Jack Eichel has been the Golden Knights’ best player since the moment he stepped on the ice for the first time in Vegas. This year though, he’s taken it to another level.
Eichel has nine goals and 36 assists for 45 points in VGK’s first 34 games. That puts him on pace to break the team record for points in a season by a whopping 30 points. He leads the team in points, assists, and shots and is the leader among forwards in time on ice at even-strength, on the power play, shorthanded, and in overtime.
Tangibly, he’s dominated at a level no other Golden Knight ever has statistically and it has him as a legitimate candidate for the Hart Trophy this season (he’s the 6th favorite at William Hill). It’s the intangible strides he’s taken that have impressed his head coach though.
His leadership has grown here. When the game is close, he’s much more vocal now and he wants ‘the ball’ so to speak. That’s the growth that I’ve seen in Jack from maybe two years ago to this year. ‘This is my team and let’s go’ type of thing. And even though it’s our team, that’s how he feels and he projects confidence and assertiveness much more than he did a couple years ago. -Bruce Cassidy
After the game against the Ducks on Monday night, Cassidy spoke glowingly about Eichel’s presence both on the ice and in the locker room and the impact they’ve had on the team this season.
I read something about Barbashev a little while ago said that when you play with Jack Eichel you have to be ready to play every fricken night because that’s what he expects out of you. So when your best player is like that and he demands it out of himself, then you are in business. -Cassidy
Eichel has become exactly what he was expected to be in Buffalo when he was selected 2nd overall. He was quickly made the captain of the Sabres and everyone thought he’d be the driving force to lead them out of mediocrity. It didn’t quite go that way and Eichel caught a lot of the blame. So, when he came to Vegas, he purposely avoided being thrust back into the leadership role. Two years later, that has changed.
That’s just a natural evolution of winning a Stanley Cup and some guys leaving, where he now sees himself as that type of player, and he should. -Cassidy
Mark Stone remains the captain of the Golden Knights; in many ways, he’s still the team’s heartbeat. Eichel has become the engine. He makes them go. When they need a goal, need to draw a penalty, or need to clamp down defensively, Eichel is the guy to make it happen. He may never wear the “C” on his jersey in Las Vegas, but he’s the driving force of the franchise, and will likely remain it for many years to come.
