Sabres draft Rasmus Dahlin No. 1 overall
The Buffalo Sabres took Swedish defenseman Rasmus Dahlin with the first pick in the NHL draft Friday night.
Dahlin, 18, became just the second Swedish player to be taken with the No. 1 overall pick after Hall of Famer Mats Sundin went to the Quebec Nordiques in 1989.
The Sabres finished with a league-worst 62 points off a 25-45-12 record this past season. That record helped them secure the No. 1 overall pick via April’s draft lottery.
Russian winger Andrei Svechnikov, an 18-year-old who plays for Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League, went as No. 2 to the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Montreal Canadiens had the No. 3 pick, followed by the Ottawa Senators at No. 4 and the Arizona Coyotes at No. 5.
This year’s draft is taking place at American Airlines Center in Dallas, with Friday night’s first round followed by rounds two through seven on Saturday.
