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

[nfreeman]

I think most here like Power and are looking forward to seeing him wearing a Sabres jersey and hopefully helping the Phoenix rise from the ashes, but there is an awful season ahead of us plus an almost certainly disappointing resolution to the Eichel saga to get through first.  

[Thorner]

5 hours 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.

...some luck at last. 

Bodes well for Power, I think. 

[Cheektorado]

5 hours 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.

I for one will not let the current frustration I feel about the team distract from any of the prospects.

There may be some evidence that this new group in charge may know how to develop these kids better than what we seen in the past.

If I didn't have any hope I wouldn't be on this forum.

[Weave]

8 hours 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.

OMG HE’S BIG got hyped to no small extent here.

[Andrew Amerk]

52 minutes ago, Weave said:

OMG HE’S BIG got hyped to no small extent here.

Yeah, but HOW big is he?

[Wyldnwoody44]

8 hours ago, Andrew Amerk said:

Yeah, but HOW big is he?

[Buffalonill]

20 hours ago, dudacek said:

Eichel and Dahlin

It would be pretty cool if power passes dahlin.

[dudacek]

In the season Cale Makar turned 19 he put up 5 goals and 21 points in 34 games.

In the season Quinn Hughes turned 19 he put up 5 goals and 29 points in 37 games.

So far in the season where he will turn 19 this month, Owen Power has 2 goals and 12 points in 10 games.

That lack of offence thing isn’t looking like much of concern so far.

[Taro T]

7 hours ago, dudacek said:

In the season Cale Makar turned 19 he put up 5 goals and 21 points in 34 games.

In the season Quinn Hughes turned 19 he put up 5 goals and 29 points in 37 games.

So far in the season where he will turn 19 this month, Owen Power has 2 goals and 12 points in 10 games.

That lack of offence thing isn’t looking like much of concern so far.

Agree.  But, to play devil's advocate, pretty sure neither of those guys were playing w/ 2 other 19 yo top 10 draft selections nor an additional 7 (?) NHL 1st rounders.  When every line has a stud, it becomes a bit easier to rack up assists.

[Flashsabre]

8 hours ago, dudacek said:

In the season Cale Makar turned 19 he put up 5 goals and 21 points in 34 games.

In the season Quinn Hughes turned 19 he put up 5 goals and 29 points in 37 games.

So far in the season where he will turn 19 this month, Owen Power has 2 goals and 12 points in 10 games.

That lack of offence thing isn’t looking like much of concern so far.

This is not directed at you but I’m sad that we have gotten to a point where the only measure of a young dman is how many points he puts up. Everyone coming into the draft is a puck moving dman. 

Power has looked great. His IQ/instincts about when to jump up, how to us teammates in small areas for give and gos, how to angle a forward and use his stick to end rushes has been very impressive. The points will come on a stacked team but the other parts of his game look very good.

Edited November 8, 2021 by Flashsabre

[WildCard]

8 hours ago, dudacek said:

In the season Cale Makar turned 19 he put up 5 goals and 21 points in 34 games.

In the season Quinn Hughes turned 19 he put up 5 goals and 29 points in 37 games.

So far in the season where he will turn 19 this month, Owen Power has 2 goals and 12 points in 10 games.

That lack of offence thing isn’t looking like much of concern so far.

Thanks. Just curious, were Hughes and Makar on such stacked teams as I've heard Michigan to be?

[LGR4GM]

8 hours ago, dudacek said:

In the season Cale Makar turned 19 he put up 5 goals and 21 points in 34 games.

In the season Quinn Hughes turned 19 he put up 5 goals and 29 points in 37 games.

So far in the season where he will turn 19 this month, Owen Power has 2 goals and 12 points in 10 games.

That lack of offence thing isn’t looking like much of concern so far.

Makar: 0.618ppg

Hughes: 0.784ppg

Power: 1.2ppg

Makar ranked 5th in points and the top player had 28 points

Hughes ranked 3rd on his team but the 2 players above him had 45 and 51 points

[DarthEbriate]

I'm not as worried as his points as about what were listed as his flaws at draft day and is he improving on them. Is he standing up rushes at the blue line better or still giving too much space? Is he poking or does he use his size and positioning to separate attackers from the puck? Is he keeping folks away from Portillo?

Having just watched Seider neatly take the puck along the boards by using his size/positioning and look pretty impressive in all zones (yes, and also offensively get a game-winning goal) ... I want Power to look like that, and better, in 18 months (when Power is Seider's current age).

[French Collection]

I wish Power had some of Chris Pronger’s grit to his game. Just enough to make other teams think twice about putting it into his corner, driving the net, touching the goalie etc… I would give up a dozen points for that.

[Hoss]

21 minutes ago, French Collection said:

I wish Power had some of Chris Pronger’s grit to his game. Just enough to make other teams think twice about putting it into his corner, driving the net, touching the goalie etc… I would give up a dozen points for that.

