Sidebar: Jiri Kulich and his 18yr old AHL season

[dudacek]

38 minutes ago, French Collection said:

I really admire his drive to succeed. Moving to North America with limited English skills to play vs men at 18. I know he played vs men last year in Czechia but this is a whole other world.

This times 1,000.

I don't think the fans fully grasp the mental health aspect of situations like that.

The guy I worry about is Kisakov, who seems less skilled than Kulich in the language area, and unlike Kulich doesn't have a countryman like Rousek to lean on.

Throw in the political turmoil his homeland is embroiled in and his lack of success on the ice, and that is a recipe for issues. It's no surprise to me that Mogilny developed a fear of flying.

I hope the Sabres are taking care of that kid.

Edited March 27, 2023 by dudacek

[GASabresIUFAN]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

Just for the record since we tend to get caught up in how well Kulich is doing for a 18-year-old.

He’s 8th among goals for rookies and 17th for points.

Overall, he’s 41st in goals and 95th in points.

He’s a top 6 AHL player, but he’s not a dominant one. And he’s clearly at least a step behind where Peterka was a year ago and 2 below Quinn.

I don’t think anyone should be pencilling him into the NHL roster in October.

All good points.  Even by AHL standards he is having a very good but not great season as an 18 year old. https://www.quanthockey.com/ahl/en/player-age/18-year-old-ahl-players.html.  Kulich is 2nd all-time so far in total points for an 18 year old, but his pts per game played of .727 are significantly behind Pastrank’s 1.12.  Perfetti and M Nylander all had better pts/gp than Kulich as 18 year olds in the A.  I think Perfetti is a pretty good proxy for Kulich. Cole has 30 pts in 51 NHL games this year at 20.

Leave Kulich in the A another year and see how he grows.  

[French Collection]

11 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

All good points.  Even by AHL standards he is having a very good but not great season as an 18 year old. https://www.quanthockey.com/ahl/en/player-age/18-year-old-ahl-players.html.  Kulich is 2nd all-time so far in total points for an 18 year old, but his pts per game played of .727 are significantly behind Pastrank’s 1.12.  Perfetti and M Nylander all had better pts/gp than Kulich as 18 year olds in the A.  I think Perfetti is a pretty good proxy for Kulich. Cole has 30 pts in 51 NHL games this year at 20.

Leave Kulich in the A another year and see how he grows.  

Good comparables.

Similarly sized winger/centre skilled players. Kulich is a bit behind their production but in the ballpark. Perfetti is a January birthday so he turned 19 midway through his season.

Pastrnak would be the only one to have similar language/culture issues but his English was probably better having played a few years in Sweden.

I hope Kulich is grittier than Nylander and Perfetti. Those pretty boys don’t like to mess their hair.

[pi2000]

3 hours ago, dudacek said:

Just for the record since we tend to get caught up in how well Kulich is doing for a 18-year-old.

He’s 8th among goals for rookies and 17th for points.

Overall, he’s 41st in goals and 95th in points.

He’s a top 6 AHL player, but he’s not a dominant one. And he’s clearly at least a step behind where Peterka was a year ago and 2 below Quinn.

I don’t think anyone should be pencilling him into the NHL roster in October.

This is true, however he did have a slow start to the season.   

Over his last 26 games he has 14g 9a for 23 points... 0.88 pt/g, which would put him 1st amongst rookies and 30th overall in pt/g for players who've played 50 games or more.   That's exceptional for an 18 y/o.  

[dudacek]

3 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

This is true, however he did have a slow start to the season.   

Over his last 26 games he has 14g 9a for 23 points... 0.88 pt/g, which would put him 1st amongst rookies and 30th overall in pt/g for players who've played 50 games or more.   That's exceptional for an 18 y/o.  

It absolutely is.

 

[JohnC]

5 hours ago, French Collection said:

I would like to see him play another AHL season with some glimpses at the NHL level. The Red Wings model of prospects marinating in the AHL was very successful.

But, if this kid can play a bit of defensive hockey, battle along the boards to get the puck out, win a battle in the corners to gain possession and carry the puck through the neutral zone he may be better than VO. I think most people are done with VO and he could be moved for something they need.

