Filip Chytil is fully embracing his next chapter with the Canucks.
The New York Rangers traded Filip Chytil to the Vancouver Canucks on Friday night as it’s been a hectic couple of days for the young forward.
Chytil was in Boston with the Rangers, watching a movie in his hotel room when he found out about the trade.
“I was just watching Czech TV and it was Harry Potter in that moment, you know?” Chytil said via David Wagner. “So, I was watching Harry Potter and getting ready for the game the next day in Boston. I just had to turn off my TV and then I was focusing on other things.”
While there was an element of surprise for Chytil, a sense of happiness waived over him and he quickly became eager to start his next chapter in Vancouver.
“I had no idea. I was just sitting there and in the moment, I was very happy,” Chytil said. “Sometimes it’s a shock — of course, it’s a first for me that I’m moving to a different team — but honestly, I was very excited about it.”
In his first game with the Canucks on Sunday night against the Detroit Red Wings, Chytil scored a goal while recording a total of 20:03 minutes.
The 25-year-old has been through a lot over the course of his career, so scoring his first goal as a Canuck brought over a lot of emotions for him, which yu could see in his exuberant celebration.
“It meant a lot of to me,” Chytil said about his goal. “In that moment, so many emotions in my head. I want to build on that and keep working hard every day.”
Chytil is already playing a top-six role with the Canucks. He should see a drastic increase in usage compared to his days in New York where he mainly played third-line minutes.
While he may not have necessarily needed it, Chytil gets a fresh start in Vancouver and he seems to be fully embracing it.