Jack Eichel Believes he is Better than Connor McDavid

Looks like the battle between #1 and #2 in the upcoming draft is starting to heat up.

It has been reported by the Boston Globe, and confirmed by Sabres GM Tim Murray on WGR-550 AM, that Eichel has claimed during the 2015 Scouting Combine that he is better than consensus #1 Connor McDavid.

Apparently Buffalo was pretty happy with the #2 pick and the likely chance to pick up a talent like Jack Eichel.

The Hockey Writers added these comments:

When it came to Eichel’s comments about being the best, Murray admitted that he was extremely pleased.

“I think he should say that,” he said. “Why not say that? I think he believes it. I think the way he played this season, we called it a two-horse race all year, so why should he not believe that?

“Why should he not believe in his skill set, his total package — size, skating ability, puck skills, hockey sense, as I said the whole package. He’s confident in it. He backed up that confidence in his play this year; had a tremendous year. I don’t know why he wouldn’t believe he’s the best player in the draft.”.

It’s hard to compare Eichel to McDavid in terms of who will be the better professional until they each get time to show what they can do in the league. It’s even tough to see who was the better prospect due to one playing in the CHL with 16-20 year olds (McDavid) while the other played with 18-22 year olds (Eichel) in the NCAA.

If he is picked up by the Sabres, the Boston Globe believes he will be a great fit and can help jump start the rebuilding process:

But their 30th-place finish guaranteed them a top-two selection in the draft, and on June 26, with the No. 2 pick, the Sabres will select Boston University’s Jack Eichel. The native of North Chelmsford, Mass., is everything a losing franchise wants: a big, generational right-shot center who plays with power, grace, and creativity.

On Tuesday, Eichel got a preview of his future workplace. As one of 120 participants in the annual NHL combine, Eichel interviewed at the First Niagara Center with several teams, including the Sabres. Eichel told his questioners, in a respectful but confident manner, that he would be better than Connor McDavid, his Canadian foil.

McDavid will go first overall, to the Edmonton Oilers, who won the draft lottery. Eichel will be second, just as he was in April at TD Garden, when BU lost to Providence in the NCAA championship.

Neither Eichel nor the Sabres, under the ownership of Terry and Kim Pegula, are intent on making second-place finishes a regular occurrence.

“It’s the missing ingredient to the psyche of this community,” Sabres president Ted Black said of winning a championship. “It’s a massive challenge. It’s one I work at every day to earn a place in that history.”

The Globe also compares him to past first round picks by the Sabres:

Since 2012, the Sabres have landed five first-round players: Sam Reinhart, Rasmus Ristolainen, Nikita Zadorov, Mikhail Grigorenko, and Zemgus Girgensons. They’ve also picked seven players in the second round.

None, however, has Eichel’s ceiling. Eichel most recently played for Team USA at the World Championships, where Dan Bylsma, named Buffalo’s coach last Thursday, was an assistant. The teenager’s competition included NHL veterans Evgeni Malkin and Tomas Plekanec. In 10 games, Eichel scored two goals and had five assists.

“You have a chance to see a guy,” Bylsma said during his introductory press conference, “who’s going to be an elite, elite player.”

Who is Jack Eichel?

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