Jack Eichel announced as Sabres captain

Captain Jack will get you by tonight.

21-year-old Jack Eichel has been named captain of the Buffalo Sabres ahead of the 2018-19 NHL season. He is the youngest captain in franchise history.

Zach Bogosian and Kyle Okposo were named alternate captains.

Eichel was drafted second overall by the Sabres in 2015 and led the team in points in each of the past two seasons. He’s coming off a career-high season where he recorded 25 goals and 64 points in 67 games.

Jack Eichel. Buffalo Sabres captain.#LetsGoBuffalo #Sabres pic.twitter.com/6N6ujWHhGb

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) October 3, 2018

To announce Eichel’s new role, Coach Phil Housley gathered the players at center ice Wednesday and broke the news.

The moment when Phil Housley named Jack Eichel the captain of the Buffalo Sabres @WKBW pic.twitter.com/xuYzbzVUoz

— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) October 3, 2018

Eichel is entering the first year of an eight-year, $80 million contract with Buffalo. This will be his fourth NHL season.

The Sabres were previously one of nine teams in the NHL without a captain.

The Sabres had been without a player wearing the ‘C’ since Brian Gionta left the organization in 2017. The veteran forward, who officially retired last week, was captain from the start of the 2014-2015 season through the end of the 2016-17 season.