Sabres news: Owen Power is going back to college, and that is okay

The Buffalo Sabres’ number one overall pick from last month’s NHL Entry Draft has announced that he will go back to college for his sophomore season, and that is no reason for Sabres fans to panic. Owen Power announced via his Instagram on Friday that he will return to the University of Michigan to play in his sophomore season in the NCAA.

Power is not the first number one overall pick to not immediately go to the NHL the year he was drafted in. The last time it happened was when Erik Johnson was drafted by the St. Louis Blues with the number one pick in 2006 but went back to the University of Minnesota for a year. He ended up making his debut in the 2007-2008 season.

It was also announced on Friday that two other players that got drafted in the first round are returning to the University of Michigan for another season. Matty Beniers, who was drafted at second overall by the Seattle Kraken, and Kent Johnson, who was drafted fifth overall to the Columbus Blue Jackets, are going back to Michigan and will join Power there for one more season. This could have been a big reason why Power chose to return to college for another season, as Michigan will be among the favorites to win the national championship this season.

The Sabres are in no state to compete for a playoff spot at the moment, so there is no reason to rush any super young players into the league. And at only 18-years-old, it should not come as a surprise to anyone that Power would like to go back to college for another year, especially if he thinks they can win a championship.

Last year, Power was selected to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and was Second-Team All-Big Ten. So after a very impressive freshman season, Power now has an extra year to develop and play against some lower competition before making the jump into professional hockey, which could prove to be very valuable for his development.