Dahlin became the first Swedish-born player to be taken with the No. 1 overall pick in nearly 30 years when Buffalo selected him at the 2018 NHL Draft. The defenseman has been a big ambassador for Swedish hockey over the course of his young career and his enthusiasm seems to be rubbing off on the group.
"I've never seen Ras so excited. It seemed like he had his bags packed in the car all day yesterday," captain Jack Eichel said. "He's ready to go. He was moving us along. He's really enjoying it. It's going to be an awesome experience for them."
The Sabres will play the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday and Saturday for a pair of regular-season games at Ericsson Globe in Stockholm.
The team took the ice for practice Monday afternoon for an up-tempo practice following a seven-hour overnight flight from Buffalo. They'll have an off day on Tuesday, where the players will have the chance to explore Stockholm.
"Just on multiple levels, Stockholm is a magical city," coach Ralph Krueger said. "The history, you'll feel it here, walking around, and in the Old Town or along the water, you can just feel the heartbeat of the Swedish people."
Six Swedish players are on the trip for Buffalo, including Dahlin, Marcus Johansson, Linus Ullmark, Johan Larsson, Victor Olofsson and Lawrence Pilut.
"Everyone's excited, but it's special for the Swedes, obviously, to come back here," Johansson said. "It is a really cool experience to play in front of all your family and friends that might not get the opportunity to the U.S. to watch you play."
Johansson was one of the players who stepped up when it came to helping the non-Swedish players find things to do in Stockholm.
"He sent the whole team a nice, big spreadsheet so it helped us out," Eichel said.
