Chris Taylor, coach of Rochester in the American Hockey League, is running Sabres development camp this week. He came away highly impressed by Dahlin's ablility.
"Pretty incredible," Taylor said. "Dynamic. There's a reason he's a first pick overall. It's exciting for Buffalo.
"This time of year, I've never really seen this many people show up for a development camp. I'd look around when a shot went off the bar and in, people were clapping so I knew who shot the puck. It's fun. I think he's more excited than we are."
Asked for his scouting report on the smooth-skating defenseman, Taylor started listing compliments.
"Just how he shifts back and forth from one side to the other side," Taylor said. "He can stop laterally. His stride. His passing is crisp like an NHL player. Receiving passes, you probably see a lot of times pucks bouncing off of people's sticks. It didn't bounce off his stick. He's just one of those guys, you can tell. And his shot, every time he went down, I don't know if he missed one. His composure, his willingness, his love of the game, just everything on the ice.
"He's a special person."
A murmur went through the rink whenever Dahlin produced a moment of brilliance, but it was a familiar sight for forward Victor Olofsson.
Olofsson, picked in the seventh round (No. 181) by the Sabres in the 2014 NHL Draft, was Dahlin's teammate with Frolunda of the Swedish Elite League the past two seasons. He remembers the first time he was wowed by Dahlin's skills.
"To be honest, it was probably the first practice (with Frolunda), when he first practiced with us," Olofsson, 22, said. "He got the puck on the blue line and I was going out towards him, and he just put it between my legs and scores. That was probably the first time I really noticed him."
Olofsson's first impression was Dahlin got lucky. It didn't take long for him to realize it wasn't luck.
"I thought it was a fluke at first," he said. "When he did it again and again, it's not just a fluke. I just feel the skill he has is so special. He's above almost everyone else in skill."
The citizens of "Dahlintown" couldn't agree more.
Photo Credit: Bill Wippert/Buffalo Sabres