Dahlin (6-foot-2, 181 pounds), who is the No. 1 ranked International skater by NHL Central Scouting, is the consensus No. 1 prospect available after playing the past two seasons as a 16- and 17-year-old for Frolunda of the Swedish Hockey League.
Dahlin said he's never played against a Sweden-born player with the skill of the man he's going to meet for the first time: Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom.
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"I can't wait," Dahlin said, who at this moment is more interested in talking about Backstrom than looking out the window at the White House.
Dahlin said he can't believe all the attention he is getting. He was caught off guard when there were autograph seekers waiting for him at the airport when his plane from the 2018 NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo landed in Washington on Sunday.
"Our flight was about six hours late," he said. "It was kind of weird. We weren't expecting that."
In the next 12 hours, Dahlin will meet Backstrom, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, Coach's Corner star Don Cherry and actress Lynda Carter, the original Wonder Woman; pose on an outdoor stage with the Stanley Cup in front of thousands of fans; do more interviews than he can count; and attend his first NHL game, Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, a 6-2 victory by the Capitals against the Vegas Golden Knights.
It will be, he'll say later, one of the most memorable days of his life.