Rasmus Dahlin signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Buffalo Sabres on Monday.
Financial terms were not released.
The 18-year-old defenseman was taken with the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft after he had 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists) in 41 games with Frolunda of the Swedish Hockey League last season. Dahlin's 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) in 67 regular-season games over two seasons were the most for an under-18 defenseman in the history of Sweden's top league.
"It's been a dream since I was a little kid," Dahlin said at the draft in Dallas on June 22. "It's been a long wait and you can't really plan anything, but like finally today I can plan my future and I love to call my new town Buffalo."
Dahlin (6-foot-3, 185 pounds) had six assists in seven games to help Sweden win a silver medal at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship while earning best defenseman honors and a place on the tournament All-Star team. At 17, Dahlin was the youngest player at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, where he had an assist in two games.
Dahlin was the first Sweden-born player chosen No. 1 in the draft since 1989, when the Quebec Nordiques picked center Mats Sundin.
