Prospect Info: C/W Jiri Kulich, 28th Overall, 2022 NHL Draft; recalled 11/25/23, assigned 11/29/23

[LastWordArmy]

Czechia forward Jiri Kulich had a real coming-out party at the recent IIHF Under-18 World Championships, leading the tournament in goals. He was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, part of the Tournament All-Star Team, and a top-three player on the Czechia team. Overall Kulich scored nine goals and two assists for 11 points in six tournament games, as the Czechia team finished fourth in the tourney. He also played for his country at the World Junior Championships and had one assist in two games before the tournament was cancelled/postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak.

Jiri Kulich Scouting Report: 2022 NHL Draft #26

Jiri Kulich Scouting Report: Czechia forward Jiri Kulich had a coming-out party at the Under-18 Worlds, leading the tournament in goals.

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[Zman5778]

From Wheeler:

22. Jiri Kulich — C/LW/RW, HC Energie Karlovy Vary, six-feet​

Kulich’s MVP performance at U18 worlds answered (emphatically) questions about whether he was a first- or second-rounder, impressing scouts with his like-clockwork one-timer on the power play. Kulich is a sturdy, driven player who can morph his game to his role and function as the detail-oriented, above-puck defender who makes quick plays and stays on pucks, can play off of talented linemates to free his dangerous shooting arsenal up, or can carry the puck and function as the primary handler on a line. I like his positioning off the puck. I like his the balance and control of his skating stride. I like how quickly and hard shots come off of his stick (not just with his one-timer but through a deceptive early release point). He’s got quick hands and flashes skill one-on-one. He’s got good feel around the net. He plays hard. He can play all three forward positions. There’s a lot to like about his makeup.

 

[Zman5778]

From Pronman:

20. Jiri Kulich, C, Karlovy Vary (CZREP)

Apr. 14, 2004 | 5′ 11.5″ | 172 pounds | Shoots left

Tier: Projected middle of the lineup player

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Player comparable: Ross Colton

Background: Kulich got a regular shift vs. pros in Czechia this season with power-play time. He captained their U18 team and made their world junior team in a notable role. He led the U18 world championships in goals and was named MVP of the tournament.

Analysis: Kulich is a well-rounded prospect. He has a fluid, powerful skating stride that can generate clean entries and beat defenders wide. He has slick 1v1 skills and combined with his speed is a threat off the rush. He can make plays but is more of a threat when he’s in motion than picking apart defenses as a playmaker. Kulich has a great shot, showing a one-timer and wrist shot threat from range. Kulich doesn’t show fear from attacking the net or taking a hit to make a play. He projects as a top nine forward, whether at wing or center with the potential to play higher in a lineup.

 

[Chainshot]

Black Book had him at 21:

Jiri Kulich is a high octane, two-way center, who relies on his impressive skating ability to back up opposing defenses. When evaluating his game to game performances to previously drafted Jan Mysak’s, where they both played in Extraliga, Kulich came out on top at the same age.

His game is predicated off his skating and high motor package. What’s interesting about his development curve, is that when he came into the year, we felt he was behind in his physical development. There was a lack of high grade coordination, depending on the play he was required to make, and he didn’t have a lot of mass on his frame. This worked against him, destabilizing him when he would attempt to launch himself from a stand-still position. When looking at Kulich’s starts from a standstill, he was a bit unstable as a result of not having physically developed yet. An unstable skating base can make him appear a bit sloppier, it also decreases the total length of a stride, since the prospect needs to physically compensate.

This forced Kulich to rely heavily on his linear crossovers to gain power. He has refined footwork and technical crossover mechanics, so it wasn’t an issue. When you merge them into his inherent fast twitch, it leads to incredibly explosive skating. By the end of the year, when he started to fill out and stabilize his overall base, he became a far more assertive player offensively as a result of his improved power skating, which didn’t hurt him en route to his dominant U18 performance.

More from BB:

The other part that we feel was responsible for his increase in goal scoring output, goes back to his coordination. Throughout the season Kulich had only moderate success relative to the U18’s, when shooting from his wheelhouse in stationary positions, or when incorporating his catch and release off of lateral passes while in motion. He was much less reliant on his slapshot, and sometimes had a delay within his release as a result of lacking an explosive core rotation. Fast forward to the 2nd-half of the season, and as his body caught up to his skillset. We started seeing a different projection within his scoring upside. His wheelhouse became a weapon, which some of you have probably viewed at the U18’s, and his shot quality in general went up a grade. By relying less on his catch and release, and developing his one timer, it amplified how dangerous Kulich can be on the power play, and it enhanced his overall shot selection, and shot quality. He’s more than just a scorer though.

Please read this -

If there is one sentence to characterize Kulich’s game, it’s that he’s all over the puck. When breaking down that sentence, we’re referring to a player who is relentless in puck pursuits, while adhering to smart, rigorous tracking. He’s dominant in loose puck races, maintains an overwhelming pace that generates additional pressure on the forecheck that makes defenders more susceptible to making mistakes during retrievals, and he attacks in waves utilizing his speed to force defenseman to exhaust themselves, during transitional assignments against him.

 

[GettingYourMoms]

Czech here. Hope he is not another Mysak.

