Dahlin is a creative and shifty puck-rushing blueliner…confident player with the puck on his stick…loves to be the catalyst of play…a deceptive, exceptionally smooth skater that can change direction in a hurry and push opponents back on their heels…quick first stride and solid power…edge work allows him to cut quickly creating time and space…just as effective in passing the puck as he is rushing it…stickhandling is smooth…makes smart decisions offensively and joins the rush at the right times…willing to drive down deep into the offensive zone to sustain pressure when he senses an opportunity…has a hard and accurate slap shot…puts wrist shots where they can be deflected or generate rebounds…defensively he’s solid with good reads and smart positioning…uses his stick to force players wide and angles players off…poised with high quality vision…has elite hockey IQ processing the play at a quick rate, and has displayed these attributes against older competition…top-pairing, franchise defining upside and the head of the 2018 NHL Draft class one year out. (July 2017)