He may have it in him. Time will tel if it comes out. He’s not averse to physical play.

[dudacek]

I think the responses to my posts are indicative of the fanbase’s feelings for Power.

In and around the draft we heard tons about his lack of production and how he didn’t have enough high-end skill.

He’s smashed those concerns, so people move on to toughness and zone entries.

I honestly think the fan base has collectively decided the Sabres can’t have nice nice things and are giving themselves reasons not to get excited by him because they can’t bear to be let down again.

[SDS]

5 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I think the responses to my posts are indicative of the fanbase’s feelings for Power.

In and around the draft we heard tons about his lack of production and how he didn’t have enough high-end skill.

He’s smashed those concerns, so people move on to toughness and zone entries.

I honestly think the fan base has collectively decided the Sabres can’t have nice nice things and are giving themselves reasons not to get excited by him because they can’t bear to be let down again.

Let me offer a different scenario…

Buffalo fans, in particular older fans, have an entrenched, unwavering mental construct of what a hockey player has to be.

If you’re considered to be a top player, you either fit the Buffalo mindset mold or you will suffer the fate of endless comparisons to Sabres players of 45 years ago, suffer the fate of failing to live up to endless cliches, or suffer the fate of not being equivalent to the best players who have ever lived.

[LGR4GM]

8 hours ago, dudacek said:

I think the responses to my posts are indicative of the fanbase’s feelings for Power.

In and around the draft we heard tons about his lack of production and how he didn’t have enough high-end skill.

He’s smashed those concerns, so people move on to toughness and zone entries.

I honestly think the fan base has collectively decided the Sabres can’t have nice nice things and are giving themselves reasons not to get excited by him because they can’t bear to be let down again.

I don't remember ever being concerned about his offense. The concern is gap control and short area quickness especially when he turns from backwards skating to forward. 

[Weave]

Someone somewhere in this board mentioned that years where defensemen are picked 1st overall tend to be weak in top end forwards, as opposed to strong in top end defensemen, and that the last few examples of 1 overall defensemen bear this out.  This tempers my excitement to a fair degree.  Rasmus’ development (or lack thereof) to date certainly doesn’t subtract from the tempering 

 

[Weave]

9 hours ago, SDS said:

Let me offer a different scenario…

Buffalo fans, in particular older fans, have an entrenched, unwavering mental construct of what a hockey player has to be.

If you’re considered to be a top player, you either fit the Buffalo mindset mold or you will suffer the fate of endless comparisons to Sabres players of 45 years ago, suffer the fate of failing to live up to endless cliches, or suffer the fate of not being equivalent to the best players who have ever lived.

I think this is an unfair characterization.  Sabres fans of any age have seen a stream of touted draft picks come through, and since the Bowman era at least they have predominantly not lived up to billing.  Its not difficult to develop a tempered response when the success rate has been so poor for so long.  
 

“Show me” is not equivalent to old man thinks things now are not as good as things past.  It simply means I won’t believe it until its been demonstrated to me.

[Thorner]

4 hours ago, Weave said:

Someone somewhere in this board mentioned that years where defensemen are picked 1st overall tend to be weak in top end forwards, as opposed to strong in top end defensemen, and that the last few examples of 1 overall defensemen bear this out.  This tempers my excitement to a fair degree.  Rasmus’ development (or lack thereof) to date certainly doesn’t subtract from the tempering 

 

It was me and yes.

Power actually looks awesome. 

Still wish a F was ranked 1.

[thewookie1]

3 hours ago, Thorny said:

It was me and yes.

Power actually looks awesome. 

Still wish a F was ranked 1.

Had he not been a freak of nature with his physical attributes and not shown in the World Championship that he could play with NHLers at a high end level; Eklund may have squeezed by him for the Sabres.

[Hoss]

5 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

Had he not been a freak of nature with his physical attributes and not shown in the World Championship that he could play with NHLers at a high end level; Eklund may have squeezed by him for the Sabres.

I don’t think this team was ever taking anyone other than Power or Beniers at 1 (even though they almost sent Reinhart to SJ for a chance to take Eklund a little later in the top 10).

[dudacek]

Back to the least-hyped #1 overall pick in Buffalo Sabres history...

Jack Quinn is not the only player to be putting up some amazing numbers. Owen Power's 23 points in 16 games is the best PPG production by an NCAA U20 defenceman in 35 years.

More than Brian Leetch, Adam Fox, Chris Chelios, Quinn Hughes, Zach Werenski, or any other college notable you can think of since the mid-'80s.

He's not having a good season, he's having an historic season for the modern college era.

[nfreeman]

Maybe Power is the Prince who was Promised.

Blind squirrel, etc.

I sure hope so.