SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The San Jose Sharks wasted little time adding some needed speed to a roster that sometimes lked a step slow in the Stanley Cup Final.The Sharks opened free agency on Friday by signing fleet winger Mikkel Boedker to a four-year deal worth a reported $16 million and puck-moving defenseman David Schlemko to a four-year contract worth a reported $8.4 million.We know where the game is going. We want to be ahead of the curve, general manager Doug Wilson said. Mikkel was obviously a high first-round pick for a reason. His skill level and talent and speed are off the charts. David just moves the puck quickly, great poise with the puck. It fits in with the things we want to do.After rolling through the Western Conference to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in team history, the Sharks were outclassed by Pittsburghs decided edge in speed and fell in six games to the Penguins.The Sharks hope adding Boedker to an already talented group of forwards that includes players like Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture will give San Jose the matchup advantages that helped Pittsburgh so much when they were able to use Phil Kessel on a third line.I play fast and hopefully I can get some gd chemistry with the guys that are there now and use my skill and help them out the best I can, he said. Hopefully they can help me out the best they can and we can find a gd partnership in the group. The biggest thing for me is using my speed and thats something that can maybe be a valuable key for our offense.The 26-year-old Boedker tied a career-high with 51 points last season, posting 17 goals and 34 assists with Arizona and Colorado.Boedker said he had offers for longer contracts and for more money but was attracted to San Jose because the team is a Cup contender and because of his relationship with coach Peter DeBoer.Boedker played his junior hockey at Kitchener of the Ontario Hockey League during the 2007-08 season under DeBoer and Sharks assistant Steve Spott. He helped the Rangers win the OHL Championship and became the eighth pick in the 2008 draft by Arizona.Hes one of those players you coach over your career where he makes an impression both as a player and as a person, DeBoer said. I understand what he can do. He has some untapped upside that we havent seen yet. Im really excited to get him and get to work with him again.The 29-year-old Schlemko posted career highs with six goals and 13 assists in 67 games for New Jersey last season. He also played more than 18 minutes a game.Schlemko will likely slot in alongside Brenden Dillon on the third pair but his ability to play both sides gives San Jose the versatility to play with Dylan DeMelo or move up to one of the top two pairs if needed.That was a big thing for them, Schlemko said. I can be a versatile player, move up and down the lineup and play against anybody and play in any situation. Thats how I feel about myself as a player and was glad that they saw that. Im kind of lucky that a Stanley Cup contender wanted me.Schlemko has 15 goals and 54 assists in 298 career games with Arizona, Dallas, Calgary and New Jersey. 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During the athletes parade, the 23-strong Ukrainian team was represented by a lone flagbearer in an apparent protest at the presence of Russian trps in Ukraines Crimean peninsula.After missing the first 21 games of the season with a high-ankle sprain, Jack Eichel had an immediate impact both on and off the ice for the Buffalo Sabres when he returned last week.In four games since, Eichel has three goals and one assist for four points. He has been dynamic and his presence has brought balance to the lineup of the Sabres, who are 2-1-1 in his four games.On Tuesday, Eichel and the Sabres will host the Edmonton Oilers and Connor McDavid. McDavid and Eichel, who were drafted first and second, respectively, in 2015, will be forever linked. The initial hype about their expected rivalry has subsided a bit, but the two were front and center as teammates for Team North America during the World Cup of Hockey in September.While Eichel was rehabbing his injury, McDavid -- along with Toronto Maple Leafs rkie Auston Matthews and Winnipeg Jets rkie Patrik Laine?-- started the season with a bang. McDavid leads the league in points and Laine has been in or shared the league lead in goals. Now that Eichel is back, hes ready to make up for lost time.ESPN.com was there for his return and sat down with the second-year NHLer to talk about representing Team USA, getting creative, and the state of his rivalry with McDavid.ESPN.com: How much fun has it been to be back?Jack Eichel: Its been a lot of fun. Its been nice to see some goals on the board, nice to win and just nice to be back in the lineup playing, contributing.ESPN.com: Did being sidelined make you realize how much you missed the game?Eichel: Yeah, absolutely. Hockey is everything to me, so when youre away from it for as long as I was, it definitely bites at you and makes you that much more excited to get back.ESPN.com: Many describe the crop of young talent in the league today as the Golden Age of Youth. What does it mean for you to be a part of that