sabres in those big minutes when he performed well (the Sabres outscored the opposition 9-8, out-chanced them 75-57, and outshot them 87-63 with Power on the ice at five-on-five, and he played to a team-high expected goals for percentage of 56).

If he can continue to drive results, the points he’ll need to be in the Calder conversation will come. The only real question mark is whether he’ll get the PP reps required to go from in-the-conversation to frontrunner-for-the-trophy. In his eight games late last year, the 7:43 he played on the man advantage was well back of the 27:28 played by Rasmus Dahlin and even the 17:57 played by Henri Jokiharju. They’re not going to prioritize him over Dahlin on PP1, but he needs to either be given Jokiharju’s minutes or take them if he’s going to go from the 30-point season I think he can put together in his sleep to the 50-point one that won Moritz Seider the Calder. Still, the combination of his track record, the minutes he’s going to play and his talent, should give Power the preseason pole position in the race.

 

[Ace]

Makes a good point about pp time factoring into his Calder chances. If I see Joker out there instead of Power this year…no bueno

 

[Matt Ress]

Makes a good point about pp time factoring into his Calder chances. If I see Joker out there instead of Power this year…no bueno

Yeah Joker doesn't have the puck skills or shot to be a contributing factor on the PP. He's safe but he's not going to make anything happen.

 

[Zman5778]

Yeah Joker doesn't have the puck skills or shot to be a contributing factor on the PP. He's safe but he's not going to make anything happen.

I'd MUCH rather see Power on the PP than Joker, for sure.

But Joker is a fine passer and gets his shots on net much more often than he's given credit for. He just doesn't have the "flash".....or anywhere near the offensive potential that Power has.

 

[Matt Ress]

I'd MUCH rather see Power on the PP than Joker, for sure.

But Joker is a fine passer and gets his shots on net much more often than he's given credit for. He just doesn't have the "flash".....or anywhere near the offensive potential that Power has.

I mean it's called the "Power" play for a reason

 

[Ace]

I mean I assume he will get the PP2 spot. They trust him with ice time and PK already. And eventually got him in there on the PP. It was just weird they had him doing PK immediately and waited a while for the PP

 

[RhinoFan]

I mean I assume he will get the PP2 spot. They trust him with ice time and PK already. And eventually got him in there on the PP. It was just weird they had him doing PK immediately and waited a while for the PP

I flashed on this too, but the year was over, they may have just been throwing him those minutes for the experience. I can't imagine a guy with his offensive skills being a staple on the PK.

 

[Diaspora]

I mean I assume he will get the PP2 spot. They trust him with ice time and PK already. And eventually got him in there on the PP. It was just weird they had him doing PK immediately and waited a while for the PP

I'm thinking that we need to keep in mind the Granato four-equal-lines mindset and start thinking about our PP units the same way:

The A-Unit:
Tuch, Cozens, Skinner, Thompson, Dahlin

PP1:
Krebs, Mitts, Quinn, Olofsson, Power

That's two legit QBs and several serious snipers. Sabres may have enough talent to do it. Whoever's running hot gets the better minutes.

 

[Jacob582]

I'm thinking that we need to keep in mind the Granato four-equal-lines mindset and start thinking about our PP units the same way:

The A-Unit:
Tuch, Cozens, Skinner, Thompson, Dahlin

PP1:
Krebs, Mitts, Quinn, Olofsson, Power

That's two legit QBs and several serious snipers. Sabres may have enough talent to do it. Whoever's running hot gets the better minutes.

Why can't we go back to the day of two defensemen bombing away with their slapshots from the point?

Tuch
Thompson Cozens

Dahlen Power