TORONTO – The final workouts back home in Boston are complete. His living arrangements in Buffalo are set. Once Jack Eichel goes through this weekend’s NHL/NHLPA Rookie Orientation in Washington, D.C., it will finally be time to play hockey for the Buffalo Sabres’ coveted top draft pick.
“I think it’s starting to get real,” Eichel said Tuesday during the NHLPA Rookie Showcase in Mattamy Athletic Centre, the former Maple Leaf Gardens. “I have to earn my spot on the Sabres, earn everything I get in the next month and a half. Just going into it with an open mind and try to be positive with the whole process.