"The main camp is the next thing so I'm super excited," said the 18-year-old defenseman, who was the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. "This prospects tournament was good. It was nice to get to know all the guys in the locker room, and it was a great experience to get back to the real game again and be able to be on the small ice (in North America). I think the main thing was to meet all the players ... and talk some English."
The Sabres will begin on-ice workouts Friday, but many of Buffalo's veteran players will meet Dahlin for the first time when they report to camp Thursday.
"I think, obviously, we have a pretty exciting face coming in with Dahlin," said Sabres forward Jeff Skinner, who was acquired in a trade from the Carolina Hurricanes on Aug. 2. "I haven't met him, but he's been talked about a lot, so I feel like I know him."
Dahlin scored two goals and had an assist in a 6-4 win against New Jersey Devils prospects at HarborCenter on Friday. He did not have a point in a 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday and was a healthy scratch in 10-2 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday.
"He's an impressive young man," Sabres general manager Jason Botterill said. "Our interaction with him throughout the summer, we knew how competitive he is. To get this experience on a small ice surface and prepare for main camp was very important. Some of the good feedback I've been given is that he's very coachable, and I think it's just one of the reasons our coaching staff is excited to work with him."