group?Eichel:?More and more younger guys are getting opportunities and making the most of them. Its great for our league and fans. The game is obviously in a gd place now, and were going to keep doing the things that were doing.ESPN.com: Its going to be a big deal in the hockey world every time you play against Connor McDavid. Now that you know him better after being teammates for Team North America during the World Cup, what will it be like when you face him on Tuesday?Eichel: Its the Edmonton Oilers versus the Buffalo Sabres for two points.ESPN.com: How have you dealt with all the hype surrounding the start of your career?Eichel: Ive put all that past me and just want to be an impact player. Ive played a year in the NHL now and Ive played in the World Cup. We have a gd fan base and they obviously appreciate me and our team. So as a group, we just try to use it as support and build off of it.?ESPN.com: When you made that jump from Boston University to the professional level, how long did it take you to get used to the speed of the game at this level?Eichel: You get used to it pretty quickly. For me, it was a lot about confidence and realizing that you can make plays at this level. Last year, there was definitely a little bit of a transition at the beginning of the year, but the second half of the season things started to fall into place. It was important that I had played 40 games the year before at BU. Then it was about becoming more of a pro on a day-to-day basis, taking care of yourself a little bit better, more time at the gym throughout the days. I know Ive only played three games [through Sunday], but going through rehab and things like that, preparing for each practice a little bit better each time you go on the ice -- it all adds up..dddddddddddd.McDonald: How much focus have you put on your defensive game?Eichel: Thats probably one of the most important things for me. However I can find a way to contribute to our team and help us win -- whether thats scoring goals or playing [sound] defensively -- thats how I want to be. Some of the plays our team had made down the stretch ... if we dont make those, maybe we dont win the game. A lot goes into winning games at this level. As a group, were starting to learn that. And, realizing how tight it is each night, we just want to be on the right side of these games.McDonald: What advice would you give a young player today?Eichel: Just make sure you enjoy the game. Dont get caught up in being stressed over what youre going to do. Ive seen so many kids who kind of overthought it. Hockeys a game. Go to practice every day and try to get better. Im a big believer that if you want success, its up to you. Your own success is all in your own hands. So, if you want to be great, you can be great.?My dad instilled that mindset in me -- that however gd you want to be, however far you want to take this game -- is just up to you and how hard you want to work and what type of sacrifices you want to make. That being said, Ive been fortunate enough to have a lot of gd people with me throughout my hockey career. More than anything, hard work is the key to everything in life, and hockeys no different.McDonald: Youre a creative player. How important is it to have that creativity in todays game?Eichel: Its huge. Theres a lot of coaching in todays game, and if youre going to win, you need to play a tight game. Its important for the fans to be able to see some creativity on the ice. Its exciting, and obviously it creates offense. Some of the best players in our game are the most creative and do some of the craziest things. Ive even tried to become more creative within the last year. Watching hockey, seeing the tendencies of other players and what they like to do, Ive just tried to mimic it.McDonald: Can you learn to be creative? Or is it all instinct?Eichel: Its a little bit instinctive, but you can learn it. If youre a student of the game and you watch it as much as I do, youre going to pick up on the things other people do -- and pick up tendencies of defensemen -- and build a little bit of an advantage for yourself.McDonald: How much does communication play into being creative?Eichel: Thats something you build, chemistry and understanding the players youre playing with. Ive played with?Sam Reinhart?a lot. Were trying a lot of different things in practice, and we try to carry that over into games. We talk a lot about it and I think it works pretty well. It comes with getting to know your linemates and the people you play with.McDonald: Youve represented Team USA in other international events. What would it mean to play in the 2018 Olympics?Eichel: It would be great. Its a long ways away, but its something I would love to do. Ive [played for Team USA] a lot, but being able to do it for the national team, build a lot of patriotism, and I would take a lot of pride in it. Youre representing your whole country and I always like doing it.McDonald: Youre a student of the game. If you had the opportunity to sit down and talk hockey with one former player, who would it be?Eichel:?Thats a tough one, because there are so many I would want to talk to. Wayne Gretzky has the most points ever and hes the best player of all time, so probably him. ' ' '