Eichel said Team North America, which was comprised of players 23 or younger from the United States and Canada, let its opportunity to advance to the semifinals slip away during a brief stretch in its second preliminary-round game.
"It was obviously not the outcome that our team wanted, but looking back on it, it's hockey history, so it's great to be a part of it," Eichel, 19, said. "Looking back on it, it's probably six minutes, eight minutes in the tournament that cost us, in that second period against Russia (a 4-3 loss on Sept. 19), and you play eight bad minutes in a tournament like that and you're out after three games."
The Sabres are looking to end a five-season playoff drought, and how Eichel and fellow second-year forward Sam Reinhart each progresses in his development may determine that.
"Last year, I feel like I was dipping my toes in a little bit, a little nervous, I mean, I hadn't played in the NHL before," Eichel said. "Coming back after the World Cup, you just played against the world's best. You come back to training camp and, I think for myself, Year Two, you've got to expect a lot more out of yourself. Every day you come to the rink, be a leader, be a leader in the locker room, be a leader on the ice, be better in practice, and I think for our group, we're all excited.
"Last year, we had a lot of new faces coming in, a lot of different bodies, people didn't know each other that well. This year we come in, I mean, we came together really quickly as a team last year, and I think the second half of the year definitely showed that. We come together off the ice and that translates to on the ice. … I think that for us, training camp, we want to get better every day and figure out our identity again. Just hit the ground running in Game 1 of the season and I think as a group we have to expect more out of ourselves."
