Lindy Ruff coached against Rasmus Dahlin for years, circling the defenseman’s name on the board as he prepared his players to face the Buffalo Sabres.

Ruff knew Dahlin as the game-breaking, All-Star defenseman who was drafted first overall in 2018. Only since becoming coach of the Sabres this past June has Ruff come to see the full scope of Dahlin’s presence, a commitment that transcends talent.

“He does everything right, first and foremost,” Ruff said. “His on-ice action has been incredible, and I think he’s a guy that leads in every category, from the way he prepares himself to the way he plays and the fact that he’s a guy who cares about winning hockey games.”

Ruff cemented Dahlin’s leadership position on Friday, appointing the defenseman as captain of the Sabres. Alex Tuch, Dylan Cozens, Mattias Samuelsson, and Tage Thompson will serve as alternate captains on a rotational basis.

“It’s been a joy through these opening weeks of training camp to see Lindy experience firsthand what so many of us in our organization have felt when it comes to Rasmus Dahlin’s work ethic, competitive drive, and devotion to the Buffalo Sabres,” Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said.

“Rasmus sets the tone for our team each and every day with how he prepares and competes. He is respected by his teammates and coaches, both for his actions at the rink and his commitment to our Western New York community.

“We are so proud to have a player and person of Rasmus’ caliber wear the “C” and lead our team into the future.”

Dahlin, 24, signed an eight-year contract extension to remain with the Sabres last October. Adams recalls the defenseman expressing at that time his intent to step further into a leadership role, a promise he made good on through his actions last season. He set a career high in ice time at 2059:31, the fourth-highest mark in the NHL. He also set career-best marks in goals, blocked shots, and hits, a testament to the do-it-all nature of his play.

In one moment captured on video, newly acquired defenseman Bowen Byram sat on the bench during a game and remarked to Thompson how Dahlin never seemed to breath hard following a shift. “He’ll play 30 minutes tonight and won’t even sweat,” Thompson responded, a testament to Dahlin’s intense preparation.

“First and foremost, that guy is a gamechanger each and every night,” Tuch said. “His consistency on the compete factor has been incredible ever since I got into town, and I’ve seen it grow and just blossom into the players that he’s become. He’s an incredible player, but he’s also an incredible individual.

“To be able to go along into battle beside him has been a great honor, honestly, ever since I got in. And he’s raised my level of compete and he’s made me want to be a better player, and that’s what he does to each and every guy.”

In July, Dahlin organized a summer training camp in Switzerland with an open invite to any Sabres player who wants to attend. The camp consisted of 10 days of skating and workouts, with Dahlin setting the tempo.

“Ras is obviously a world-class player, has world-class work ethic,” Samuelsson, one of the players who attended the camp, said. “In the gym, on the ice, everything, he was leading the way. He’s obviously super competitive, so it made skates pretty intense.”

Ruff has an intimate knowledge of the meaning of the captaincy, particularly in hockey. His first captains as a player were Danny Gare and Gilbert Perreault. He was captain himself from 1986 to 1989, and as coach of the Sabres was responsible for the appointments of Michael Peca, Danny Briere, and Chris Drury to the captaincy, among others.

Ruff started to develop a sense of Dahlin’s leadership potential during their first conversations this summer. Dahlin expressed his commitment to the Sabres. He asked questions about how he could be better and how he could help push the team to the next level.

In their short time together at training camp, Dahlin has lived up to Ruff’s high expectations.

“He’s a heck of a model for our players,” Ruff said. “He looks at every practice as an opportunity to challenge a teammate to get better or himself.”