Jack Eichel

**Jack Eichel** (born John Robert Eichel on October 28, 1996 in North Chelmsford, Massachusetts) is an American professional ice hockey center currently serving as the captain for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL).

## Playing Career

Jack played for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program team during the 2012–13 and 2013–14 seasons and was recognized for his outstanding play during the 2013–14 season when he was named to the United States Hockey League Second All-Star Team.

After his second season within the Development Program, he signed a letter of intent to commit to Boston University of the Hockey East on April 29, 2014.

On April 10, 2015, Jack became the second freshman to win the Hobey Baker Award, which was previously won by Paul Kariya in 1993. In 40 games with Boston University, he led the nation in scoring with 26 goals, 45 assists, and 71 points.

He was also the Hockey East scoring champion, Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, First Team Hockey East and a member of the All-Rookie Team, and named MVP of the conference tournament.

Jack was projected to be the second overall selection in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft behind projected first overall pick Connor McDavid.

On June 26, 2015, Jack was selected 2nd overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, one pick after the Edmonton Oilers selected Connor McDavid. On July 1, 2015, he signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Sabres.

On August 13, 2015, Jack signed a sponsorship deal with Bauer Hockey, which states that he will wear its equipment exclusively and Bauer will provide him with its apparel.

On October 8, 2015, he scored his first NHL goal on October 8, 2015, becoming the youngest player in Sabres history to do so, in his first game in the NHL against the Ottawa Senators.

Jack finished his rookie campaign with 24 goals and 56 points in 81 games, being the Sabres' top goalscorer and second in points (after Ryan O'Reilly) and second in both criteria among rookies, after Artemi Panarin.

On October 12, 2016, Jack suffered a severe high ankle sprain to his left ankle in practice and had to be helped off of the ice; he missed the first two months of the season before making his season debut on November 29. He finished the year with 24 goals and 33 assists in just 61 games.

Before the 2017–18 season, on October 3, 2017, the Sabres signed him to an eight-year, $80 million contract extension worth $10 million annually; the contract is set to begin at the start of the 2018–19 season.

On December 15, 2017, Jack scored his first career hat trick against the Carolina Hurricanes in a 5–4 loss. On January 11, 2018, he was selected as the sole representative of the Sabres for the 2018 NHL All-Star game; it was the first NHL All-Star game of his career.

During a game in February against the Boston Bruins, Jack sprained his ankle and was ruled out for 4–6 weeks. He returned 15 games later to help the Sabres beat the Chicago Blackhawks for the first time since 2009. He finished the 2017–18 season with 25 goals and 39 assists for a total of 64 points in only 67 games.

During the summer before the 2018–19 season, Jack changed his jersey number from 15 to 9, the same number he wore at Boston University.

On October 3, 2018, before the beginning of the regular season, he was named the captain of the Sabres. On March 10, 2019, he was suspended for two games for illegally checking Colorado Avalanche player Carl Söderberg in the head.

On March 28, 2019, Jack scored his 100th career goal in a 5–4 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings. On November 16, 2019, he scored four goals in a 4–2 win over the Ottawa Senators. He was the 7th Sabres player to record 4 goals in one game and first since Thomas Vanek did it on April 10, 2010.

On December 7, 2019, he recorded two assists to reach 300 career points in a 6–5 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks. On January 2, 2020, he scored the first overtime penalty shot goal in franchise history in a 3–2 win over the Edmonton Oilers.

On February 1, 2020, Jack scored the 8th overtime goal of his career in a 2–1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, breaking the franchise record for most regular-season overtime goals.

## International Play

As a 15-year-old, Jack represented the United States at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics. He won a bronze medal with Team USA at the 2013 World U-17 Hockey Challenge and a silver medal at the 2013 IIHF World U18 Championships.

The following season, he helped the USA squad capture the gold medal at the 2014 IIHF World U18 Championships and competed as a 17-year-old as Team USA's youngest player at the 2014 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He represented Team USA in the 2015 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship.

At the conclusion of Jack's freshman season with the Terriers, he was named to make his full international debut with Team USA at the 2015 World Championships. He scored 2 goals, including a game winner in the group stage against Slovakia, and 5 assists during the tournament, where Team USA won bronze.

Jack was selected to the 2017 Team USA IIHF World Championship roster. Team USA was eliminated in the quarter finals and placed 5th overall. He recorded zero goals and five assists in eight games at the championship.

On April 19, 2019, Jack was selected to represent Team USA at the 2019 IIHF World Championship, held in Bratislava and Kosice, Slovakia.