The 19-year-old defenseman grew up in Lidkoping, Sweden. When the Buffalo Sabres travel to Stockholm for the 2019 NHL Global Series this week, he wants things that aren't quite the same in North America.
Kebabs. Pizza. Candy. Burgers from a fast-food joint called Max.
Related: [Complete Global Series Coverage]
"It's not healthy stuff," he said with a laugh.
This could be healthy for the Sabres, though.
They are scheduled to leave Buffalo at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday and arrive in Stockholm at 11 a.m. local time Monday. They will practice Monday and rest on Tuesday to adjust to the time change. Then they'll have two days of practice before playing back-to-back Atlantic Division games against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday (2 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN1, NHL.TV) and Saturday (1 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN1, SUN, MSG-B, NHL.TV).
The trip will serve several purposes.
Fans in Sweden will get to see NHL games in person, featuring homegrown talent. The Sabres have five Sweden-born players: Dahlin; forwards Marcus Johansson, Johan Larsson and Victor Olofsson; and goalie Linus Ullmark. The Lightning have defenseman Victor Hedman.
"We're proud to be ambassadors for the National Hockey League in Europe for that week," coach Ralph Krueger said. "It's a break from all club games in Europe. It's only national teams playing. So, we will definitely be the focal point. That's a role that we're embracing."
The Sweden-born players will get to play in their home country, for their home fans, in front of family and friends.
"You never even dream about that, playing an NHL game in Sweden and having all your family and friends there," said Johansson, who played for the New Jersey Devils against the Edmonton Oilers in the 2018 NHL Global Series in Gothenburg last season.
"I feel very fortunate to have done it and even more fortunate to get to do it again. It's just something that doesn't happen very often. It's very special. I don't think the guys over here get it. They play close to home a lot, but we don't really get the chance to do it."
Players from other countries will get to see Stockholm.
And the Sabres should be able to grow as a team. They will spend a week together in the city known as the Venice of the North. The first practice will be more about getting their blood pumping and legs moving after a seven-hour overnight flight, but the back-to-back full practices, a rarity in the regular season, will give them a chance to work on their game. It will be like a mini training camp.
"I think it's going to be an awesome experience for us," said center Jack Eichel, the Sabres captain, who grew up in North Chelmsford, Massachusetts. "It's going to give us an opportunity to spend a lot of time together, play some games in an atmosphere that we're probably not used to, something that we'll remember for the rest of our lives. And obviously we're going over there looking for four points."