Rasmus Dahlin

Rasmus Erik Dahlin (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈrǎsːmɵs da'li:n]; born 13 April 2000) is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). Having been referred to as the most talented player available[1] in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft class,[2][3] Dahlin was selected first overall in the draft by the Sabres.

Rasmus Dahlin
Dahlin with the Buffalo Sabres in 2019
Born (2000-04-13) 13 April 2000
Trollhättan, Sweden
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 202 lb (92 kg; 14 st 6 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams		 Buffalo Sabres
Frölunda HC
National team  Sweden
NHL Draft 1st overall, 2018
Buffalo Sabres
Playing career 2016–present

Playing career

In the 2016–17 season, Dahlin scored his first Swedish Hockey League (SHL) goal with Frölunda HC on 12 November 2016 in a game against Karlskrona HK.[4]

Dahlin with Frölunda HC in 2018.

Leading up to the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Dahlin was widely considered the top prospect. He was described as a smart two-way defenceman with a great set of tools, including skating, puck handling, vision, intelligence and shot. Dan Marr of the NHL Central Scouting Bureau described him as an exceptionally talented prospect that would be able to impact his team's fortune in a way similar to Erik Karlsson and Victor Hedman.[5]

On 22 June 2018, Dahlin was drafted first overall by the Buffalo Sabres.[6] He was the first Swedish player to be drafted first overall since Mats Sundin in 1989, and the second Swede overall to accomplish the feat. On 9 July, he signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Sabres.[7] Dahlin participated at the Sabres' training camp and made the opening night roster for the 2018–19 season.[8] He made his NHL debut on 4 October in a 4–0 loss to the Boston Bruins.[9] Dahlin recorded his first career NHL goal on 13 October in a 3–0 win over the Arizona Coyotes.[10] On 9 February 2019, after a win over the Detroit Red Wings, Dahlin became the fifth defenceman in NHL history to record 30 points before age 19.[11] Following his rookie season, Dahlin was named as one of the three finalists for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the top rookie in the NHL.[12]

On 22 September 2021, Dahlin signed a three-year, $18 million contract with the Sabres. He enjoyed a breakout 2021–22 season, posting new career highs in goals, assists and points and was named to the 2022 NHL All-Star Game.

Dahlin opened the 2022–23 season by setting an NHL record for goals by a defenceman in consecutive opening games, at four, as part of a resurgent Sabres team.[13] Dahlin was later named to his second consecutive All-Star Game, replacing injured teammate Tage Thompson.[14]

On 9 October 2023, Dahlin signed an eight-year, $88 million contract extension with the Sabres.[15]

International play

At age 16, Dahlin was the youngest player to ever dress for Sweden at the IIHF World U20 Championship, and the youngest player overall in the 2017 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[16] Dahlin competed in the 2018 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships for Sweden, recording six assists and helping lead the team to win silver.[17] He was named the tournament's top defenceman after scoring the second-most points amongst tournament defencemen.[18] After Dahlin and several other teammates removed their silver medals after receiving them during the medal ceremony, he was suspended for the first two games of the 2019 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[19]

Dahlin also represented the Swedish senior team at the 2018 Winter Olympics, becoming the youngest player to compete in the 2018 tournament, and the youngest to compete in the men's hockey tournament since 1984.[20][21]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2014–15 HC Lidköping Div.3 10 1 5 6 0 — — — — —
2015–16 Frölunda HC J20 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2016–17 Frölunda HC J20 24 9 13 22 74 1 0 0 0 0
2016–17 Frölunda HC SHL 26 1 2 3 6 14 3 2 5 2
2017–18 Frölunda HC J20 1 1 1 2 0 — — — — —
2017–18 Frölunda HC SHL 41 7 13 20 20 6 1 2 3 2
2018–19 Buffalo Sabres NHL 82 9 35 44 34 — — — — —
2019–20 Buffalo Sabres NHL 59 4 36 40 38 — — — — —
2020–21 Buffalo Sabres NHL 56 5 18 23 26 — — — — —
2021–22 Buffalo Sabres NHL 80 13 40 53 68 — — — — —
2022–23 Buffalo Sabres NHL 78 15 58 73 92 — — — — —
SHL totals 67 8 15 23 26 20 4 4 8 4
NHL totals 355 46 187 233 258 — — — — —

