Why you should be watching Canada's Owen Power

Owen Power will make his Olympic debut at Beijing 2022 before even taking to the ice in the National Hockey League (NHL).

Last year's number one draft pick will seek to cement his reputation as a future star when he plays for Canada in the men's ice hockey tournament.

The 19-year-old face Germany on Thursday (10 Febuary) in a rematch of the semi-final at PyeongChang 2018 which the Germans won 4-3 before their final defeat to OAR (now ROC).

After that defeat, Canada claimed bronze thanks to a 6-4 victory over Czech Republic.

Power was the youngest member of the team that lost to Germany in the group stages of the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Latvia, before Canada went on to claim the title with victory over Finland in the final.

Now he is set to make his Olympic debut as the youngest defenceman on the team, something he describes as an honour.

He told Olympics.com, "I think it's going to be something that's just really special. Any time you get the opportunity to represent your country, it's definitely special, but I think the Olympics kind of bumps up that much more.

"It's such an honour and so special for me and all the guys on the team."

Power was selected first overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2021 NHL Draft in July.

The goalscoring defenceman opted to return to his sports management studies at the University of Michigan, the first top pick to stay at college since Erik Johnson in 2006, with last season heavily disrupted by the pandemic.

Power explained: "I think mostly you just get another year development plan at college, and I just wanted the opportunity to try and win a national championship with my team at Michigan. I think those two are probably probably the biggest [reasons]."

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