Voltaire taught us with great power comes great responsibility. Uncle Ben made the phrase Spider-Man’s North Star. Some understand this and some don’t. Jack Eichel gets it.
Eichel is one of the best hockey players on the planet. It’s given him a voice and he’s not afraid to use it for himself or others. Giving back is as much a part of his game as his ability to skate, shoot or pass.
Eichel just completed the third JE9 Hockey Camp in Las Vegas for boys and girls from across North America. The camp does more than bare Eichel’s initials and jersey number. Eichel is part of the coaching staff for the week giving pointers to the young players who hope to follow in his footsteps toward the highest level of hockey.
“If kids are going to spend their time and families are going to spend their money to be part of it, I want them to get the full experience,” Eichel said. “I felt like it was my duty to do that and that’s part of the reason we have had good feedback from the camp. Myself and all the coaches are very engaging and try to build personal relationships and connections with the kids that are there. I really enjoy it.”
More than just a hockey camp, the JE9 Camp has donated $120,000 to Best Buddies International. Eichel has also directed $150,000 to Best Buddies through his role in the Battle 4 Vegas softball game.
That’s $270,000 from Eichel’s time in Las Vegas. Best Buddies is a non-profit which consists of volunteers that create opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Eichel donates his time to Best Buddies throughout the year, as well as the significant financial impact he is able to make.
“It’s an organization I've been involved with for seven or eight years now and there's connections with our family. My sister studied it in school, and she worked in special needs education when she got out of school,” said Eichel. “I feel like it was always something that I had a passion for. When you're in the position that a lot of us are in and having the ability to make an impact and give back, I looked at Best Buddies as an organization that I felt like I had a lot of passion for and wanted to get involved with and had the opportunity to meet, Anthony Shriver [CEO, Best Buddies] and go to a few Best Buddies events and continued that relationship in Buffalo and then started one in Vegas when I moved there. So, it's an incredible organization that does so many great things for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. For me, I just think it's a great chance to help people that are less fortunate and have some challenges but are also incredibly talented and just so amazing. It’s been awesome. It's been a great relationship for me and doing a camp like that is a great way to be able to raise some money and do it in a good way and give back to the community.”
It would be easy for Eichel to just write a check and take the tax receipt. It’s how a lot of people make their charitable donations. Money is important, but time is also valuable. Eichel has seen firsthand the benefits of giving with his heart and his wallet.
“It’s important to make your commitments financially and help the mission and I think that that's what keeps organizations running. Obviously, there's a financial aspect to it, but I think the real mission is the relationships and what you do for them and at the same time what they do for you. I think there's just so much more value in the contact and the experiences and having the chance to meet up with a few people from Best Buddies after games or bring them to practices. Those are the things that people really remember and that goes far beyond any financial commitment anybody can make. It's really about the people that are involved in it. That's what drew me to it.”
Eichel is coming off a dominant season where he put up a career-high 94 points while recording a plus-32 which is also a high mark for the 28-year-old. He played a key role for Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off and will a pivotal piece for his country at the 2026 Winter Olympics. He’s one of the best players in the world and sharing his talent and perspective with young people at his summer camp is something he enjoys.
“It's great. It was our third year. The first year we did it was the year after we won the Stanley Cup, and we've done it every summer since. It's been awesome. We've had an incredible turnout every year. A lot of familiar faces. So many kids that travel from all over to be a part of it, and it just means the world to me and other people who put a lot of work into the camp that we get a turnout like this. It's really just a great opportunity to be on the ice with kids of different ages. I don't want to say just the community of Las Vegas because there are kids from all over,” said Eichel. “So, it's just a great opportunity to give back and obviously have the opportunity to raise some money that we get to donate back to the Best Buddies at the end of it. It's an amazing cause. It's a lot of fun for me and something I really enjoy doing. You try to put yourself in their position, and they're on the ice with an NHL player that they look up to in a lot of ways. When you were their age, it's something that you would really enjoy doing. So, you try and make it fun. You try to find a healthy balance of giving them some drills that will hopefully help their development and help them get better at hockey, but at the same time keeping it enjoyable and engaging.”
Eichel had a memorable moment last season when he looked up during warmups prior to a road game and saw one of his campers smiling at him.
“We were in Utah and there's a kid in the camp. His name is Mak, and he's been there every year. He's great. When we went to Utah last year, he was standing next to our bench in warmups as I was skating around. I saw him on the glass with the camp t-shirt on,” said Eichel. “I slipped him a puck and then he brought that puck back to the camp this year and I signed it for him. It's just cool to be able to build relationships with the young kids and hopefully make an impact on them and see them around the rinks in different cities and in Vegas. You see stuff like the apparel or whatnot from the camp and it's cool for me.”
And watching Mak year over year has also impressed Jack.
“He's gotten better. It’s awesome because the first year he was in the youngest group and every year he's obviously gotten older,” said Eichel. “Now, he was in our oldest group this year. So, it's kind of cool in that way.”
