Toronto, ON (WGR 550) – Owen Power took part in his first regular practice with the Buffalo Sabres on Monday and it just so happens it took place in his hometown of Toronto. His parents were here beaming with pride in the arena where he spent much of his childhood in.
Power didn’t look nervous out there and he said, “It was pretty special, it was more of a full practice, so it was nice to get out there and get into it with the full team.”
Rasmus Dahlin knows what Power is going through as the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. He said, “Yes, he’s someone who has been through the same experience so, he’s somebody that I can really lean on. I just try to ask him any question that I can and just learn from him.”
Dahlin is much more outgoing than he was when he came to Buffalo. He will share anything he can with Power, “He’s a young kid and he’s here to learn and it takes time, so that’s my advice to him and I’ll just let him be who he is and let him develop, there’s no rush.”
When practice was over, the team made Power get into the center of the circle and they pounded their sticks on the ice for a minute or two. He said, “Every guy has just been so good, especially to be coming in, everybody has been so welcoming and so nice to me and they try to include me in everything, so they’ve done a great job of making it easy for me to come in and adjust.”
Power played two seasons in the USHL for the Chicago Steel. He saw his new defense partner Henri Jokiharju play while with the Chicago Blackhawks. He said, “I’m excited. I’ve seen him play when I was in Chicago, so I watched him quite a bit.”
If you’re wondering why it's Jokiharju, it's because he’s never too high and never too low. Granato said, “He’s done a nice job with Dahlin and settles things down, so it’s a personality fit and Joki is much likes Dahls and it’s nice when you have two young guys and they already feel like big brothers, so when Owen gets here it’s, ‘I want to play with him, no I want to play with him,’ yet they play with each other so they don’t even know they’re insulting each other, so it feels right right now.”
Jokiharju has spent a lot of his team with the Sabres playing with Dahlin. Power knows in order to mesh, he and Jokiharju must have communication, “I think there’s going to be a lot. I know there’s going to be an adjustment and to have him just to talk to on the ice and off the ice is going to be huge for me.”
Playing on three different teams this year, Power has been busy, but he’s still found time to watch the Sabres, “I tried to watch as much as I can, I think it’s an exciting young group and a team that’s got a great future.”
Not only is Tuesday his first NHL game, but it’s also going to be home. Power said, “I think it’s extremely special, I think anyone’s NHL debut is a special moment, but to be able to have it in my hometown with all my family here makes it that much better.”
Power said everybody on the team has been helpful to him, but he did say Kyle Okposo has really been great to him.
Power didn’t look out of place at all during his first practice. The passes were crisp and he never really seemed confused. He said, “I just need to go out there and play my game. I know it’s going to be an adjustment, but I don’t think I need to change the way that I play and I think I’ll adjust on the fly and play my game and have fun.”
Michigan had a Dream Team and was supposed to win the National Championship, but the Wolverines lost in overtime to the eventual champions, Denver. He said coming to play for the Sabres right away helped him not feel so bad after a devastating loss, “Yes, I think so, it was really tough, but knowing I had this coming and knowing I was out of there pretty quick made it easier on me.”
Jokiharju is a bit of a quiet guy and he said he did have to do a lot for Power, “No, not too much, you don’t want to get into his head too much, I mean there’s a reason he’s a first overall pick, so I’ll just try to help him.”
Dahlin’s first game was against the Boston Bruins. He said he was far from calm that night, “I remember I was nervous, excited you know my confidence wasn’t really there, so it takes time, but I’m sure he will do great tomorrow and I’m super excited to watch him.”
Granato of course was happy to have Power as part of the group, He said, “It was exciting, it’s a kid that I’ve watched a long time and I just said hello to his parents that snuck in today and today was a big day.”
As we mentioned, Dahlin can’t wait to see Power play, but Granato said this didn’t just come up now, “He had been talking about Owen and his arrival for some time before this week, so he’s been excited to meet Owen and to be around Owen.”
Cody Eakin practiced on Monday, but is still sore and is questionable for Tuesday.
