BU's Jack Eichel caps off sensational freshman year with Hobey Baker Award

BOSTON – Jack Eichel grew up in North Chelmsford, Mass., not far from Boston University. He dreamt of playing in Hockey East and winning Beanpots and national championships. Before this weekend is over, his entire checklist may be marked off.

Eichel was named the 2015 Hobey Baker Award winner as the top collegiate player in a ceremony Friday night at Matthews Arena on the campus of Northeastern.

The Hobey Baker Award is one of two trophies that Eichel could take home this weekend as the Terriers get set to face-off against Providence in Saturday’s national title game at TD Garden. The sensational forward’s mantle has gotten incredibly crowded this season.

BU won the Beanpot, Hockey East regular season title, the Hockey East Final and Northeast Regional to get to the Frozen Four. Individually, Eichel was named Hockey East Player of the Year and Rookie of the year, becoming the first player to do so since Paul Kariya at Maine in 1993. He’s also the first freshman to win the Hobey Baker Award since Kariya.

An hour before he won the Hobey Baker Award, Eichel was also named a First-Team All-American and announced as the winner of the Tim Taylor National Rookie of the Year award.

Offensively, Eichel leads the nation in scoring with 26 goals and 70 points in 39 games. That’s an average of 1.79 points per game, tops in the country and .22 more per game than fellow Hobey Baker Award finalist Jimmy Vesey of Harvard.

Eichel’s 70 points are most by a BU freshman in the program’s history and his three points against North Dakota in the Frozen Four semifinal helped guide the Terriers to a 5-3 victory and a shot at their first national title since 2009.

BU’s top line of Eichel, Evan Rodrigues and Danny O’Regan has combined for 180 points, most in the country. The attention Eichel receives on the ice allows for plenty of opportunities for his linemates.

“Everyone knows how dangerous Jack is,” said BU forward Ahti Oksanen, “so when I played with him on the same line, even when he didn't have the pack, there was always a D man following him, covering him, so it created a lot more room for the rest of the guys out there.”

If Eichel’s freshman season is any indication, the likely second-overall pick in June’s NHL Entry Draft has a bright future ahead of him. But before he leaves BU to go pro next season there's one more goal to achieve.

“At the beginning of every year, I usually have pretty high expectations, not just only for myself but for our team,” Eichel said.

“I think this season, most of the things that I’ve wanted to do, with the exception of one [I've done]. Hopefully [I'll] be able to cap a great season tomorrow. That’s the most important one."

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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy

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