Likewise, the people who packed the stands at Harborcenter on Wednesday will remember the day they watched Dahlin take the ice for his first practice with the Buffalo Sabres. The defenseman dazzled throughout the hour-long Development Camp session, burying what felt like shot after shot.
Rochester Americans coach Chris Taylor, who is leading the on-ice sessions at camp, joked that each time he heard the ping that accompanies a shot off the crossbar and a subsequent cheer from the crowd, he knew who it was that shot the puck.
Taylor played in 766 professional games and has coached at the AHL level since hanging up his skates, but just the hour he spent on the ice with Dahlin on Wednesday was enough to impress even him. Taylor lauded the defenseman's lateral movement, his stride, his ability to catch and receive passes.
"He's one of those guys that, you can tell," Taylor said. "And just his shot. Like, every time he went down, I don't know if he missed one. His composure, his willingness, his love for the game. Just everything on the ice, he's a special person."
Dahlin joked that it had been years since he scored as much as he did on Wednesday, perhaps the product of the atmosphere around him. If Harborcenter wasn't packed to its 1,800-seat capacity, it was close, and he was the main attraction.
Dahlin signed autographs for Sabres fans at the NHL Draft in Dallas and toured the city of Buffalo with Sabres legend Gilbert Perreault on Tuesday, but the turnout at development camp still caught him off-guard.