The Buffalo Sabres selected phenom blue-liner Rasmus Dahlin with the first overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft on Friday in Dallas.
Rasmus Dahlin
Position: Defense
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 185 lbs
Age: 18
Club: Frolunda HC (SHL)
Nationality: Swedish
| GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | 7 | 13 | 20 |
(Stats courtesy: EliteProspects.com)
The cemented No. 1 pick since his stellar World Junior Championship this past winter, Dahlin is already an accomplished hockey player despite being still in his teens.
"Between finding success against much older competition in the Swedish Hockey League, winning a Champions Hockey League championship, and playing for Sweden at the Olympics, Dahlin has already had an illustrious hockey career - and he didn't turn 18 until April 13," theScore's draft expert Hannah Stuart wrote.
The smooth-skating rearguard is lethal at both ends of the ice, utilizing his speed and lanky frame to jump up in offensive rushes and close out the opposition in one-on-one battles in his own end. His game-changing offensive ability combined with a knack for knowing where to be in the defensive zone have had scouts and front offices salivating over Dahlin for much of the past year.
Dahlin is an NHL-ready, generational talent who is drawing comparisons to Erik Karlsson offensively, and Nicklas Lidstrom defensively. Quite obviously, if either one of those comparisons pans out, Sabres fans are in for a serious treat.
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