Anyone who thought Eichel-mania was cooling down in Buffalo now that the 18-year-old signed with the Sabres is wrong.
The young Jack Eichel is skating in development camp in Buffalo this week, and his first practice on Monday drew around 1,000 fans according to Buffalo Hockey Beat. Fans cheered as Eichel stepped foot on the ice, and they cheered as he put shots on net.
After all, what better is there to do on a beautiful Monday afternoon in the summer than watch 46 prospects skate in a hockey development camp?
"It’s the first taste of being someone who is highly touted, I would say," Eichel told the media after practice. "People have been talking. Obviously, there’s a lot of expectations around me, but it’s something I try not to focus on. I’m just trying to go out there, be myself on the ice every day, try to get better, be myself around the guys in the locker room. I think that’s what’s made me successful and the person that I am."
It's been a busy spring for the teenager. Eichel played in the NCAA Frozen Four with the Boston University Terriers in early April, then traveled to Prague for World Championships with Team USA in May, then went to Buffalo for the NHL Draft Combine in early June. After that, it was off to Chicago for the Stanley Cup Final with other top prospects, then finally to Florida for the draft at the end of June.
"I feel like I’ve been bouncing around everywhere,” Eichel told the Buffalo media. "It’s tough when you’re doing that to get into a routine of skating and working out, getting comfortable somewhere. Now that development camp’s here, I’m back on the ice, back working out every day, trying just to get acclimated to one place."
If Eichel has his way, he won't be away from Buffalo for long; the second overall draft pick will look to skip the AHL and make the Sabres roster out of training camp later this summer.
(h/t Buffalo Hockey Beat)
Photo credit: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
