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 600 readers that ranked Buffalo Sabres players under the age of 25 as of August 1, 2022. Each participant used their own metric of current ability and production to rank each player.
Perhaps the franchise’s most anticipated player to be joining the Sabres full time this year is none other than their 2021 first-round draft pick Owen Power. All eyes have been on our number one ranked player (tied with Rasmus Dahlin who had a great 2021-2022 season, respectively) for a while and there is much to be excited about.
The Mississauga-born defenseman made his NHL debut this past April against the Maple Leafs with almost 20 minutes of ice time and a plus-two rating. Not too shabby, eh? He would go on to score his first NHL goal just a few games later against the New Jersey Devils (be sure to catch Jeff Skinner grabbing the puck for him after it gets past goaltender Andrew Hammond below).
Prior to his NHL debut, Power spent two seasons with the University of Michigan. During his sophomore year, he tallied 32 points in 33 games (!) and blocked the most shots on his team with a total of 44. In 59 NCAA games, he scored six goals and contributed 42 assists – another impressive statistic – before the completion of his collegiate playing career.
Power also represented Canada in two games at the IIHF World Junior Championship in late 2021 and became the first Canadian defenseman to accomplish a hat trick. Unfortunately, COVID-19 prematurely put an end to that tournament, but Power gained great experience that geared him up for the 2022 Olympics in Beijing just a few weeks later. During his time at the Olympics, he averaged over 21 minutes in ice time and was a plus-two in five total games.
Is he ready for the blue and gold jersey full-time? Absolutely. However, with all eyes on him, he will certainly be under a magnifying glass as he will likely be a contender for the Calder Trophy. Mistakes will happen, but Sabres fans should be optimistic and excited about Power’s official full-season debut after gaining a pretty solid amount of experience at both the college and international levels at the budding age of 19.