It was a Wednesday in July and, upon walking into the Foxboro Sports Center, one couldn’t help but notice. A swarm of youth players were surrounding someone, though it was wasn’t immediately clear who. Their jaws were agape, awestruck even, at who stood before them. It was none other than Jack Eichel, the pride of North Chelmsford, Mass.
At 20, he’s still a year away from his first legal drink, but his impact on hockey in New England is undeniable. With every turn — starting with the Boston Junior Bruins, then two star-studded years at the U.S. National Team Development Program, a Hobey Baker Award-capped season at Boston University and now an NHL career with the Buffalo Sabres — he’s wowed fans and drawn admiration aplenty.
Along the way, his parents, Bob and Anne, have guided him through each bump in the road, all to a point where kids say, "I want to play like Jack." They might have seen him on the NHL Network, winning a Beanpot for BU at TD Garden, in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey or even that summer day down in Foxboro. Whatever the location, Eichel, ahead of what should be his senior year of college, recognizes how lucky he has it.
"My parents have always been all over me about making sure that I remember when I was once the kids’ age and admired what the NHL guys were doing," Eichel said. "I’ve been lucky to take a very good path to where I am now, having the opportunity to play for my country with the national team for two years and then going to BU and now Buffalo. The amount of connections and the people you meet, it allows you to build a lot of relationships and strengthen your current ones.
"For all the younger kids who are looking up to me, I appreciate all your support and I really appreciate the fact that you believe in me," Eichel added. "I just want to continue to be a good role model for all of you who have high aspirations of being an NHL hockey player and taking that path."
Those are polished remarks from Eichel, a player who hockey VIPs and fans swoon over for his powerful stride, on-ice vision and ability to always hit another gear. Those qualities don’t come around very often, and they helped him truly announced his presence as a 17-year-old freshman at BU.
Save for a national title, the center won about every award a player could, but what sticks out the most to David Quinn (Cranston, R.I.), the Terriers’ head coach, is how Eichel transformed his program. Eichel’s 2014-15 season at Agganis Arena was Quinn’s second in charge, following one in which the Scarlet and White went a dismal 11-21-4.
They rebounded with aplomb, going 28-8-5 as Eichel led the way and a host of upperclassmen returned from injury and to form. Quinn, however, doesn’t hide Eichel’s impact.
"To me, Jack made it all work," Quinn said. "He not only was a freakish special talent, but there are guys who are great players who don’t have the charisma. If someone had never seen a hockey game in their life and walked into the rink in warmups, within three seconds their eyes would be drawn to number nine."
That effect still lingers at BU, with Quinn noting how Eichel’s stature emerged as a talking point during recruiting visits. Stars of the past few years — Clayton Keller, Dante Fabbro, Chad Krys and Jordan Greenway — were swayed, in part, because of Eichel.
With all that prestige, then, it come as no surprise to hear stories from Eichel’s inner circle of what makes him so special.
One comes from Keith Aucoin, a Chelmsford, Mass., native who Eichel said he looked up to as a kid. Eichel was around 13 years old at the time, and Aucoin, a two-time Calder Cup champion, let the eager teenager tag along for a practice in Rockland, Mass. Upon arriving, Eichel literally met an unexpected obstacle.
"We were doing a drill and by mistake him and Hal Gill collided," Aucoin recalled, referencing the now-retired, 6-foot-7 NHL defenseman from Concord, Mass. "I’m not sure how he got up, but he did and finished the drill."
The same goes for Kim Brandvold, now the Boston Bruins skating and skills coach, who first worked with Eichel when he was 14. Brandvold said it’s hard to think of a particular moment, instead that there were long early signs that Eichel could practically glide across the ice.
"It was always obvious he had this special talent from a young age where he was just born with it," Brandvold said. "Then he’d show up when he didn’t need to and just those extensions and moments are what made him even more special."
Peter Fish, a former BU goalie and Eichel’s agent, rattled off a trio of anecdotes. For one, Eichel’s year at BU reminded Fish of Paul Kariya’s freshman season at Maine, while another was how Eichel always looks to return home for Sunday dinner with mom and dad. He’ll work with charities, too, including the Travis Roy Foundation Wiffle Ball Tournament in Vermont, July’s Comm Ave. Charity Classic and a clothing brand he’s developed where proceeds benefit the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo.
"His parents have always said things like, ‘Once you think you’ve made it, you’re done and you can never stop being satisfied,’" Fish said. "You always want to be humble and grateful for the things that you’ve accomplished, and never forget your roots and where you’ve come from. You see Jack, the people he’s still friends with and his hometown in North Chelmsford, they’re always still a big part of his life, and there’s something to be said for that."
In all, Eichel has massively shaped hockey in New England, both through inspiration and his own game, while showing that age is but a number. Kids wear his jersey and his Bauer products, friends and family know him as the same old Jack they’ve long loved, and fans of the sport can respect his star power.
There might not be another player like Jack Eichel for decades, and that’s OK. His influence is here to stay, as he realistically could play another 20 NHL seasons. But Eichel knows it’s not all about him, not in the slightest.
"There’s so much advice you can give younger kids, but what’s important is to lean on the people who are close to you and have always been in your corner," Eichel said. "That’s what I’ve done and I’m lucky enough that I’ve had some great family members and some great friends and some great coaches who have always been there for me — they’re people I’ve leaned on in times of adversity.
"It’s not the easiest of things to do, but I’d tell the kids that getting to wake up every day and play hockey is a dream come true," Eichel added. "I’ve sacrificed a lot when I was growing up to be in this situation, and I wouldn’t change anything for it."
