Eichel changing his number

The future captain of the Buffalo Sabres has a new jersey number. Jack Eichel posted a couple of photos on his Instagram account hinting, and confirming, that he has changed his jersey number from #15 to #9.

New season, old number.

A post shared by Jack Eichel (@jackeichel11) on

He has worn his #15 for the past three years, but has opted to make the switch. #9 was his dad’s favorite number.

Eichel stated the following to the Buffalo news:

“For a long time, the number nine has always been a part of my identity as both a person and as a player. The opportunity opened up to switch, and I felt it was the right time to make the change as I begin the next phase of my career as a Sabre.”

Previously, the number was taken by Evander Kane, and before that, Derek Roy, Steve Ott, and Vaclav Varada. Eichel will be the 19th Sabres player to wear #15.

Kevin Freiheit
Kevin Freiheit
I founded Buffalo Hockey Central in 2008 and have poured hours and hours into this site. Luckily, we have a great team of writers and designers who have helped keep this up and running despite a ton of out-of-pocket costs. We do this because we enjoy it, and we're desperate to see the Sabres win the Cup someday, but they have to make the playoffs first.
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