Jack Eichel is Good at Hockey

Eichel. So clutch. So easy. So beautiful.https://t.co/IiJP5NHHS0

— NHL (@NHL) March 12, 2016

Buffalo Sabres rookie forward Jack Eichel makes scoring a clutch goal look really easy. I also love the call of the goal by hall of fame announcer Rick Jeanneret. This guy is one of the best in the business. Jeanneret is set to retire at the end of the 2016 NHL season.

Jack Eichel Goal Against the Lightning

Bufalo Sabres forward Jack Eiche is good at hockey. Check out this goal. Here's the fifth goal of his career.

Four Year Athlete Obsolete

At the end of every Men's Division 1 NCAA Hockey season, most of the 59 teams fan bases hold their breaths and wonder one thing. Who are we going to lose early this year? It has become a common thing for athletes not staying all four years in order to be sure to sign that entry level pro contract into the NHL.

According to USCHO.com, 30 players chose to leave their schools early, a majority of which were juniors with just one year left to play. However, there were five freshman who decided to leave after one year, including second overall pick in this year's entry draft, Jack Eichel. Now I do understand that these top NHL draft picks want to be sure that a serious injury doesn't ruin their professional dreams, but seriously. You go to college to play the sport and the university you are playing at is investing time and money in you. Now I'm not saying athletes should stay all four years, but they should spend at least three years with their school of choice.

Another interesting number found off of USCHO.com, 20 of the 59 schools were effected by early departures. Of those 20 schools, 10 of them saw more then one player leave for the NHL. Now I know that doesn't seem like a lot of players considering each of the 59 teams is allowed to roster up to 25 athletes, however top programs like North Dakota, Minnesota, and Boston University have rarely seen an entire class stick together all four seasons since the turn of the century, if at all.

For example, look at a team like North Dakota. This season saw the departures of juniors Zane McIntyre and Jordan Schmaltz to their respective pro teams. The year before, they lost Rocco Grimaldi to Florida, who was a red shirt sophomore at the time, and three seasons ago, would lose junior Derek Forbort to a pro contract. The list just goes on from there.

Maybe someday more athletes will once again decide to play all four seasons of NCAA hockey, but for now, senior classes keep getting smaller and smaller, and the sizes of the incoming freshman classes just keep growing in size.

Jack Eichel: Will he Stay or Will he Go?

So, it begins. Will BU forward Jack Eichel stay in school or sign with the team that drafts him? My money is on him signing.

Mike Harrington, Buffalo News -- "Probably sooner than later," Eichel said. "I'd like to know what I'm doing this summer. Probably pretty quickly after the draft I'll finalize my decision."

What's the reason to stay in school? Is it because of BU's loss to Providence in the Frozen Four championship game?

"Just the guys, my relationship with them. There's a lot of pros and cons about going both places," Eichel said. "It's not an easy decision. It's why I haven't made it yet. Yeah, there's some unfinished business. It was definitely tough to lose the last game. It's one of the lures of coming back. We didn't graduate too many guys. We lost our goalie, two of our top six forwards but coach [David] Quinn did a great job of recruiting. We're bringing in a lot of good players."

Jack Eichel: "I'm Spending More Time in the Weight Room"

View image | gettyimages.com

Josh Cooper from Yahoo's Puck Daddy interviewed Boston University freshman Jack Eichel. I found the comment below to be interesting.

Why the NCAA route? What about college enticed you? It had to be more than just taking classes?

I grew up in Boston and watching Hockey East and the Beanpot, so it was always my dream to play at a school like BC or BU. I never dreamed of going to Quebec and playing for a team there, so I guess that’s first and foremost is this is my dream to go here. And then looking at the pros, a lot of people say it’s a disadvantage that I’m not playing as many games.

But I can look at it as an advantage of I’m spending more time in the weight room. There’s a lot more emphasis on each game. Everything is a lot more detailed if you’re playing 40 games in comparison to playing 80 to 100. That’s one thing. And I just thought the college game was better for me. I had played a few years of junior and I didn’t think another year of junior was the best route. I felt I needed to go challenge myself again against older, bigger and stronger competition, where it would challenge me night-in, night-out more than I believe the CHL would. I think on top of all that I was able to get the experience of going to college. Living in Boston. This is everything I’ve wanted, so it was kind of a no-brainer.

One of the benefits of playing college hockey over Major Juniors is you get more time to develop physically and get bigger. There's a lot of weight room time. You're not playing a full 75-80 game schedule.   One of the things that I have noticed since I started covering UND hockey is how a player transforms in four years of hockey.

New York Times: Jack Eichel Can Do It All, Except Vote

Boston University forward Jack Eichel is only 17, but some have compared him to former UND forward Jonathan Toews. Eichel like Toews, snubbed the CHL to play NCAA hockey. I am just disappointed that UND isn't playing BU this season. Terrier fans should enjoy him while he's there, he won't be at BU more than one or two seasons.

Jeff Z. Klein, New York Times -- Jack Eichel is 17 and recently began attending freshman classes at Boston University. But he will be the central figure in the N.H.L. season that begins Wednesday.

If you are not a hockey fan, you may not have heard of Eichel. Those who have seen him, though, already compare him to players like Mike Modano, Patrick Kane, Evgeni Malkin and even Mario Lemieux.

“His first two strides are as explosive as I’ve ever seen at this level,” said Jim Johannson, a USA Hockey executive since 2000.

Kevin Prendergast, an N.H.L. scout and front office executive for 30 years, said: “It’s not just his speed; it’s his skill, his hockey sense. It doesn’t even look like he’s trying, but the puck comes to him. He makes things happen.”