Archives for July 2, 2015

‘“You can see in kids pretty quickly if they’re legit or not, and I believe that he’s legit.”’

‘The 28-year-old center is a playmaker who has excelled in juniors and the minor leagues but hasn’t found success in the NHL. He’s appeared in 113 games with Nashville, Arizona and Pittsburgh, recording 13 goals and 28 assists. The Predators drafted O’Reilly in the fifth round in 2005.’

‘Eichel won’t be fed to the NHL wolves in the way that Taylor Hall was in Edmonton a few years back. The expected longterm signing of Ryan O’Reilly takes the pressure off Eichel to immediately serve as a No. 1 center.’

‘Forward Cody Hodgson will get a new start in Nashville while four former goaltenders singed new deals – Anders Lindback (Arizona), Michal Neuvirth (Philadelphia), Jhonas Enroth (Los Angeles) and Matt Hackett (Anaheim).’

‘“I think I need to challenge myself to get to the next level,” he said inside the First Niagara Center. “Since I was 4 years old this is all I wanted. Everything I’ve done my entire life is to be a professional ice hockey player.”’

‘Tim Murray has spoken about the need for the Rochester Americans to improve following an awful season. The general manager left no doubt he was serious Wednesday, signing two notable AHL players to two-way deals – defenseman Matt Donovan and winger Jason Akeson – for the Sabres’ top affiliate.’

‘“This past season was one of the best years of my life and I’d like to especially thank coach (David) Quinn, and his staff, all of the equipment and medical personnel, my teammates, my academic advisers, and the entire athletic department,” Eichel said. “I’m looking forward to starting the next chapter in my life with the Buffalo Sabres but I will always be indebted to BU.”’

‘”Looking at the Sabres’ organization, there’s such a bright future here. It seemed like a no-brainer. It’s been a dream to potentially be playing professional hockey, and I’m going to do everything in my power to make an impact for the Sabres next year.”‘

‘Eichel won’t be alone in western New York, as former BU linemate Evan Rodrigues has a place in the Sabres organization, after he was signed as a free agent in late April.’

‘Eichel was honored with several other major postseason awards in 2014-15, including NCAA Rookie of the Year, first-team All-American, Hockey East Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, and was a unanimous selection as a first-team Hockey East All-Star.’