Owen Power

Owen Power (born November 22, 2002) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played college ice hockey for the University of Michigan. Power was drafted first overall by the Sabres in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career
Power grew up in Mississauga, Ontario. When he became eligible as a junior player, he was selected by the Flint Firebirds of the Ontario Hockey League in the second round of the 2018 OHL draft and by the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League (USHL) in the first round of the 2018 USHL draft. He opted to join the Steel to retain his NCAA eligibility as he had already verbally committed to playing for the University of Michigan. As a rookie with the Steel in the 2018–19 season, he was named to the end-of-season All-Rookie Second Team as the Steel advanced to the Clark Cup finals. He was then the 2019–20 USHL Defenceman of the Year and led the league's defenceman with 40 points as the Steel earned the regular season title in the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened season.

He then joined the University of Michigan for the 2020–21 season, which ended with the team being forced to withdraw from the postseason due to positive tests for COVID-19. He was considered one of the top prospects for the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. He was selected for the Hockey Canada selection camp.

Power was selected first overall in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft by the Buffalo Sabres, though he elected to return to Michigan for his sophomore season, becoming the first number one overall pick to play college ice hockey since Erik Johnson in 2006. During the 2021–22 season in his sophomore year, he recorded three goals and 24 assists for 27 points in 29 games. He also had a team-best 44 blocked shots. Before leaving for the Olympics, he led the nation's defencemen in points per game. Following an outstanding season, he was named to the All-Big Ten First Team and was named a finalist for the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. He was also named an AHCA West Second Team All-American.

On April 8, 2022, Power signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Sabres. Power made his NHL debut on April 12, in a 5–2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, and recorded his first point, an assist on a goal by Alex Tuch, two days later in a 6–2 loss to the St. Louis Blues. Power scored his first NHL goal on April 21, in a 5–2 win over the New Jersey Devils.

Playing his first full season with the Sabres, Power registered four goals and 31 assists in 79 games. He led all rookie defencemen in both assists and points, and was voted a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy.

On October 11, 2023, Power signed a seven-year, $58.45 million contract extension with the Sabres.

International play
Power represented Canada senior team at the 2021 IIHF World Championship, where he recorded three assists in 10 games and won a gold medal. He also represented Canada junior team at the 2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. During the first game of the preliminary round of December 26, 2021, he became the first Canadian defenceman in World Juniors history to score a hat-trick. However, the World Junior Championship was shortly thereafter cancelled following COVID-19 pandemic spread.

With the NHL opting not to participate in the 2022 Winter Olympics, Power was one of a number of young players named to Canada's roster to represent the team at the Olympic hockey tournament. The event proved a disappointment for the Canadian team, who were ousted in the quarter-final by Sweden.

Following the 2023–24 NHL regular season, with the Sabres not qualifying for the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, Power rejoined Team Canada for the 2024 IIHF World Championship.

Personal life
Power has an older sister, Emily, who plays lacrosse at the University of Guelph, and a younger brother, Adam. In high school, Power also played basketball, volleyball, and lacrosse. He was a three-time national champion in lacrosse. He has stated that lacrosse helped him in ice hockey, as he would learn how to find space in the attacking zone.