Boston University embarrassed its Canadian opponent, St. Thomas University, 12–1 Saturday. The Tommies traveled all the way from the province of New Brunswick to be trounced by the Terriers, who were ignited by the explosive play of a freshman.
Jack Eichel, 17 years old, dazzled in his BU debut. He flaunted his astonishing agility and superb skill just 3:14 into the game, when he erupted down ice and fed his linemate, junior Ahti Oksanen, in front of the net. Oksanen, who spent his first two years at BU on defense, also impressed in his inaugural performance at forward, potting four goals.
Coach David Quinn proved his faith in Eichel by placing him on the first line between Oksanen and senior Evan Rodrigues. Eichel went 8 for 15 on faceoffs for the night, and also spent time on the power play unit and penalty kill. He ended his collegiate hockey introduction with five assists and a +3 rating.
Eichel is one of the two top prospects in the world right now. Canadian Connor McDavid, also 17 and Eichel’s better-known adversary, has been called the next Sidney Crosby; contrarily, Eichel has been compared to legends like Mike Modano and Mario Lemieux, as well as current stars like Patrick Kane and Evgeni Malkin.
The duo of McDavid and Eichel will certainly be drafted first and second overall, a one-two punch not seen since the 2004 draft class, which boasted Alex Ovechkin (1) Evgeni Malkin (2). Malkin won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league’s MVP in 2012, and Ovechkin has won the award three times in his young career (‘08, ’09, ‘13). Fair to say, Eichel and McDavid are in excellent company.
While he can’t even vote and will be tested in a competitive Hockey East conference, I am truly very excited to watch this kid play hockey and get even better.
Eichel could make an immediate impact in the NHL as soon as he is drafted. For instance, if a team that does not require immediate assistance selects him, playing another year of college hockey may benefit his development. The chances he stays at Boston University longer than a year, however, are very, very slim.
Though I believe that Eichel can lead the Terriers to greatness this season, I am still a bit skeptical. Recall last year’s catastrophe. Following an exhibition victory against St. Francis Xavier University, Boston University jumped to a 3-1 record in the regular season and was ranked as high as 13th in the nation. David Quinn’s Terriers would win only seven more games the rest of that awful season. The miserable season met its bitter end when BU fell to the University of Notre Dame in the Hockey East Tournament on March 8.
Further recall last season, when defenseman (and now captain) Matt Grzelcyk suffered a shoulder injury, rendering him unable to play for more than half the year. The Terriers will need to remain healthy, especially in regards to their veteran core of players, if they have any shot of pulling off a bounce-back season.
Although scoring 12 goals is nothing to scoff at, bullying a subpar Canadian program cannot suggest what the Terriers will do in regular season play. I have no idea how USCHO.com has Boston University ranked 20th in its Preseason Poll. With their appalling 10-21-4 record last year, BU should be far away from the rankings.
Once the season starts, the talent pool on this team could induce tremendous fear into its opponents. Until then, though, it’s hard to tell exactly what the Terriers will do against Hockey East Competition.
BU opens up its regular season Friday night at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Don’t expect another 12-1 pounding. Do expect a lot of fun.
