The Buffalo Sabers do not hit numbers and plates on their training sweaters, but it is easy to spot the tall 19-year-old spending his first full day in the NHL. The number 25 (strabismus near the helmet seal) is a very novice six foot sans skate and weighs 213 pounds which does not look like a teenager. “Size, first of all,” said Rasmus Dahlin, a colleague first in the overall draft selection, what he noticed about the new press. “Then how does he skate with the size and how does he handle the elf. “There are not many such defenders.” No sir. This is why bulldozer unicorns, such as Power, are recruited as class leaders. Because a detective will tell you it could be the next Victor Hedman or Alex Pietrangelo. And why the Sabers – now the owners of the biggest playoff drought in league history (11 years) – want the media and fans to keep their expectations in view of the Power professional in Toronto on Tuesday. “No one is the savior,” said Buffalo coach Don Granato. “This team will do it together, and build together. You can see the camaraderie and passion they have for each other and wear this jersey. It’s fun to be a coach.” Give Power, Sabers and all those on their trajectory a moment to dive into this sweet moment, in the midst of another lost era. “The Olympics and the world championships, in particular, have given me more confidence when I come here, playing against professionals. “I know how it is,” says Power. “It’s a team with a bright future. “I’m very excited to be here and get started.” The Mississauga-based Mississauga product was pushed into the middle of the cycle after Sabers rehearsed to lead the series at the Ford Performance Center on Monday and was greeted with a barrage of cheers and enthusiastic applause from his new teammates. “You saw the baton hit when Owen got in there and you can see a group of 20 men completely immersed in themselves and nothing else right now. “It’s fun to watch it as a coach,” says Granato. day that “gets better.” Mom, Tris, and Dad, Zi, watched proudly from an ice rink they had stood on many times in the past. Trish handles all the ticket requests from the flood of Power family and friends coming down to the Scotiabank Arena for his debut. Owen only knows that there will be “many” of them in the positions. “I grew up in this building,” Power said. “The debut of any NHL is a really special moment, but being able to have it in my hometown with my whole family here, I think makes it so much better. “Almost everything hockey is in Toronto.” Do not get too excited. But get completely excited. This seems to be the paradoxical feeling surrounding Power’s arrival in a city that does not have to look far back to remember the last great hope he exchanged on bad terms. Veteran Kyle Okposo reveals that the room was watching the University of Michigan score closely, eager for a Power jolt as soon as his Frozen Four was wrapped up. A smiling Granato – who made a point of greeting Power’s parents – says he overheard defense associates Dahlin and Henri Jokiharju arguing over who would play first with the child. (The D-men were stunnedly unaware that they were cursing each other for wanting a switch.) Righty Jokiharju will receive the award on Tuesday, which means Power will connect with a former Blackhawk he watched closely when he lit it for USHL Chicago Steel. It also means he will be thrown out of the gate in the first four minutes. Welcome to the show, my child. Here’s the climax of Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner in a hurry. “It will be very nice,” Power said. “I’m excited to see how it is and I’m trying to go out there and play my game.” What has impressed Sabers during his first three days with the group is how calm and curious he was. Jokiharju admired with all his nerves that he does not show on the ice. Okposo considers Power to be “a duck in a pond” – placed in the eye but running below the surface. “If you think about how many teams he has played for in the last two years and the pressure he had on him, the advertising campaign he had on him, it just goes away. “He handles it well – especially when he’s wearing his hockey equipment,” says Granato. The scene changes. the game, not so much. “They did this all their lives,” says Granato. “It simply came to our notice then. They have envisioned it. “ The coach took care not to overwhelm Power with too much information about the systems. The organization wants the projected star to trust his instincts and abilities, to organically cultivate his game and not to worry about every mistake. And in Dahlin, the Sabers are blessed with a very specific type of mentor who is out of control and wearing the No. 1 weight. “It takes time, so that’s my advice to him,” says Dahlin. “It takes time. Just let him be who he is and let him evolve.” Small world. Maple Leafs’ Mark Giordano has witnessed this development, having shared some summer skates with the gentle Power modes in Toronto. “He’s a huge kid who can really skate,” says Giordano. “You are not the first to go to our league in general unless you are a huge talent – and he is. So, it is good for him to get his contract and enter the championship “. Another No. 1 overall, John Tavares (2009), had his eye on Power as the then-18-year-old helped Canada’s men win gold at the 2021 World Cup and then represent the country strong in this year’s wrong. start junior world and olympics. “You see why it’s so well-publicized, why it was a first choice and why it will be a challenge for years to come,” says Tavares, who is downplaying the pressure of ordering on the design. “Do you know that. But I think at the end of the day, you live a dream and play in the NHL and you get the chance. I think you are so excited that you will finally experience this. ” And there are plenty of people in Buffalo – and Toronto – who should be excited too.
