NHL Draft Grades: Buffalo Sabres score passing grade with Jiri Kulich

The Buffalo Sabres again went overseas for the 28th pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, drafting center Jiri Kulich from Czechia.  

The Buffalo Sabres passed the eye test with Jiri Kulich of Czechia’s Energie Karlovy Vary. TCB’s 2022 NHL Draft Guide ranked Kulich one slot ahead of, you guessed it, Noah Ostlund, at number 23. So since the Sabres snagged Kulich at 28th overall, the pick provided good value.

One knock on Kulich is that he has not produced eye-popping numbers since 2019-20, when he played with Pirati Chomutov U17 in 2019-20, in which he scored 39 points, 23 goals, and 16 assists in 19 contests.

However, he didn’t look half-bad playing his first season in Czechia’s pro league, finishing with 14 points, nine goals, and five assists in 49 games. He followed that up with a stellar performance in six games for the World U18 Junior Tournament, where he scored 11 points and nine goals.

The Buffalo Sabres grade out well after drafting Jiri Kulich 28th overall

I’m not going to wildly praise this pick, as Kulich is a definite work in progress, but he’s further ahead than Ostlund. One reason behind Kulich’s status as a late, and not a mid first-round pick is likely because he didn’t produce elite numbers until the World U18 Junior Tournament.

Kulich is a versatile player known for his ability to exploit weaknesses in his opponents when he enters the offensive zone. He also has arguably one of the most accurate shots in the 2022 draft class, and he follows it up with adding a powerful punch and technique. This makes Kulich a go-to option deep in the offensive zone if he can get open.

He does need to open up his game, as displayed by his inconsistent numbers in recent seasons. But then again, he was moderately productive in Year One of his first season in the Czech Extraliga.

This was a potential-based pick that would have been a reach had the Sabres grabbed him at 16th overall. But they stood pat and ended up with a selection whose upside is among the best in this season’s draft. Overall, I’m not too thrilled with the pick, but I’m not upset with it. Grade: B –

(Statistics provided by Elite Prospects)

Jiri Kulich’s breakdown was made possible by the 2022 TCB NHL Draft Guide.