Along with thoughts of his grandparents, Asplund's debut will conjure memories of all the workouts and long summers that made this day possible. He spent two seasons in the Swedish Hockey League after being drafted, then endured a year of growth in Rochester last season.
His rookie campaign with the Amerks ended with him scoring 23 points in his final 22 games. He was one of the last players sent to Rochester at the end of training camp this fall but left the impression that, when called upon, he could be a player who the Sabres could count on at both ends of the ice.
"He's definitely somebody in the preseason that showed us some strong awareness away from the puck," Sabres coach Ralph Krueger said. "We expect he can add offensively more than anything, pretty well filling the shoes of Larsson here today."
"I really try to put pride in my defensive game," Asplund explained. "That's the thing I really have to focus on first, because if I play good defensively my offense comes with that. That's something I'm always trying to remind myself every time I go out to play a game."
Asplund had not yet told his family he would be in the lineup when he met with the media this morning, though he expects staying up until 1 a.m. for puck drop in Sweden won't be a problem for them. It will be an emotional moment for all of them, though it's far from the end of his journey.
"I'm just trying to keep my eyes on the goal, which is the NHL, and it's still a process and I still have to respect the process because I'm not a regular NHL player yet," Asplund said. "I've just got to keep working hard and keep working for it."