Owen Power said he looks forward to the challenge of defending against the top NHL players on a full-time basis this season.
"I think for me that's probably going to be the biggest jump," the Buffalo Sabres defenseman said. "In college you defended against younger guys who are good players, but not as good as some of the guys in the NHL. It's definitely a big adjustment to go defend against top players in the world."
Power had three points (two goals, one assist) in eight games with the Sabres at the end of last season after completing his sophomore season at the University of Michigan, where he had 32 points (three goals, 29 assists) in 33 games.
He's expected to play a big part in a top-four role with Buffalo this season and is NHL.com's preseason favorite for the Calder Trophy.
Power received 59 voting points (seven first-place votes) from NHL.com's 15-person panel. Seattle Kraken center Matty Beniers was second with 52 points (four first-place votes), followed by Anaheim Ducks center Mason McTavish with 47 points (four first-place votes), Minnesota Wild center
Marco Rossi
with 15 points and Columbus Blue Jackets center Kent Johnson with 14 points.
Beniers, the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, had 43 points (20 goals, 23 assists) in 37 games as a sophomore at Michigan before playing for the United States at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship in December before the tournament was postponed in December, 2021, due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. He represented the U.S. at the 2022 Beijing Olympics in February and made his NHL debut April 12, with nine points (three goals, six assists) in 10 games with the Kraken.
Power is trying to become Buffalo's fourth Calder Trophy winner and first since 2010, when defenseman Tyler Myers was named rookie of the year.
"I see [Power] as an all-situations guy, someone who's going to be out there whether the team is up by one, down by one, power play, penalty kill, whatever," general manager Kevyn Adams said. "He's always looking to get better, and that's exactly the type of player and person we want for the Buffalo Sabres."
Selected by the Sabres with the No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft, Power had five points (three goals, two assists) in two games for Canada at the 2022 WJC, and one assist in five games with Canada at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
"It was unbelievable experiences and something that I don't think I'll ever forget," Power said of last season. "But I think for sure it will be nice this year just to kind of settle down and worry about one team."
The 19-year-old left-handed shot, who has been paired with Henri Jokiharju during training camp, is hoping Buffalo's youth movement can make an impact.
"We've got a really young core in Buffalo, and I think everyone is really excited," Power said. "All of us have high hopes and high expectations for the team."
The Sabres (32-39-11) finished 25 points behind the Washington Capitals for the second wild card into the playoffs in the Eastern Conference last season.
"Owen comes in and just the way he carries himself, the older players, the more experienced players, have a lot of respect for him," Sabres coach Don Granato said. "He puts the work in, he figures out what his role is and what he's asked, and he does it, and that's pretty neat, special for a young guy."
Voting totals (points awarded on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis): Owen Power, Buffalo Sabres, 59 points (seven first-place votes); Matty Beniers, Seattle Kraken, 52 (4); Mason McTavish, Anaheim Ducks, 47 (4); Marco Rossi, Minnesota Wild, 15; Kent Johnson, Columbus Blue Jackets, 14; Jake Sanderson, Ottawa Senators, 14; Juraj Slafkovsky, Montreal Canadiens, 11; Cole Perfetti, Winnipeg Jets, 6;Jack Quinn, Buffalo Sabres, 2; Logan Thompson, Vegas Golden Knights, 2; Shane Pinto, Ottawa Senators, 2; Thomas Bordeleau, San Jose Sharks, 1
NHL.com staff writer Tom Guilitti contributed to this report
