Is Kulich’s Path To The NHL On The Wing Or Up The Middle?
20-year-old forward played mostly center and scored 27 goals with Rochester
Is Kulich’s Path To The NHL On The Wing Or Up The Middle?The Buffalo Sabres are looking for some growth from their young prospect group next season to fill some of the gaps that GM Kevyn Adams may not be able to fill in free agency or in the trade market. The Sabres have shored up their forward depth with the trades for Ryan McLeod and Beck Malenstyn, and the signings of Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Jason Zucker, and Sam Lafferty, but the club is still looking for a top-six replacement for Jeff Skinner.
Zach Benson (who scored 11 goals as an 18-year-old rookie last season) is one possible option, as is the veteran Zucker, who scored 27 goals on the left side with Pittsburgh two years ago, but another option could be forward Jiri Kulich. The 2022 28th overall pick was a scoring star for Czechia in three straight World Junior Championships and scored more than 20 goals for AHL Rochester in each of the last two seasons.
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After playing mostly center for the Amerks last season, Kulich’s quickest path to the NHL may be playing the wing, and his offensive ability may translate well to the Sabres top-six. Former NHLer and Rochester assistant coach Vaclav Prospal believes that the talented Czech’s best position is up the middle, but believes he has the versatility to play either position.
“(Kulich has) great skating ability, he's got a great shot, there just cannot be dips in his play. He’s made tremendous strides in his two-way game. When he was not scoring, he was doing all the little things even on the (defensive) side and that's a credit to him." Prospal said during last week's Development Camp. "The best thing for him is that he can play both positions and be a little bit more versatile. (That) gives the coaches an opportunity to play him at center and play him on the wing."
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