Rasmus Dahlin lays huge hit on Sabres teammate at development camp

Rasmus Dahlin is finally here, and very excited to put on the Buffalo Sabres jersey, says he's not looking to be "the saviour" of the franchise, but does look forward to building the rivalry vs. the Maple Leafs.

Rasmus Dahlin can skate, pass, shoot, and sees the ice as well as any teenager in hockey, and apparently, he can deliver huge hits as well.

The first-overall pick from the 2018 NHL Draft showed a bit of everything Friday at Buffalo Sabres development camp as he thrilled spectators at HarborCenter with his skill while also laying out centre Matej Pekar with a huge open-ice hit.

The hit occurred during a three-on-three drill and the cameras were rolling.

Pekar, selected in the fourth round (94th overall) at the draft one week ago, was fine.

Here are a couple other angles of the hit.

Although the most memorable moment from Friday’s development camp session was Dahlin’s hit, it certainly wasn’t the only aspect of his performance that garnered praise.

Sabres skills coach Angelo Ricci raved about what he’s seen from the 18-year-old Swede.

“His ability, if you watch his hands, his movements, his shoulder fakes, his deception with the puck as a defenceman, you could tell he played forward—I believe he played forward a few years back—you could tell he has that in his game,” Ricci said. “And his cognizance skills on the ice and where to be, just that feel for it, you can’t teach that stuff. I don’t care who you are as a skills coach or a coach, that is just a God-given ability and he looks to be one of those generational type players, I’m telling you.”

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