Dahlin on All-Star selection: 'It means a lot'

PITTSBURGH – Rasmus Dahlin still takes pride in earning a selection to the NHL All-Star Game, even as he prepares to participate in the event for a third consecutive year.

Dahlin was included in the NHL’s initial group of 32 players selected to All-Star Game, which will be played on Saturday, Feb. 3 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. The final 12 players will be determined through a fan vote, which is active now through Jan. 11 via Sabres.com/Vote, the NHL App, and X (formerly Twitter). 

• How to vote Sabres players into the All-Star Game

Dahlin was one of just two defensemen included on the initial roster, along with Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes. 

“It’s something you dream about when you’re a kid and it’s something you are really proud of,” he said. “It means a lot.”

Dahlin is the seventh player in Sabres history to be selected to three or more All-Star Games and the fifth to do so in three consecutive seasons, joining Rick Martin, Alexander Mogilny, Dominik Hasek, and Jack Eichel. 

The 23-year-old leads NHL defensemen with 11 goals following his one-goal, one-assist performance in the Sabres’ 6-1 victory in Montreal on Thursday. He is tied for seventh among defensemen with 31 points and ranks eighth among all NHL players in average time on ice (24:58).

This season has seen Dahlin continue to climb the franchise record books, having surpassed Alexei Zhitnik for fourth among defensemen in Sabres history with 57 career goals. He is the fourth defenseman in franchise history to reach double-digit goal totals in three straight seasons. 

But for all his offensive prowess, coaches and teammates cite Dahlin’s leadership as a quality that sets him apart more and more as he continues his career. 

“He’s obviously a tremendous leader for us,” Sabres coach Don Granato said. “He’s (an) extremely competitive, competitive guy. Very hard on himself. Internal drive is something that leaders have and teams need. Other guys would be good to follow his way. So, he’s a very deserved All-Star.”

Dahlin’s competitive nature has been well-documented. His fiery attitude sets the tone in practice drills and spills into off-ice activities, such as when he and Casey Mittelstadt had a running competition last season to one up each other for the high score in the KeyBank Center shooting room. 

Zach Benson, Buffalo’s 18-year-old rookie who has lived with Dahlin this season, said the competitiveness even comes out in basement ping-pong games.

“He’s a great leader on and off the ice,” Benson said. “A super competitive guy. Just his habits off the ice, you realize how much work he puts in behind the scenes. That really shows on the ice when he gets out there. He’s so dynamic. 

“He leads with his talent on the ice and then obviously with his voice on the bench, just always wanting to get the next one and always wanting to win. He’s been super beneficial for me as a young guy early on in my career.”

While Dahlin has long led by example – a determining factor in him being recognized as an alternate captain since the start of last season – his voice has grown as his career has progressed.

“He’s always been an incredibly hard worker and led by example in that way,” Mittelstadt said. “But I think especially this year he’s really stepped up vocally and he’s learning when to say the right thing at the right time. 

“… I don’t think there’s another defenseman in the league that we’d trade him for, to be honest. We’re incredibly lucky to have him, and he’s a great friend and a great person.”

Here’s more from practice in Pittsburgh on Friday. 

1. The Sabres skated without forwards Alex Tuch and Jordan Greenway, both of whom missed practice due to an illness. Granato said there was a concern that neither forward would be able to play in Montreal, but both gutted it out and contributed to the win.

Tuch had two assists while Greenway led Sabres forwards with 18:39 of ice time.

“To go into that game last night and potentially miss those two guys would not have been fun,” Granato said. “So, they did one hell of a job for us and the hope is they’re getting better and stronger.”

2. The Sabres took the lead on the Canadiens with two power-play goals during the second period, both of which were the products of passes down low in front of the opposing net. Dahlin explained after practice how the plays were less a matter of focus and more a product of taking what was available.

“That was the good thing about it,” Dahlin said. “It just happened. We played the right way. We didn’t force anything. We just tried to make the right play. That was the low play yesterday, and it worked out. I’m very happy we got two goals on the power play yesterday. We just got to keep going.”

Granato said he would like to see the power play continue to utilize that area of the ice as a means to open up space for Buffalo’s shooting threats, citing Tage Thompson and Victor Olofsson as examples.

“We need to score goals down low,” he said. “It’s been available to us. Obviously it will be available to us when we have a threat like Thompson or Olofsson, shooters, even Jack Quinn. You’re going to have more availability in other areas and we need to take advantage of them.

3. The Sabres conclude their road trip Saturday against the Penguins at PPG Paints Arena. Pregame coverage on MSG/MSG+   begins at 6:30 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 7.