The Top 25 Under 25 is a collaboration by members of the Die By The Blade community. 92 readers ranked Buffalo Sabres players under the age of 25 as of August 1, 2026. Each participant used their own metric of current ability and production to rank each player.
Owen Power
Drafted: 2021 – 1st Round (1st Overall)
Position: Defense
Born: November 22nd, 2002 – 23 Years Old
2025-2026 Stats: GP 81 G 8 A 21 PTS 29 / Playoffs GP 13 G 0 A 6 PTS 6, NHL
2025 T25U25 Ranking: 1
Owen Power continues to be a core piece of the Sabres roster. He’s been in the top 5 in these rankings since being drafted in 2021. Despite the carousel of defensive partners, Power has taken significant strides in his game.
Last season, he saw a dip in his offensive production, but his defensive effectiveness was noticeably improved. He took on more of a “stay-at-home” role to allow Bowen Byram to operate more freely. His impact was noticeable and can been seen on his stat line as his plus minus went from a -13 in 2024-25 to +9 this past year. He was also heavily utilized on the penalty kill. Out of the Sabres big 4 of Power-Byram-Dahlin-Samuelsson, Power was second in shorthanded time on ice with just over 150 minutes shorthanded. This was a career high and a 30% increase in time from the prior year. The Sabres had the 4th best penalty kill last season due in no small part to Power’s defensive progression.
Even though his defense was the most noticeable improvement in his game, Power still provides significant offensive production from the back end. His skating makes him a threat to create offense on each shift. When he gets going on the rush, he can be hard to stop.
He’s at his best offensively when he’s joining the rush or playing with a rover mindset in the offensive zone. His ability to get pucks through traffic has improved over the years:
His playoff performance, particularly against Montreal, was excellent. He was the most consistent defender against Boston. He took his game up a notch against Montreal. Even after suffering a significant injury in game 5, he was one of the Sabres best players in that series.
With the exit of Byram, he’ll once again be looking for a new defensive partner, but he’s shown to be effective regardless of who he’s lining up with. The versatility in his game allows him to be impactful regardless of the situation. He may not always pop off the screen, but if you look closely at his game, the countless little plays he makes add up to an invaluable impact on the Buffalo Sabres.