The Top 25 Under 25 is a collaboration by members of the Die By The Blade community. It was a combination of staff writers and over 200 readers that ranked Buffalo Sabres players under the age of 25 as of August 1, 2023. Each participant used their own metric of current ability and production to rank each player. Staff votes counted equally with reader votes.
Owen Power
Drafted: 2021 – 1st Round (1st Overall)
Position: D
Born: November 22, 2002 – 20 years old
2022-2023 stats: NHL – 79 GP – 4-31-35
2022 T25U25 Ranking: Tied for 1st
Owen Power’s first full NHL season was a dandy, as he quickly became one of the Sabres’ top defensemen. Appearing in 79 games, he finished the season with the second-most ice time of any skater on the team, and an average of 23:48 per night. Only Rasmus Dahlin (25:48) played more. Power also had 86 blocks, fourth-most on the team, and eight of his 35 points came on the power play.
He has the size, but also has the skill and quality of play to back it up. As EliteProspects said in their 2021 draft guide about Power, “there just aren’t many 6-foot-6 defensemen who can skate quite like he does.” From his skating to hit shot, to his smoothness with the puck, he’s proven himself to be a well-rounded defensive player.
It came as no surprise, then, when Power was named a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy and a member of the NHL’s All-Rookie team following his first full season in the league. He led all rookie defensemen in scoring and was often paired with Rasmus Dahlin; the two certainly looked like a dynamic duo when they skated together.
What Sabres fans are waiting for next is to see what Power’s contract extension will look like. Power is in the final year of his entry-level contract and will be due for a sizable raise over the $916,667 he’s currently on tap for. With Dahlin signing his contract extension earlier this week, the attention turns to Kevyn Adams’ plan to get a deal done with Power. Due to his age & level of experience, Power would not be eligible for an offer sheet, not that the Sabres will let it get to that point.
Here’s Adams briefly speaking about Power’s contract, from earlier this week: