Pick #1: D Owen Power (University of Michigan)

[Norcal]

Good stuff from Pronman. 

[LGR4GM]

18 hours ago, dudacek said:

Very interesting conversation about Power (and also Dahlin) in the Athletic’s Pronman best Under23 podcast.

https://theathletic.com/podcast/240-the-athletic-hockey-show/?episode=132 (starts around 24 minutes)
 

Pronman ranks Power 9 and the host grilled him on how he could be ahead of Miro Heiskanen (11) given what Heiskanen has already accomplished in the NHL.

The answer, essentially, was his toolbox. Pronman believes that Power can do everything Heiskanen can do - skate and move the puck and think the game - at a similar level, but with all the added advantages of length and strength that a 6’6” frame provides.

He’s not saying Power will be Hedman, but there is a 50 per cent chance he could.

He also said because of Power’s unique toolkit that no one else has, there is a very realistic chance that he is a key piece of a championship team.

He said a lot of NHL people look at history, then look at Power’s tools and conclude there is no way he is not a top pairing defenceman at the minimum, with an upside of being absolutely top echelon.

Interesting take.

Hmm.  I don't see the point production for that yet but Power's defensive game took leaps and bounds this season. If he speeds up his feet (Hedman has talked about how he had to work on quickness) while back at college, there's a smothering puck moving monster there. 

I'm so thankful he's staying 1 more year in college. It's really going to polish parts of his game and come April, we should see a really nice player. 

[Brawndo]

The Sabres should have a development coach living in Ann Arbor this Year 

[Weave]

1 hour ago, Brawndo said:

The Sabres should have a development coach living in Ann Arbor this Year 

I wonder how much, if at all, college coaches consider and work with pro coaches of their drafted players.  I would have to think it is a recruiting benefit to be able so say your program works with draftee coaches on development.  Of course, how does that fit in with overall program success and winning?

[dudacek]

2 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Hmm.  I don't see the point production for that yet but Power's defensive game took leaps and bounds this season. If he speeds up his feet (Hedman has talked about how he had to work on quickness) while back at college, there's a smothering puck moving monster there. 

I'm so thankful he's staying 1 more year in college. It's really going to polish parts of his game and come April, we should see a really nice player. 

Have you done a deep dive into comparables there?

14 points in 26 games as an 18-year-old college freshman seems pretty good to me.

Cale Makar had 21 points in 34 games as a college freshman and he was 19. Quinn Hughes had 29 in 37 in his freshman year, also at 19.

Power had 40 points in 45 games to lead all USHL defencemen in scoring as a 17-year-old.

 

[Hoss]

1 hour ago, Weave said:

I wonder how much, if at all, college coaches consider and work with pro coaches of their drafted players.  I would have to think it is a recruiting benefit to be able so say your program works with draftee coaches on development.  Of course, how does that fit in with overall program success and winning?

I would imagine the teams are definitely in their ear giving them an idea what’s expected of them and what areas of their game they want them to work on.

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

Have you done a deep dive into comparables there?

14 points in 26 games as an 18-year-old college freshman seems pretty good to me.

Cale Makar had 21 points in 34 games as a college freshman and he was 19. Quinn Hughes had 29 in 37 in his freshman year, also at 19.

Power had 40 points in 45 games to lead all USHL defencemen in scoring as a 17-year-old.

 

Well the comparison was to Hedman so... 

[Buffalonill]

Like I predicted the fans are making a difference 

[DarthEbriate]

2 hours ago, dudacek said:

Have you done a deep dive into comparables there?

14 points in 26 games as an 18-year-old college freshman seems pretty good to me.

Cale Makar had 21 points in 34 games as a college freshman and he was 19. Quinn Hughes had 29 in 37 in his freshman year, also at 19.

Power had 40 points in 45 games to lead all USHL defencemen in scoring as a 17-year-old.

24 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Well the comparison was to Hedman so... 

Hedman's age 16-17 season was with MODO and he was at 4 points in 39 games. Age 17-18 also with MODO he was 7-14-21 in 43 games. By age 18-19 season, he was in Tampa.

Then two seasons in Tampa where he notched 26 and 20 points. Then, the breakthrough: 20 points in 44 games in 2012-13. The next season he earned his first Norris votes and he hasn't looked back since.

If Power can become aggressive enough defensively to immediately diffuse rushes, to go into the corner with great reach and positioning and easily take the puck away, to force opposing players to make hasty, sloppy passes... as Hedman learned to do, then Power could become a true #1 D the likes of which we've not had in.... decades, ever? Because the offensive capabilities should be there. If he chooses the quick and easy path, as a strictly offensive defenseman did, he will become an agent of evil another franchise.

[dudacek]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

Well the comparison was to Hedman so... 

Sorry, I was asking a legitimate question.

I don’t know how his numbers compare to other 17-year-old USHL defencemen or 18-year-old college freshmen and thought you might. You’re kinda my go-to for that stuff.

[drnkirishone]

5 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Sorry, I was asking a legitimate question.

I don’t know how his numbers compare to other 17-year-old USHL defencemen or 18-year-old college freshmen and thought you might. You’re kinda my go-to for that stuff.

Being reliable is rough

[LGR4GM]

6 hours ago, dudacek said:

Sorry, I was asking a legitimate question.

I don’t know how his numbers compare to other 17-year-old USHL defencemen or 18-year-old college freshmen and thought you might. You’re kinda my go-to for that stuff.

Sorry, I was confused. I thought we were talking about the article and the Hedman comparison. 

To answer your question. Cale Makar was below Power in EV/P1. Quinn Hughes was as well. K'Andre Miller actually tied Power. 

Power's 0.5385 EV/P1 has only been eclipsed by a DY+1 named Zac Jones in the past 4 years. Quinn Hughes outproduced Power in his DY however with 0.5405

I take Power's DY numbers with a sight hesitation because covid and he's on a stacked team but Owen Power has a lot of offense and defensive capabilities. We should just be cautious comparing him to Victor Hedman. 

[pi2000]

https://mgoblue.com/news/2021/9/16/michigan-ice-hockey-selects-2021-22-captains.aspx

Power not selected as a Captain 😳

Confirmed bust.

[woods-racer]

9 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

https://mgoblue.com/news/2021/9/16/michigan-ice-hockey-selects-2021-22-captains.aspx

Power not selected as a Captain 😳

Confirmed bust.

 

I hope he's never captain of that team, it appears it's given out to mostly seniors.

[Flashsabre]

1 hour ago, pi2000 said:

https://mgoblue.com/news/2021/9/16/michigan-ice-hockey-selects-2021-22-captains.aspx

Power not selected as a Captain 😳

Confirmed bust.

I knew they should have taken Blankenburg 1OA😁

Edited September 16, 2021 by Flashsabre

[Sabres Fan in NS]

2 hours ago, woods-racer said:

 

I hope he's never captain of that team, it appears it's given out to mostly seniors.

One noteable alternate who is a sophomore.  Is Power not a sophomore?

I never understood what that term means ... sophomore?????  The others make sense.

Edited September 16, 2021 by New Scotland (NS)

[Curt]

2 hours ago, New Scotland (NS) said:

One noteable alternate who is a sophomore.  Is Power not a sophomore?

I never understood what that term means ... sophomore?????  The others make sense.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/learned-fools-freshman-sophomore-and-the-rest

[Brawndo]

On 9/12/2021 at 11:12 AM, Weave said:

I wonder how much, if at all, college coaches consider and work with pro coaches of their drafted players.  I would have to think it is a recruiting benefit to be able so say your program works with draftee coaches on development.  Of course, how does that fit in with overall program success and winning?

I believe there is a mutual understanding that both benefit the player, but to maintain access to the programs the NHL Development Coaches defer to the College Coach. Organizations can ask to have Their Players put into different situations. PP Time, PK Time, playing on their offside. Ultimately it’s the College Coaches Decision to do what’s best for them.

[Curt]

Just now, Brawndo said:

I believe there is a mutual understanding that both benefit the player, but to maintain access to the programs the NHL Development Coaches defer to the College Coach. Organizations can ask to have Their Players put into different situations. PP Time, PK Time, playing on their offside. Ultimately it’s the College Coaches Decision to do what’s best for them.

Just to expand on this idea:  To your knowledge, do you think that this relationship between NHL organization and NCAA teams differs from the relationship between NHL and CHL teams?  I’ve heard that NHL organizations have quite a bit of influence over how their players are handled (and even what team they play for) in the CHL.

[woods-racer]

5 hours ago, New Scotland (NS) said:

One noteable alternate who is a sophomore.  Is Power not a sophomore?

I never understood what that term means ... sophomore?????  The others make sense.

He is a sophomore. But I was speaking with more of an *odd's* factor...

 

If your high round draft pick makes to team captain odd's are not good your getting him signed and he's going to be a UFA...type odd's.

 

Another words, it's just fine he's not a captain.

[Thorner]

18 hours ago, New Scotland (NS) said:

One noteable alternate who is a sophomore.  Is Power not a sophomore?

I never understood what that term means ... sophomore?????  The others make sense.

It means you've had your "sopht" start at college but still have a bunch -omore left 

Edited September 17, 2021 by Thorny

[Sabres Fan in NS]

3 hours ago, Thorny said:

It means you've had your "sopht" start at college but still have a bunch -omore left 

This is perfect and exactly what I wanted.

19 hours ago, Curt said:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/learned-fools-freshman-sophomore-and-the-rest

This is terrible and not what I wanted atoll.  I did not want a link to a big fat dictionary.  Words, man!!  Simple words.

[dudacek]

Goal, 3 assists in his 1st game of the season.

Sabrespace shrugs.

I know why, but the lack of hype for Power is amazing.

Regardless if he becomes Eric Johnson or Larry Robinson, he’s still, at worst, the 3rd best prospect this team has drafted in 30 years.

[Huckleberry]

5 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Goal, 3 assists in his 1st game of the season.

Sabrespace shrugs.

I know why, but the lack of hype for Power is amazing.

Regardless if he becomes Eric Johnson or Larry Robinson, he’s still, at worst, the 3rd best prospect this team has drafted in 30 years.

Behind Eichel and Reinhart ?   I have them both ahead of Vanek and Pommer.

Edited October 9, 2021 by Huckleberry

[dudacek]

Just now, Huckleberry said:

Behind Eichel and Reinhart ?

Eichel and Dahlin