Power could play for Sabres this season, GM says

Owen Power could play for the Buffalo Sabres by the end of the NHL season, general manager Kevyn Adams said Tuesday.

Power, the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, is taking a break from his sophomore season at the University of Michigan to prepare to play for Canada at the 2022 Beijing Olympics next month. But after the defenseman competes in Beijing and completes his NCAA season, he could sign an entry-level contract with the Sabres and begin his professional career.
Adams said he has had conversations with Power's adviser Pat Brisson.
"We've got open communication. We're on the same page," Adams said. "Owen, in terms of what we've seen when we drafted him, is everything that we were hoping as we moved into this year: a player that can be big minutes at the highest level, playing in all situations, and has the growth mindset of `How do I get better? I want to be a dominant player.' He doesn't just want to come in and play, and I think that's part of the process he's gone through of why he wanted to go back to school, it's, 'I think I can do more, I can get better and I can be more ready.' So he's taken those steps.
"But yeah, we've had those conversations and we're getting excited for sure."
Power leads NCAA defensemen with 26 points (three goals, 23 assists) in 24 games. The 19-year-old became the first Canada defenseman to score a hat trick at the IIHF World Junior Championship in a 6-3 win against Czechia in preliminary round play before the 2022 tournament was cancelled because of concerns surrounding the coronavirus.
"It says a lot about Owen, who he is as a person and the maturity that he has," Adams said. "Owen's extremely self-aware of his game, what he does well, what he wants to work on. Whenever I go watch him play and I talk to him after a game, he immediately gives a breakdown of his games. 'I liked what I did here, I think I need to do better there.' It's impressive at a young age to see that. And I think part of his mindset of going back for this year was to grow, and he's attacked the season.
"This player to me sums of the type of people we want on the Buffalo Sabres and in our locker room, people that get up every day and want to be better."
Of Power playing in the NHL this season, Adams said, "I don't want to get ahead of it because I think it's important for him to stay present and stay in the moment of what he's doing and what he's focused on. And I don't want in any way to be a distraction from that. But, you know, he ultimately knows where he wants to be. We ultimately know where we want him to be, and we've had those conversations just to prepare. So we'll just we'll let this play out. ... So for me, it's exciting."
Sabres coach Don Granato said he views the Olympics as another opportunity for Power to gain experience and develop his game.
"It's a great spot for him," Granato said. "I was really glad that he went back to play college hockey. He had the hindsight of a freshman year that he could internalize and things that he wanted to adjust to and set goals with a clear vision. That's tough to do when you come in as a freshman because you have no experience at that level. The targets and goals that he's set in his own mind, I'm sure he's been able to go at them. He's obviously gone at them aggressively because he's performed so well."
Power will be joined on Canada by Sabres prospect Devon Levi. The 20-year-old goalie, who helped Canada finish second at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship, was traded to Buffalo by the Florida Panthers on July 24 for forward Sam Reinhart and a first-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.
Levi is 16-7-1 with a 1.55 goals-against average, .948 save percentage and nine shutouts in 24 games at Northeastern University this season.
"It's very exciting to have two prospects heading to the Olympics, especially for a country like Canada that is so, so deep with talent," Granato said. "But they are two guys we're very proud of. They've had tremendous years in college hockey. One of them I've known for a while, Owen Power. And then Devon Levi, I just keep hearing story after story about what a good person and obviously a great player he is becoming."
NHL.com independent correspondent Heather Engel contributed to this report