[Buffalo News] Jiri Kulich must ‘tear up the league’ with Amerks before his Sabres call comes
July 31, 2024
[Buffalo News] Jiri Kulich must ‘tear up the league’ with Amerks before his Sabres call comes
2 comments
> Kulich’s exhaustive, up-and-down year ended with Rochester’s loss that night, but the Sabres’ batch of roster moves over the past five weeks suggest that the talented forward isn’t done in the AHL.
>There doesn’t appear to be a spot on the Sabres’ roster for Kulich after they added Ryan McLeod, Jason Zucker, Sam Lafferty, Beck Malenstyn and Nicolas Aube-Kubel. However, general manager Kevyn Adams and associate general manager Jason Karmanos ensured this offseason that every prospect in Rochester, including Kulich, is surrounded by enough talent to develop into an NHL player.
> The makeup of the Amerks’ forward group changed significantly when the Sabres sent 2022 first-round draft pick Matt Savoie to the Edmonton Oilers for McLeod. Savoie, 20, would have played a prominent role in Rochester, though the center was expected to shift to right wing, given the club’s depth down the middle.
>Savoie’s spot may be taken by the prospect acquired in that deal, Tyler Tullio, who has 22 goals in 117 AHL games. Tullio, 22, was a fifth-round draft pick in 2020, but he’ll face competition for ice time and opportunity based on the number of forwards expected to be in Rochester.
>He’ll have to carve out a role among a group of forwards that may include Kulich, Rosen, Murray, Dunne, Jobst, 2023 second-round draft pick Anton Wahlberg, Tyson Kozak, 2024 first-round draft pick Konsta Helenius, Viktor Neuchev, 2022 first-round draft pick Noah Ostlund, Aleksandr Kisakov and Lukas Rousek. The latter will need to clear waivers to join the Amerks if he does not make the Sabres’ roster.
> Former Amerks coach Seth Appert, now an assistant on the Sabres’ staff, lauded Rosen, 21, for his mature two-way game and considered him to be his best all-around forward during the regular season. Rosen had 20 goals and 50 points in 67 games, despite a scoring drought that occurred once he returned from his stint in Buffalo, with whom he appeared in seven games. The winger has the speed, defensive instincts and and a left-handed shot to contribute in the NHL, but it is unclear whether he is physically ready for the assignment.
>There is no question that Kulich has the physical tools to play in the league now. He was built like an NHL player when the Sabres drafted him 28th overall in 2022, and he has had historic production as a teenager in Rochester. Buffalo needs Kulich to continue to improve away from the puck. He made strides defensively last season. However, he is still learning how detailed a center must be to excel. Kulich was on the ice for multiple faceoff goals against in the playoff series against Syracuse.
>It is also important for Kulich to bounce back from a challenging season in which he was physically and mentally worn down by a brief stint with the Sabres and a long trip across the globe to captain Czechia at the IIHF World Junior Championship. Kulich had only three goals in 21 games after returning to the Amerks in January.
>Some in the organization view Kulich as a future NHL center, though his ability to play and score from the wing will increase his odds to earn a spot with the Sabres sooner, rather than later. He and Rosen likely will be with the Sabres when they travel to Europe, where they’ll play an exhibition game in Germany before cutting their roster and opening the season in Kulich’s home country, Czechia, on Oct. 4.
>”He has to learn to be more consistent,” Vinny Prospal, the Amerks’ assistant coach for the forwards, said of Kulich at Sabres development camp last month. “He’s a great kid. He’s a great player at that level, but he needs to remain and be consistent. He needs to tear up the league a little bit down there to show that he’s an NHL hockey player.
>”He has great skating ability. He’s got a great shot. There just cannot be dips in his play. … Kuli made tremendous strides in his two-way game. When he wasn’t scoring, he was doing all the little things on the D side. …. Is he an NHL player right now? I don’t know. Maybe he’ll come in here, tear it up and grab a spot.”
2 comments
> Kulich’s exhaustive, up-and-down year ended with Rochester’s loss that night, but the Sabres’ batch of roster moves over the past five weeks suggest that the talented forward isn’t done in the AHL.
>There doesn’t appear to be a spot on the Sabres’ roster for Kulich after they added Ryan McLeod, Jason Zucker, Sam Lafferty, Beck Malenstyn and Nicolas Aube-Kubel. However, general manager Kevyn Adams and associate general manager Jason Karmanos ensured this offseason that every prospect in Rochester, including Kulich, is surrounded by enough talent to develop into an NHL player.
> The makeup of the Amerks’ forward group changed significantly when the Sabres sent 2022 first-round draft pick Matt Savoie to the Edmonton Oilers for McLeod. Savoie, 20, would have played a prominent role in Rochester, though the center was expected to shift to right wing, given the club’s depth down the middle.
>Savoie’s spot may be taken by the prospect acquired in that deal, Tyler Tullio, who has 22 goals in 117 AHL games. Tullio, 22, was a fifth-round draft pick in 2020, but he’ll face competition for ice time and opportunity based on the number of forwards expected to be in Rochester.
>He’ll have to carve out a role among a group of forwards that may include Kulich, Rosen, Murray, Dunne, Jobst, 2023 second-round draft pick Anton Wahlberg, Tyson Kozak, 2024 first-round draft pick Konsta Helenius, Viktor Neuchev, 2022 first-round draft pick Noah Ostlund, Aleksandr Kisakov and Lukas Rousek. The latter will need to clear waivers to join the Amerks if he does not make the Sabres’ roster.
> Former Amerks coach Seth Appert, now an assistant on the Sabres’ staff, lauded Rosen, 21, for his mature two-way game and considered him to be his best all-around forward during the regular season. Rosen had 20 goals and 50 points in 67 games, despite a scoring drought that occurred once he returned from his stint in Buffalo, with whom he appeared in seven games. The winger has the speed, defensive instincts and and a left-handed shot to contribute in the NHL, but it is unclear whether he is physically ready for the assignment.
>There is no question that Kulich has the physical tools to play in the league now. He was built like an NHL player when the Sabres drafted him 28th overall in 2022, and he has had historic production as a teenager in Rochester. Buffalo needs Kulich to continue to improve away from the puck. He made strides defensively last season. However, he is still learning how detailed a center must be to excel. Kulich was on the ice for multiple faceoff goals against in the playoff series against Syracuse.
>It is also important for Kulich to bounce back from a challenging season in which he was physically and mentally worn down by a brief stint with the Sabres and a long trip across the globe to captain Czechia at the IIHF World Junior Championship. Kulich had only three goals in 21 games after returning to the Amerks in January.
>Some in the organization view Kulich as a future NHL center, though his ability to play and score from the wing will increase his odds to earn a spot with the Sabres sooner, rather than later. He and Rosen likely will be with the Sabres when they travel to Europe, where they’ll play an exhibition game in Germany before cutting their roster and opening the season in Kulich’s home country, Czechia, on Oct. 4.
>”He has to learn to be more consistent,” Vinny Prospal, the Amerks’ assistant coach for the forwards, said of Kulich at Sabres development camp last month. “He’s a great kid. He’s a great player at that level, but he needs to remain and be consistent. He needs to tear up the league a little bit down there to show that he’s an NHL hockey player.
>”He has great skating ability. He’s got a great shot. There just cannot be dips in his play. … Kuli made tremendous strides in his two-way game. When he wasn’t scoring, he was doing all the little things on the D side. …. Is he an NHL player right now? I don’t know. Maybe he’ll come in here, tear it up and grab a spot.”
Would rather see jiri up than benson on the 1W