Jonas Andersson sees Rasmus Dahlin through two lenses. As the video director for Frölunda of the Swedish Hockey League, Andersson would point his camera and microphone at Dahlin and record the defenseman’s words. There was always a polite, thoughtful air about Dahlin.
When the interviews ended, casual conversations began. Andersson and Dahlin would smile and joke with each other. Politely. Thoughtfully.
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“He takes everything so cool, and it’s been really nice to work with him this year,” Andersson said. “He’s just a great guy. He’s really a great guy.”
The Buffalo Sabres learned that this week.
Dahlin’s skills have long been obvious, which is why the Sabres drafted him first overall June 22. As the 18-year-old spent the following week in Buffalo for development camp, his demeanor, attitude and manners matched his skill.
“In our exit interview, I just told him I was so pleased with the person he was off the ice, humble, polite,” Sabres assistant general manager Steve Greeley said Saturday. “He was almost surprised when I told him. It was like, ‘What do you mean? This is me.’
“It’s refreshing, right?”
Indeed it is. Dahlin has already won Buffalo over. Every day brought an overflow crowd into the Sabres’ 1,800-seat HarborCenter, and the fans cheered even the slightest display of skill. Freshly minted Dahlin jerseys mixed with the sweaters of center Jack Eichel and departed fan favorites.
“I’m so impressed with all the fans,” Dahlin said after Saturday’s final workout. “It’s been amazing. They’ve had my jersey on, and that feels crazy, too, so it’s been awesome to be here.
“I’m just super impressed that they even know who I am. I know they love hockey, and I will try to win hockey games so we can give back to them.”
The citywide welcoming committee surprised Dahlin. He was genuinely honored by the reception he received, whether he was skating in the rink, visiting Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center or going out to dinner.
As much as he’s won Buffalo over, the city has won him over.
“It’s been a busy time but oh so exciting,” he said. “It’s been my best trip in my entire life.”
As Buffalo coach Phil Housley noted, there’s a good vibe in Sabreland. That hasn’t been the case for some time. Buffalo hasn’t made the playoffs since 2011, and last season was especially painful as the players underachieved and didn’t care.
Dahlin and the rest of the prospects showed they cared at development camp, listening to the staff off the ice and competing on it. There were intense drills and big hits, including Dahlin laying out fellow 2018 draft pick Matej Pekar after the duo had multiple run-ins.
Rasmus Dahlin with a huge hit on Matej Pekar. pic.twitter.com/BscK4cXGxO
— John Vogl (@BuffaloVogl) June 29, 2018
Everything Dahlin did was analyzed and dissected, with good reason.
“To get a player like we’ve got, it’s really important for our city and western New York,” Housley said. “It gives a little hope, you know?”
Dahlin showed why there should be hope. Buffalo’s biggest need was a puck-moving, offensively gifted defenseman. Dahlin’s passes were on target, his shots hit the mark, and his mobility moved people.
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Yes, it was only drills against fellow NHL hopefuls. But Dahlin was on another level.
“Every time I looked around, there was a shot off the bar that went in and people were clapping, so I knew it was kind of him that shot the puck,” said Chris Taylor, coach of the Sabres’ American Hockey League team in Rochester. “It’s just fun, and I think he’s more excited being here than anyone else.”
The excitement filtered through the dressing room. At the end of each workout, the prospects skated to center ice to salute the fans.
“It’s pretty amazing to have this crowd here in late June,” left wing Victor Olofsson said. “A lot of them are here to see Rasmus, but it gets more fun for the rest of us, too.”
The atmosphere gave the prospects incentive to shine, but at times the goal was simply to avoid embarrassment. Olofsson knows that feeling.
In addition to being a teammate in Buffalo, the 22-year-old Olofsson played with Dahlin for Frölunda. Olofsson remembers when the then-16-year-old first practiced with the Indians.
“He got the puck on the blue line, and I was going out toward him,” Olofsson said. “He just put it between my legs and went in and scored. That was the first time I really noticed him.
“I thought it was a fluke at first, but when he did it again and again, it’s not just a fluke. He can do things out there that most forwards can’t do.”
Away from the ice, Dahlin was just one of the young men dreaming of the NHL. He mingled with fellow Swedes and North Americans, bouncing from table to table for breakfast and lunch. He sat down with teammates to watch “America’s Got Talent.”
The Sabres have talent now, too, and they enjoyed the up-close look this week.
“It was inspiring, very inspiring,” Sabres assistant GM Randy Sexton said. “He’s a special player, and he’s a special person. That’s why we’re all so fortunate to have him with us. Our fans are going to see him play for a long time to come, and I don’t have a better word than ‘special.’ ”
(Photo by Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)