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2016 Sweden IH18 4th 5 1 1 2 2
2017 Sweden WJC 4th 7 1 1 2 4
2018 Sweden WJC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 7 0 6 6 6
2018 Sweden OG 5th 2 0 1 1 0
2022 Sweden WC 6th 8 2 5 7 4
Junior totals 19 2 8 10 12
Senior totals 10 2 6 8 4

Awards and honors
Award Year
CHL
Champions 2017 [22]
NHL
Rookie of the Month November 2018 [23]
All-Rookie Team 2019 [24]
All-Star Game 2022, 2023 [25][26]

References
  1. Button, Craig (2 March 2018). "Button: Nobody is even close to Rasmus Dahlin in this draft". tsn.ca. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  2. Wyshynski, Greg (29 April 2018). "Winners and losers of the 2018 NHL draft lottery". ESPN. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  3. Boylen, Rory (28 April 2018). "NHL Draft Lottery 2018 Blog: Can Rasmus Dahlin transform the Sabres?". Sportsnet. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  4. "Frölunda ny serieledare". Swedish Hockey League (in Swedish). 12 November 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  5. Morreale, Mike G. (16 April 2018). "Dahlin tops Central Scouting's final ranking of International skaters". NHL.com. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  6. "Buffalo Sabres select Swedish defenseman Rasmus Dahlin first overall". ESPN. 22 June 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  7. Buffalo Sabres public relations department (9 July 2018). "Sabres sign Dahlin to entry-level contract". Sabres.com. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  8. "NHL opening night rosters for 2018–19 season". NHL.com. 3 October 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  9. McCarthy, Dave (4 October 2018). "Bruins shut out Sabres, spoil Dahlin debut". NHL.com. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  10. Robinson, Alan (14 October 2018). "Dahlin scores first NHL goal, Sabres blank Coyotes". NHL.com. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  11. Heather Engel (9 February 2019). "Sabres score three times in second period, defeat Red Wings". NHL.com. Retrieved 11 February 2019. Rookie Rasmus Dahlin had an assist and became the fifth defenseman in NHL history with at least 30 points (six goals, 24 assists) before his 19th birthday (53 games).
  12. "Calder Trophy finalists revealed". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises, L.P. 27 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  13. Lysowski, Lance (21 October 2022). "Rasmus Dahlin sets NHL record, Sabres hold off Flames for win". The Buffalo News. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  14. "Dahlin replaces injured Sabres teammate Thompson at All-Star Game". TSN.ca. 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  15. LaBarber, Jourdon (9 October 2023). "Sabres sign Dahlin to 8-year contract extension". NHL.com. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  16. Gordon, Sean (30 December 2016). "Swedish hockey player Rasmus Dahlin impresses at world juniors". The Globe and Mail. Montreal. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  17. Zeisberger, Mike (7 January 2018). "Dahlin turns to future after heartbreaking loss in World Junior final". NHL.com. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  18. McGran, Kevin (6 January 2018). "Top NHL draft prospects boost stock at world juniors". The Toronto Star. Buffalo, NY. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  19. Bottomley, Andrew (2 May 2018). "Dahlin among Swedish players, coaches suspended by IIHF". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  20. "TEAM SWEDEN Preliminary roster for the XXIII Olympic Winter Games, in PyeongChang, South Korea, 2018" (PDF). Svenska Ishockeyförbundet. 16 January 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  21. Longley, Rob (16 February 2018). "NHL salivating over Rasmus Dahlin although Team Sweden is being patient in Pyeongchang". The National Post. Gangneung. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  22. Gustav Orbring (2 February 2017). "Frölunda win CHL for second year running" (in Swedish). SVTSport.se. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
  23. "Dahlin named NHL Rookie of the Month for November". NHL.com. 1 December 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  24. "NHL announces 2018-19 All-Rookie team". NHL.com. 19 June 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  25. "2022 NHL All-Star Game rosters, captains announced". NHL.com. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  26. "Dahlin replaces injured Sabres teammate Thompson at All-Star Game". TSN.ca. 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
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