Buffalo Sabres Jack Eichel is showing elite scoring potential

Jack Eichel is proving that he has what it takes to be an elite offensive player in the NHL. 

Thanks to the success and hype of Connor McDavid, it’s quite easy to overlook the guy taken after him in the 2015 NHL Draft. The Buffalo Sabres tanked during the 2014-15 season in hopes of getting him. While the Edmonton Oilers got extremely lucky by winning the draft lottery, it turns out the Sabres got a great consolation prize in Jack Eichel.

After an impressive rookie season, during which he finished second among rookies with 24 goals and 56 points, expectations were high. However, a high ankle sprain cost Eichel the first two months of the 2016-17 season. Since returning on Nov. 29, he is 10th in the league in points. Eichel is averaging 0.98 points per game entering Wednesday March 8.

Since the start of the 21st century, only six players at 20 years old or younger have averaged over a point per game. Those players are Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Connor McDavid, Steven Stamkos, and Ilya Kovalchuk. Five of them are elite players and the other one is chilling in Russia, but was elite in the NHL before bolting.

Jack Eichel’s numbers are even more impressive when you look at his shot generation. Shot generation is a coveted skill in the NHL. Shooting talent is equally coveted, but volume tends to be a better skill to have long-term than shooting talent. Eichel is averaging 4.09 shots on goal per game, which is third among players 20 years old or younger since the start of the 21st century. Ovechkin is the only player to average more shots per game than him. Anytime The Great Eight is the only player better than you at something, you know you’re dong something right.

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Moving forward, the Sabres still have a lot to do to become competitive again. They have to fix virtually their entire defense and have to either keep Evander Kane around long-term or find a similar scoring forward. But Buffalo has Eichel, which is a very good start.