Owen Power game breakdown

I dove deeper into his February 14th performance vs Wisconsin.

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The top of this year’s draft class is very defense heavy; much more so than a year ago.

In 2020 there were just two defenders selected in the top-15. It’s going to be a different story this time around.

There could be five or six defensemen selected in the top-15, with four of them likely to go inside the top-8.

Owen Power is among the defenders in that group. While we don’t know where the New Jersey Devils will be selecting yet, we do know it’s very possible they’re at or near the top of the draft.

If that’s the case, Power is a realistic draft target for the team. Given as much, I thought it’d be fun to dive deeper into his game and share some of the findings.

So, today, I’ll be breaking down Power’s performance vs Michigan on February 14th. You can watch it in full – thanks to Devils in the Details – here.

note: Power is No. 22 in yellow.

The Good

• Power showed good hockey sense in the offensive zone. For the most part, he made good decisions on when to jump into the play and when to back off. Here, you’ll see him activate to retrieve a loose puck and keep the play alive. Power curled back and made a nice – albeit risky! – D-to-D pass while under real pressure from two Wisconsin forwards.

• Power was very good in transition from start to finish. Whatever the game state, he consistently drove play and helped Michigan get setup in the offensive zone. Here, Power skates the puck the length of the ice and attacks the middle of Wisconsin’s defense, drawing both defenders to him before dishing the puck to an open teammate on the side for a controlled entry.

• You’ve seen an example of Power rushing the puck up ice with control and confidence. But what about passing on the breakout? Suffice to say, Power can do that too. He had six controlled zone exits (on seven attempts) while passing out of the defensive zone at 5v5. Most of them were simple, smart outlets that hit his teammates in stride and led them into open space. But Power showed he’s capable of making the challenging play as well. Here, Power grabs the puck from his goaltender and fires a 100+ foot pass – while pressured, no less – right on the tape to a teammate. I mean, look at this pass. It didn’t hit the ice until it was beyond center ice. Just beautiful.

• Power, like many modern-day defenders, likes to jump into the play. You’ll even see him leading the charge at times. That *can* lead to real trouble if things go south. Luckily, Power has the skillset to compensate even when they do. Despite being further up ice than any teammate, but a few seconds later he was back covering his man and taking away a net-front pass to prevent Wisconsin from generating a chance. He’s a fluid skater, and has such great reach, that he can take risks and recover if things don’t work out.

• Power has the mobility, size, and reach to be a plus-defender at the NHL level. Here, he uses each trait to perfectly defend a rush. Power keeps a good gap and extends his stick to take away the space of the oncoming attacker. The Badgers forward tries to adjust by firing the puck out wide and slipping by. He gets nowhere. Power perfectly closes the gap and finishes him off, forcing a dump-in that his teammate easily recovered first.

• As mentioned prior, Power likes to jump up and create an extra layer of offense any chance he gets. And he’s damn good at it. In this clip Power attacks through the middle of ice, accepts a difficult pass in stride, and shows good hands in tight changing the angle and beating the Badgers goaltender far side.

The Bad

• Power has all the tools to be an awesome defender. At times, he uses them all effectively and *is* an awesome defender. But there are moments where his tools go to waste. He played a couple rushes, in my opinion, far too conservatively throughout the game. I mean, look at the image below. Power backed way off and gave a free pass into the Michigan zone. He has the skating ability to avoid being beaten if he steps up and he has the reach to try and compensate even if he does get bypassed. Yet, even with plenty of teammate support, he didn’t challenge at all.

• I love that Power always wants to make a play with the puck. But, once in a while, there’s a time to simply dump it out. This looked like one of them. Power was being heavily pressured here. Rather than firing it up the boards, Power tried to slip it to a teammate in the middle and it backfired big time. The puck bounced directly to a wide open Cole Caufiled in the slot for a dangerous chance. Yes, No. 9 had some space to work with. But it was a difficult pass to accept given his handedness and angle. Power probably should’ve made the safe play here and wired it out; especially considering who he was sharing the ice with.

• This isn’t remotely specific to Power’s game. It’s common among players his age. But Power definitely needs to add strength. There were a couple instances in this game where he was pushed off the puck too easily or he attempted a check and ended up going backwards. Again, this is common for players in Power’s age group; especially considering he’s facing plenty of guys several years older. But he’ll need to add some meat to that 6’5’ frame before playing in the NHL.

Data Dump

5v5 Corsi

5v5 Individual Numbers