Sabres' Power to return to Michigan next season

Owen Power is in no rush to make his NHL debut.

The Buffalo Sabres' first overall draft pick will return to Michigan for his sophomore season, the program announced.

The defenseman played 26 games with Michigan last campaign, recording three goals while adding 13 assists. He was seen as the consensus first overall pick heading into this year's draft.

It's not often a first overall pick doesn't immediately jump into the NHL the following season. The last player to do so was Erik Johnson in 2006, who played at the University of Minnesota for one year.

Power stands at 6-foot-6 and weighs 213 pounds, which would suggest he's physically ready to play with the pros. He played a prominent role on Team Canada's gold medal-winning team at the IIHF World Championship in June.

The 18-year-old indicated before the draft he was leaning toward returning to Michigan next season regardless of where he was selected, saying he wanted to "get the true experience" of playing college hockey.

A number of the league's top defensemen took similar routes after being drafted, such as Cale Makar, Adam Fox, and Quinn Hughes.