http://insider.espn.go.co...ance/insider/post?id=6072
Anyone give this a read? It's an ESPN Insider article.
- TheSabresTaco
Jack Eichel is the basis of hope for hockey fans in Buffalo. He’s the next great American center, perhaps the best since Mike Modano. Any other year, and he’s likely the No. 1 pick in Friday’s NHL Draft.
In case your focus was squarely on the NHL playoffs, here are nine things to know about the Massachusetts native expected to be the No. 2 overall pick behind Connor McDavid:
1. He honed his strength in the U.S. development program
Eichel was 15-years-old when he showed up in Ann Arbor to play for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. By design, the country’s best young hockey players routinely compete against hockey players considerably older than them.
“He was 15 when he got here. There are guys who are turning 21 after Christmas in our league,” said Danton Cole, Eichel's coach in Ann Arbor. “The league we’re playing in, they’re overmatched but he was still a physical being out there.”
To prepare for physical hockey, the U.S. team does what they call the Tim Taylor game, which is a lot of closed-area competition. Coaches close off less than one-third of the offensive or defense zone, put up barriers and then play 2-on-2 or 3-on-3.
“There’s no room to hide,” Cole said. “That’s a game where Jack could dominate as well. He’s physical, he’s strong and he protects the puck. That was an area he excelled early on.”
2. He has some serious hops
Eichel was an absolute machine at the NHL’s draft combine, finishing in the top ten in seven categories – more than any other prospect according to NHL.com. Of all the prospects tested, only three had a better vertical leap than Eichel’s 27 inches.
That lower body strength suggests he’ll be able to compete against men in the NHL almost immediately.
“A lot of Jack’s strength comes from his lower body,” said close friend and fellow high-end draft prospect Noah Hanifin. “He’s extremely explosive. He’s one of those kids who is naturally gifted. He can basically dunk a basketball. He has great jumps.”
3. The transition to the NHL won’t be seamless
Eichel is the most talented American to hit the draft since Patrick Kane and has all the physical tools to play in the NHL, but there is still going to be a learning curve when he arrives.
While playing for Team USA in the World Championships, there were times when he sat for a bit or rotated out of the power play unit. It’s part of being a teenager competing against experienced veterans.
“That’s going to happen to him again for sure. It’s a hard league,” said Sabres coach Dan Bylsma, who coached him in the Worlds along with head coach Todd Richards. “He has to improve, he has to learn to play in certain areas of the game. If you catch him one night and he plays 12 minutes, don’t make a story about it. It shouldn’t be a story. It’s part of the developmental process.”
4. Eichel is okay with the Connor McDavid rivalry
You’d think at this point, he’d be sick of hearing about McDavid or he would roll his eyes every time he’s mentioned.
He’s not.
“It’s part of it,” he said.
Eichel is handling the comparisons like a pro and remains motivated to be as good, if not better, than McDavid.
“I’m not looking at Connor saying ‘I want to be better than him,’” Eichel said when we sat down for a conversation in the Czech Republic. “I’m just looking at myself saying, ‘I want to be the best.’ If people consider him the best, than yeah, I want to be better than him.”
5. He sometimes hears about it from teammates
The veterans on Team USA couldn’t help ribbing him about the McDavid rivalry.
“We were giving him a hard time about it, chirping him about McDavid and stuff,” said Jake Gardiner. “It’s all fun and games. I don’t think he’s too worried about it at all.”
In fact, his coach at Boston University, David Quinn, thinks it will only continue to push Eichel.
“I equate it to Kevin Durant and Greg Oden,” Quinn said. “McDavid and Jack were good for each other. It’s always nice to have that rival.”
Jack Eichel has the goods to be a great lava lamp. Go with us on this one. Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe/Getty Images
6. Another year of college hockey is still a possibility
Quinn anticipated more conversations with Eichel about his future next season in the gap between the draft and the combine but hadn’t completely ruled out another season with Eichel at BU.
“I’m fully prepared he’s not coming back. That’s not to say he won’t,” Quinn said. “[Jonathan] Toews went back. James van Riemsdyk went back,” Quinn said.
What’s his message to Eichel?
“Everybody has thought it’s a forgone conclusion that you’re one and done. In your mind, you might be getting caught up in that. You need to live your life,” Quinn relayed. “You’re the one, when Buffalo loses six in a row, who has to answer all the questions.”
The pressure and scrutiny would be considerably less at BU if he opted to spend another year in college rather than take on the NHL.
7. Eichel’s biggest fear in the college decision is potential regret
“At the end of the day, it’s going to come down to what I want to do in my heart,” Eichel said. “I think the right decision will be made. I don’t want to be doing something and be doing it next year wishing I was somewhere else.”
8. He learned a lot about his game playing in the World Championships
Before playing the likes of Evgeni Malkin and Ilya Kovalchuk in a game versus Russia in the Worlds, Eichel received a text from his dad with encouragement.
The message was simple: Don’t be intimidated by the pros. This is what you want and eventually you’ll be playing them on a nightly basis.
The pep text worked. He saw serious time against Malkin when the U.S. played Russia and he more than held his own.
If there was any doubt he could play against NHL players, it was removed in this tournament.
“I thought it would be great for me to end my season with [the World Championships]. It would give me a sense of where I’m at in terms of playing against and with the best players in the world,” Eichel said.
What did he learn?
“No. 1, you can’t take any shifts off,” he said. “You have to keep your feet moving. If seems like such a simple thing. For me, it’s definitely been something I’ve tried to get better at this season. Keeping my feet moving through the neutral zone, demanding more pucks. Just being ready. It’s an easy thing to think about but it’s what I need to work on.”
9. He’s excited to go to Buffalo
Eichel is always careful not to speak too much about the Sabres since he still isn’t officially property of the team. That won’t happen until GM Tim Murray officially picks him in Friday’s first round.
But even when Murray’s initial comments expressed major disappointment when the Sabres lost the draft lottery and ability to draft McDavid, Eichel never soured on the idea of going to Buffalo.
“Jack will be thrilled to go where he is drafted,” said his family advisor Peter Fish. “Jack understands what Tim was saying [at the lottery]. It may have been somewhat skewed how it came out. With regards to that, he’s perfectly fine if Buffalo is the team that drafts him.”
He also is very aware at the excitement that city now has about the potential to have Eichel as the centerpiece of its rebuild.
“I know people are excited there,” he said. “I think they’re excited about the potential they have. They have a lot of really good young players… they have a great tradition. A lot of people I have talked to, a lot of people say they really enjoy Buffalo and the city and they’re really into the Sabres. The Pegulas are doing a great job transitioning the city to a sports city. They’re in a transition period. People are looking forward to the next step.”
