ETOBICOKE, Toronto — The Buffalo Sabres' number one overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, Owen Power, finished up his first practice with his new team in the center of the stretching circle, greeted by vigorous stick taps as a welcome from his teammate.
"I think every guy's just been so good... I think they made it easy for me to adjust," Power said.
Power looked comfortable with his new team, less than a week after playing in the NCAA Frozen Four with the Michigan Wolverines as a sophomore and a day away from his NHL debut in Toronto, just miles down the road from his hometown of Mississauga, Ontario.
"If you think about how many teams he's been on in the last two years and the hype he's had on him... he handles it pretty well, especially when he puts his hockey gear on," head coach Don Granato said after practice.
Granato said his defensemen were begging to play with Power in his debut, but it will be Henri Jokiharju joining him on the blueline in Toronto on Tuesday night.
He said putting the pair together just "feels right, right now."
Jokiharju, only 22 years old himself, was seen working closely with the 19-year-old Power at practice, giving him tips.
"Not too much, you don't want to get into his head too much. There's a reason why he's a first overall pick. I just try to help him. He's going to do his own stuff, and I think that's why he's here, right? So my job is pretty easy," Jokiharju said.
Power will make his debut at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto Tuesday at 7 p.m., in front of plenty of family and friends.
One thing he won't have to worry about ahead of his first game is distributing tickets to his loved ones.
Power said his mom will take care of that.