The Czechia did not win a medal from the World Junior Hockey Championship even after 17 years, finishing fourth. In Edmonton, however, it showed potential stars of the future. One of them is the 18-year-old center Jiří Kulich.
In April, Kulich shined at the World U18 Championship, where he collected eleven points, including nine goals, in nine duels. He became the most valuable player of the tournament.
Now he didn’t even get lost at the U20 Championship, despite being the second youngest member of the squad. He scored seven times (2+5) in seven races. At the same time, he did not commit a single foul and showered the opponent with 34 shots. He shone mainly in the quarter-finals, where he helped sensationally defeat the United States with three points (1+2).
Only Joakim Kemell from Finland and Canadian prodigy Connor Bedard surpassed him in the productivity of players under the age of eighteen at the tournament.
“One of the best in the Czech top 20, without debate. He is a player,” wrote journalist Scott Wheeler from The Athletic about Kulich.
Scout Jason Bukala also praised the Czech striker, who shone last season in the extra-league Karlovy Vary. “Kulich shows that he’s not just a shooter,” he told Sportsnet. “He played with great commitment and worked consistently in all three zones. He’s definitely continuing his rise.”
Buffalo, which made Kulich the 28th pick of the NHL draft a month and a half ago, is happy about it.
According to journalist Chris Owen from the regional radio station WYRK, the Sabers were surprised that the Czech center was left for them. The club’s general manager Kevyn Adams considered drafting him as early as 16th, but ended up going for Swedish forward Noah Östlund.
He then sought to move up from No. 28 in the first round via a trade, but was unsuccessful. However, he didn’t have to regret it, because no one took Kulich away from him.
Had the auction of hopefuls been held until after the U20 Championship in August, perhaps Adams would not have been so lucky. “Kulich has an excellent shot and a tremendous understanding of the game. He could be a 30-goal scorer in the NHL,” wrote journalist Owen, according to whom Buffalo managed a “steal” in the case of the Czech speedster.
This is how they talk about hockey players whose position in the draft does not correspond to later developments. A shining example is David Pastrňák, who ranked 25th in the auction of hopes eight years ago.
Kulich has not yet reached Pastrňák’s qualities, and quite possibly never will, but he is making progress. He has also already played at the Sabers development camp, during which he signed a three-year rookie contract.
In any case, it is not likely that he would start in Buffalo’s main team right away in October. He’ll probably be grinding away at the farm in Rochester, where he already is expects head coach Seth Appert.
If this news is confirmed, Karlovy Vary will have to cope without Kulich, to whom they planned to give a lot of space. However, their new coach David Bruk was already counting on the possibility that the talented center would leave before the draft.
At the Sabers farm, Kulich would meet compatriots Lukáš Rousek and Matěj Pekař. Buffalo also holds the rights to another Czech forward, Jakub Konečný, but he is currently playing for Sparta Prague.
