Owen Power signs entry-level deal with Buffalo Sabres

Article content

Owen Power is heading to the National Hockey League.

And all signs point to the No. 1 overall pick making his Buffalo Sabres debut against the Toronto Maple Leafs next Tuesday.

Power, who is from Mississauga, Ont., had his college season ended on Thursday when the Michigan Wolverines lost 3-2 in overtime to Denver in the NCAA Frozen Four semifinal. A day later, the 19-year-old signed a three-year entry level contract with the rebuilding Sabres. 

The Sabres already have been eliminated from the playoffs for a NHL-record 11th straight season. But with Power part of the up-and-coming core, the future is starting to look bright.

Buffalo played against the Florida Panthers on Friday, and next faces the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday. But you can probably expect that the team will give the 6-foot-6, 212-pound defenceman some time to practice with his new team and get acclimated — as well as some much-needed rest after what has been a whirlwind year for him.

In December, Power became the first Team Canada defenceman to score a hat trick at the world juniors. A couple of months later, he was logging nearly 22 minutes a game at the Olympics. In between, he played a starring role for Michigan, scoring three goals and 29 points in 33 games as a sophomore for a Wolverines team that was deep with top-end NHL prospects. 

“I look at our team and where we’re at right now, when you plug a guy like that right in there, another young, talented, hungry player who wants to be great, that’s special,” Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams told the Buffalo News.

Power’s college teammate, B.C. native Kent Johnson, who was the fifth-overall pick in 2021, also signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday.