Subscribe
Follow Us
The Vegas Golden Knights are looking like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender this season, sitting in second place in the Pacific Division and Jack Eichel has played a massive part in their success.
The veteran, who has dealt with tons of injuries in the past, admitted that he's playing some of the best hockey of his career in 2024-25.
Via Dan Rosen of NHL.com:
“Probably the best I've ever been,” Eichel said. “I'm very focused. I'm consistent. Yeah, I feel good. I'm enjoying playing hockey. It's as good of a head space I've been in in quite some time.”
“There's years in your career when you're young, less miles and a few less surgeries and less injuries that obviously you feel good, but in recent years, yes, I would say (this is the best I've felt),” Eichel said. “I've done a lot to get myself to the position I'm in now physically.
“I feel like I continue to put in a lot of time and effort day in and day out and just try to be as consistent as possible with my routine and what I'm doing to prepare for games, getting myself in the best shape to do that.”
Eichel is leading the Golden Knights by a mile. He's tallied 67 points, 20 more than Mark Stone, who is second on the team. Eichel has scored 19 goals and supplied 48 assists in 54 games. He had 68 points for the entire 2023-24 campaign. Eichel's best season came in 2018-19 with the Buffalo Sabres, putting up 82 points. At this rate, the American will surpass that number.
Amid his impressive year, Eichel is even getting MVP buzz. That's quite the turnaround considering he played only 55 contests between 2020 and 2022 because of health problems. With the NHL taking a break for the 4 Nations, the Golden Knights star expressed excitement to represent a stacked Team USA:
“I think this is a good time for not only this 4 Nations but what could take place in the next 12 months. You definitely don't want to look too far ahead, but I'm super excited,” Eichel said. “It's something I've dreamed of as a kid, and this is an awesome first taste of representing the country, which is something I haven't done in quite some time.”
Vegas has their final game before the tournament on Saturday as they face the Boston Bruins. We'll see if the Golden Knights add any pieces at the trade deadline.