 

[Rastin]

Really like this prospect, but feel like we needed to go D here. Chesley specificaly,

 

[Chainshot]

From EP, who had him at 21 -

The scouting community's expectations couldn't have been much higher for Jiří Kulich coming into the year. A draftminus-one season with some time spent in the Czech professional circuit, a strong showing at the U17s, and a roster spot at the U18s in Texas had him planted firmly on our radar. It took Kulich some time to find his game and live up to the hype, though. He started the scouting season off with a just-okay showing at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, and he didn't exactly look like much of a difference-maker in his first few months of Extraliga tape, even if the points were coming at a high-end clip. Mostly, we saw someone who projected as a bottom-six support player at the NHL level when we watched Kulich. There was a pressure game built on strong forechecking, diligent backchecking, and a motor that never stopped running, but little in the way of separating skill that would augur high-end production in the big leagues.

"Kulich's non-stop scanning and situational awareness during the game was just amazing, and the fact that he was so responsible and effective defensively against such skilled Canadien players definitely increases his value," Elite Prospects Czechia and Slovakia regional scout Marek Novotný wrote in a game report from the World Juniors. "He didn’t give opponents much time to make a decision." If anything, Kulich's interior-driven, contact-seeking style seemed best suited to picking up the occasional goal at the net-front, sending home rebounds and loose pucks from just outside the blue paint.

Perhaps most encouraging of all was the development of an off-puck game as a shooter. Kulich was starting to find soft ice away from the play and create chances to leverage his high-end shot to greater effect rather than standing at the net-front and hoping for deflections. By the time the U18s rolled around, Kulich had perfected the art. And by the time the U18s had finished, the Czech forward had used his cannon of a shot to score nine goals in six contests en route to tournament MVP honours.

 

[Fjordy]

I like this choice, seems like a good player

 

[UnleashRasmus]

Good shot, and shot selection from what I watched. I won't lie, not a ton of tape watching, but he's got skill, and a shot.

 

[Chainshot]

Ranked #21 by CONSOLIDATED RANKING
Ranked #29 by ELITEPROSPECTS.COM
Ranked #27 by FCHOCKEY
Ranked #18 by TSN/BOB McKENZIE
Ranked #15 by MCKEEN'S HOCKEY
Ranked #14 by TSN/CRAIG BUTTON
Ranked #13 by NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING (EU Skaters)
Ranked #30 by SPORTSNET
Ranked #15 by ISS HOCKEY
Ranked #22 by RECRUIT SCOUTING
Ranked #32 by DOBBERPROSPECTS
Ranked #15 by DRAFT PROSPECTS HOCKEY
Ranked #15 by SMAHT SCOUTING
Ranked #30 by THE PUCK AUTHORITY

Bob had him at 18 and almost no service had him lower than 30.

 

[Dingo44]

 

[yasky]

Jack of all trades with a nasty shot.

 

[tsujimoto74]

Very solid value where we got him, I think. You can never have too many puck hounds.

 

[EichHart]

 

[Chainshot]

View attachment 566033

That jaw line is going to make some fans weak in the knees.

 

[Reddawg]

I'm going to have to do some scouting, I literally know nothing about this player but seeing his rankings makes it seem okay for where he landed. I'll take a tenacious forechecker who's tough to play against and has a lot of scoring touch, seems like that sums him up from limited reading.

That jaw line is going to make some fans weak in the knees.

Haha, he looks like a young Tom Hardy now that you mention it.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

That jaw line is going to make some fans weak in the knees.

Sounds like it has already made one of them weak

 

[Paxon]

That jaw line is going to make some fans weak in the knees.

Lookin like Luther from Umbrella Academy

 

[ValJamesDuex]

Kulich Analytics rated very highly, this might of been a Ventura pick

That shot looks like it could become elite

Versatile enough to project to Wing

 

[StlSwedes]

Analytics-driven draft from GMKA. Such a breath of fresh air to draft guys (where I go, wait who?) and then hear the professionals gush about how much they like a player and how this is a steal, etc. Sure beats the Alex Nylander days and drafting the flashy player with red flags, or drafting the sure-fire 'grinder' in the 1st round.

 

[buffalowing88]

View attachment 566033

I always like a prospect who's competing against grown professionals and doing well as a teenager. That says a ton about his compete and physicality. This is probably my favorite pick so far.

 

[HaNotsri]

Seems like he progressed a lot over the season, Sabres might be looking at that as a big factor.

 

[Ace]

I feel like the literal hundreds of hours I put into this hobby the last month have paid off because I get to talk about Jiri Kulich. I adore this player. He was the guy I kept including at 16 for a reason. The more I watched him and the more I dug into him the more and more I couldn’t find the flaw. He is relentless. He is smart. He is a great skater. He has very good skill. He’s as solid and projectable to the next level as you would find at 16 and we got him at 28.

Then he played his peers and I saw him dominate. Absolutely dominate.

I would have loved him at 16. He would have been my pick at 16.

Without hyperbole I tell you that at 28 this is my favorite Sabre pick in forever.

 

[Zman5778]

 

[Irie]

I feel like the literal hundreds of hours I put into this hobby the last month have paid off because I get to talk about Jiri Kulich. I adore this player. He was the guy I kept including at 16 for a reason. The more I watched him and the more I dug into him the more and more I couldn’t find the flaw. He is relentless. He is smart. He is a great skater. He has very good skill. He’s as solid and projectable to the next level as you would find at 16 and we got him at 28.

Then he played his peers and I saw him dominate. Absolutely dominate.

I would have loved him at 16. He would have been my pick at 16.

Without hyperbole I tell you that at 28 this is my favorite Sabre pick in forever.

At 28 I agree and think he was a steal.

I wasn't a fan of the 16 pick, I felt Adams drafted the wrong Swede who's name started with O.

But Kulich made me feel much better about the draft.

I found that if I imagine it went:

9.) Savoie
16.) Kulich
28.) Ostlund

I feel pretty good.