NHL Draft profile: Owen Power

BlueJackets.com is running feature stories profiling the top nine players in our consensus poll for the upcoming NHL Draft, which is scheduled to begin Friday. Columbus will select fifth overall in the draft with the chance to add a high-level player -- likely from this group -- to the organization.
Let's just start here -- there's very little chance that when the NHL Draft unfolds on Friday night that Owen Power will end up wearing a Blue Jackets sweater.
With Columbus drafting fifth, the player that many expect to go No. 1 overall -- and who finished first in our consensus poll of NHL draft experts, taking the top spot in 12 of 14 ratings we used -- to Buffalo is very unlikely to slip all the way to the Blue Jackets.

Even if the Sabres choose to go a different route, Power will more than likely be snapped up by Seattle, Anaheim or New Jersey in the three following picks. So if you're reading this story, we'll just be honest and say odds are this guy will wear not union blue this weekend.
It's a testament to what Power -- also rated the No. 1 North American skater available by the NHL's Central Scouting Bureau in its season-ending ratings -- has been able to accomplish over his entire life but especially the past season, not just with the University of Michigan but with Team Canada.
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While many draft analysts have said there's no dominant player in this year's draft -- Power isn't quite thought to be a generational player like a Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews -- the 6-foot-6 defenseman with excellent skating ability, uncommon hockey sense, good hands and some offensive ability seemingly has carved out a niche atop this year's board.
"Owen is sort of a marquee player that most people talk about and project No. 1, and I think the reason being is he's just a complete package," Michigan head coach Mel Pearson said. "There might not be any one thing he does that's exceptional, but he does everything very, very well.
"Obviously the size, you can't mess with that. He's a great skater. Whether he's 6-5 or 5-10, he skates extremely well. People tell me he's a great skater for his size. I say, 'No, he's a really good skater, period.' He has really good hockey sense. He understands the game. A lot of the time he's a play ahead in the game. He really, really has great hockey IQ. He has good offensive instincts. He's got good edges. He's smart. He can basically cut the ice in half being so tall and with that stick."
In other words, Power can just about do it all and proved it this past year whether he was wearing maize and blue or Canada's red and black. In 26 games with the Wolverines, the Mississauga, Ontario, native posted three goals and 13 assists for 16 points, all while finishing plus-18 and earning just six penalty minutes.
But where Power really took off was at the World Championships in the spring. Playing on Team Canada at just 18 years old, he slowly but surely became one of the team's top defensemen as the tournament went on, playing big minutes along with NHLers Troy Stecher, Sean Walker and Mario Ferraro.
Power joined those three as being the only players on the Canadian roster to average more than 20 minutes per game, racking up three assists and a plus-1 rating in 10 games for the gold medal-winning squad.
While Power said that as of this moment he is leaning toward returning to Michigan for another season, the time with Team Canada showed Power how he stacks up against the best in the world.
"I think the World Championships was good for me to see where I was at when playing with the pros and playing against the pros," said Power, who added he models his game after Tampa Bay star Victor Hedman. "It gave me a better appreciation of how ready I was to play pro hockey.
"I think I need to continue to develop my game, continue to get stronger, faster, quicker, and then keep developing the areas of my game that I think need work and continue growing in areas I'm already good at."
For those that know Power best, that success came as no surprise.
"I can definitely sing his praises all day," said fellow Wolverine Kent Johnson, another likely top-10 pick in the draft. "Right when I got to Michigan, I could tell how special he was, and it's really fun to be able to train with that guy every day. The World Championships, it wasn't too surprising to me to see how he did. I remember watching the first period of the first game and being like, 'Aww, come on. They have to get this guy out more.' Just seeing how good he did there, it was awesome to see."

What they're saying

Draft Prospects Hockey draft guide:
"Big, fluid, athletic, rangy, two-way defenseman. Brings a versatile, all-situations, puck-moving game. Eats big minutes and rarely looks tired from a hefty workload. A smooth skater with excellent edgework, east-west mobility, and speed. ... Has skilled mitts and excellent vision. Makes creative passes and likes to carry the puck up ice each chance he gets. Poised and composed under pressure, makes smart decisions and is mature beyond his years. He will shield the puck with a forechecker bearing down on him or hold the puck on the rush drawing in defenders before dishing a hard pass."
HockeyProspect.com Black Book:
"First overall players need to have a unique combination of skills, and they need to be franchise altering players, which we feel Power can become, given enough time. He's not going to always end up on a highlight reel, but he still has the potential to be an impactful number one defenseman who can dictate play when he's playing up to his abilities. It will be interesting to monitor if he's willing to be more aggressive come playoff time in the future as well. You can't trade for an Owen Power in today's game and that's a testament to how truly rare it is to find the mental and physical blend that he offers."
Chris Peters, Hockey Sense:
"Power has been on a steady progression over his last three seasons, starting as an exceptional 16-year-old in the USHL, then the best defenseman in the league at 17 and a high-end defenseman in college as a true freshman. He's taken a step every year. After watching him in the World Championship, his game is still progressing at a similar rate, and I think it's fairly safe to say he's the most NHL-ready prospect in this draft."