Power impressing teammates with poise, mobility

Casey Mittelstadt made the end-of-season transition from the NCAA to the NHL back in spring of 2018, after his one-year tenure at the University of Minnesota ended on Selection Sunday.
He went from hanging with teammates on campus to flying on charter jets, all in a span of a few days.
"It was completely a culture change, I guess," Mittelstadt recalled Tuesday. "But, I mean, you're just in the locker room, it feels like you're playing hockey, you're with guys. I feel like hockey guys don't change that much wherever you are."

Owen Power's jump from college to the pros was even more swift. He finished his sophomore season at the University of Michigan on March 7, signed the following day, and was with the Sabres in Tampa on March 9. He made his NHL debut in Toronto three days later.
Now four games in, he has made the transition look seamless.
"He's fit right in, I think," Mittelstadt said.

Power was welcomed in Tampa by general manager Kevyn Adams and coach Don Granato. He joined alternate captains Kyle Okposo and Zemgus Girgensons for dinner later that night.
"I was able to ask a lot of questions kind of about their careers and everyday life in the NHL," Power said.
Since then, his NHL education has been a matter of learning through experience. Granato has tasked the defenseman with heavy ice time (he is averaging 22:02) and veteran matchups. His most frequent matchup at center during his debut was Auston Matthews.
Granato took the same approach with other young players on the roster - Rasmus Dahlin, Henri Jokiharju, and Dylan Cozens included. But the ice time is also a testament to Granato's belief that Power has more experience than a typical rookie.
"This is a guy that studied the game of hockey at an extremely young age and developed himself like most elite NHL players that come in this league at 18, 19, 20 years old," Granato said. "They have gained immense experience studying the game since they were 13, 14, 15.
"They know how to coach themselves, they know how to evaluate themselves. The best in the league have done that. They do not really, in my opinion, deserve to go in the young guy category because they put in so many hours of visualization and intense training. I think Owen slides more toward that category."

While Power learns the NHL, his teammates are learning about him. The 6-foot-6 defenseman was touted for his poise and ability in his own zone heading into last summer's NHL Draft. He has quickly shown an ability to move on offense during his young tenure with the Sabres.
"I've watched him a few times just when he's played in Minnesota and other things, but I didn't know that he moved that well and was that offensive," Mittelstadt said. "So, it's been a really, really pleasant surprise for me. I've been super impressed."

Tuesday's practice

Kyle Okposo took a maintenance day and did not participate in the session at LECOM Harborcenter. Mattias Samuelsson missed practice for a family matter but is expected to rejoin the team on Wednesday.
The Sabres' next game is Thursday night in New Jersey.