(Update: The Buffalo Sabres have the 1st overall pick following the NHL Draft Lottery. More to come)
This will be a multi-part series examining the potential selection of the Buffalo Sabres in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. The draft lottery is scheduled to take place at 7:00 pm tonight and until that time, we won’t know if the Sabres will pick 1st, 2nd or 3rd on July 23rd when the actual NHL Entry Draft will take place remotely. Adding to the uncertainty is the jumble of players at the top of the draft without a true, consensus top pick. What we do know at this point, though, is that Michigan defenseman Owen Power is - according to many reputable mock draft sites - likely to be taken in the top-5. With that in mind, let’s dive deeper into the draft profile of the big defenseman.
Before beginning in earnest, it is important to acknowledge that I’m in no way a draft expert. I seldom take a position on draft prospects or offer advice on whom the Sabres should select for one simple reason: I don’t dedicate the time to following the Canadian Major Junior Leagues or the college ranks with the amount of energy it would require to form an entirely educated opinion. Frankly, it’s somewhat insulting to the professionals and amateur enthusiasts who do dedicate their time to watching those games live if I pretend to talk knowledgeably about a subject that I only follow casually.
In general, I remain neutral to the prospective player the Sabres acquire via the draft and I do not begin to form an opinion until I have seen them with my own eyes at development camp which I regularly attended pre-pandemic.
This approach does offer an advantage though. Because I haven’t followed the prospects closely to this point, I can watch raw footage of the players and form an independent opinion before reading the draft analysis by professionals who closely follow the subject. My plan is pretty simple: I’m going to watch as much raw footage as I can find on Youtube and I will post the links to the footage within the article. My promise is to offer completely unbiased opinion of the footage before reading any prospect profiles written by draft experts.
My own opinions based on the raw footage will be the first part of these articles. The second part will be quoted analysis by those who do consider themselves draft experts. With that out of the way, let’s get to the tape:
Part 1 - What I saw from Owen Power
The first thing to notice is that Owen Power is a really big, left-shot defenseman. (I will accept my captain obvious award now). He seems to have an acute awareness of his surroundings on the rush whether he has the puck or not. He’s constantly reading the breakout and his presence on the rush is undeniable as he swivels his head around trying to read the next move. His first few steps seem a little bit slow and unwieldly before he can get his big frame moving north/south but when he’s finally chugging along his speed is good. It’s like freight train speed.
It seems like he relies on his size and positioning in the defensive zone where his calm demeanor and sheer size work to his advantage rather than depending on his mobility. Power uses his large frame incredibly well to shield the puck at both ends of the ice. One of the unshakable feelings from watching the game tape, though, is that Power’s teammate and fellow draft-eligible prospect, Matthew “Matty” Beniers, can be much more noticeable at times (but that’s an article for another time).
In one exchange, Power stood in front of his own net and cross checked a Minnesota player in the back twice and knocked him to the ice both times. I mean he absolutely clobbered the kid twice. Hilariously, he wasn’t called for a penalty, but I suppose this shows that he’s willing to clear the crease. Elsewhere I haven’t really seen him hit too much. His lateral movement on the penalty kill leaves a lot to be desired as he mostly just watches the puck move from side-to-side.
Power’s hand-eye coordination seems exceptional. In the offensive zone he kept the puck in at the blueline by gloving it down and then he used his free hand on the stick to poke check a pass across to a teammate. The combination of coordination and size seems elite. His hands in tight to the net are also impressive for a big man. In terms of zone exiting passes, I haven’t seen any noticeable ones, but again, it’s a small sample of video.
(see links at bottom of the article. Special thanks to Youtuber Lo Rain for posting all of Power’s shifts vs. Minnesota on December 9).
Part 2 - What the experts say:
Ben Kerr, lastwordonsports.com:
Power has all the tools to be a number one defenceman. He has the size, skating, offensive game, defensive game, smarts and physical play that scouts look for in defenders, all in one package. There is some question about how high his ceiling is, as most of his traits are very good, but not excellent. However, there are not many weaknesses in his game either.
Matthew Zator (thehockeywriters.com) offers this interesting tidbit:
The 6-foot-5 Mississauga native has all the attributes of a minute-munching top-pairing defenceman who can play upwards of 30 minutes a night. With his offensive smarts, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him play the role of power forward one day and dominate the game like Dustin Byfuglien and Brent Burns did for the Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks respectively. His toolbox is that extensive.
Steve Kournianos (thedraftanalysis.com):
Big, upright, and cool as a cucumber under pressure, Power is a decisive on-ice commander who oversees the majority of breakouts during a given shift. What separates him from the pack is his ability to tap into the strengths of each forward in Michigan’s high-powered attack, which is exactly what he did last year in the USHL for Chicago’s deep group. Power is incredibly selfless and plays a team-first game. Although he has the hands, feet, and processor to pull off more than just a fancy play or two from an individual standpoint, Power’s vision and creativity poses a serious matchup problem for opponents. He plays with his head up and delivers precision passes no matter how much pressure he’s under.
Sam Happi (theprospectnetwork.ca):
Definitely doesn’t get his feet moving nearly as fast, and he’s unable to create any space for himself. Watch that clip another time, and ask yourself: “Does he look like he might be a 6’0” player here? What’s the engine here: the length of his stride, or the quickness of his feet?”. To me, it’s the former. To be a high-level NHL skater, it needs to be the latter. You can’t be a great skater at 6’5” unless you have the stride of a smaller player. A lengthy stride might get you up to the same top speed eventually, but quick feet are undeniably better in an NHL where explosiveness is key.
It appears even the experts can’t agree on his skating. Some of the reports list his skating as a major positive – though often couched with the qualifier “for a big man” – while other writers like Happi seem less sold on the skating. He looked a little slow laterally to me and his first few steps did not look great either. We all seem to agree on his vision, though. He really does join the rush with the look of a great white shark on the prowl. It’s interesting that Matthew Zator could conceivably see him as a power forward in the NHL despite the fact that he’s currently a defenseman. Overall, it’s hard to argue with his appearance as a top-5 prospect due to his size, vision and coordination.
Video Sources:
https://youtu.be/OyBWxneVKho
https://youtu.be/ZLN2NAXVyzI
https://youtu.be/SVDHoEANQYg
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