Kulich may end up pushing JJP down the lineup. I hope the AHL guys develop him more as a well rounded forward than just a perimeter shooter like VO.

I see things a little differently about your comment about JJP being pushed down. I see this line remaining in tact and becoming a very effective 2nd line. As it is currently constituted it is going to get better and better. 

[Taro T]

3 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I see things a little differently about your comment about JJP being pushed down. I see this line remaining in tact and becoming a very effective 2nd line. As it is currently constituted it is going to get better and better. 

Except for the handful of times that Granato went for the really few NHL games played Kids Line and a couple other 1 offs, at 5v5 when Peterka has been in the lineup he's been stapled to Cozen's wing.  The normal Kids Line is pencilled in as a thing moving forward.  Somebody will have to beat one of them out to break it up in the near term.

[Nitro60]

Add muscle and bulk.  He is skilled to play in the NHL but other teams will take liberties.  Give him a year and bring him up.  

[JohnC]

31 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Except for the handful of times that Granato went for the really few NHL games played Kids Line and a couple other 1 offs, at 5v5 when Peterka has been in the lineup he's been stapled to Cozen's wing.  The normal Kids Line is pencilled in as a thing moving forward.  Somebody will have to beat one of them out to break it up in the near term.

I agree with what you are saying. To add to it, I see this line growing together. The more they play together the more cohesive and productive this line will become. The blind pass that Quinn made to Cozens for a score had a lot to do with each player anticipating where the other would be. The issue for me isn't so much one player outplaying another and replacing the player. If another prospect shines, the coach will find a way to play him somewhere whether on that line or another. And it is evident in this grinding and punishing sport that it is an imperative to have to have depth along the roster to move players in and out of different lines and pairings. Needless to say, having more talent is better than having less talent. 

[FrenchConnection44]

18 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

We can keep him down all next year with an occasional callup. He's basically a touch ahead of Quinn's 15 game pace in his first AHL season and far below his AHL season last year. Kulich can hang out another year in the AHL. 

 

16 hours ago, dudacek said:

Just for the record since we tend to get caught up in how well Kulich is doing for a 18-year-old.

He’s 8th among goals for rookies and 17th for points.

Overall, he’s 41st in goals and 95th in points.

He’s a top 6 AHL player, but he’s not a dominant one. And he’s clearly at least a step behind where Peterka was a year ago and 2 below Quinn.

I don’t think anyone should be pencilling him into the NHL roster in October.

The proof of the pudding is always in the eating … and will be next year. Either he continues his development and impresses enough - and the team needs it - to be called up or he won’t. And part of it could be a numbers game but that will also depend on how well, say, JJP et al develop. 

But I’m not seeing how some of these  comps are altogether accurate when one looks inside the numbers. 

“A touch ahead of Quinn’s 15 game pace his first season with the Amerks?”

Quinn had 2 goals in 15 games. Kulich has 21 in 55. Seems to me that’s more than a touch ahead. (.13 to .38 per game)

But more to the point is how well Kulich has progressed … as opposed to his overall numbers. He had 7 goals in his first 32 games. Nothing special but very good for his age (it might be accurate to say that was a touch ahead of Quinn’s first yr with the Amerks but it’s still 7 in 32 to a pace of 4 in 30). 

But in his last 21 games, he has 14 goals. Which, though only 21 games, is a better pace (.67) than Quinn (.53) last year or certainly JJP (.40). And Kulich is still 18. And hardly spoke English at the start of the year. Whereas Quinn was 20 all last season. JJP turned 20 mid season last year.

Given that, I would not exactly label that, “clearly at least a step behind where Peterka was a year ago and 2 below Quinn.” His overall goal pace is equal to JJPs last year, better this last half season, but certainly has continued to show significant improvement (as Seth Appert noted, “He gets better every week, he keeps growing his game and his work ethic is very impressive.”)  

His passing game needs to develop as well as his size and those are the elements almost certainly going  to keep him down at the start of next season. But as I said, given how he is progressing in the toughest league outside of the NHL, as an 18 year old, it is going to be tough to keep him down for very long if he continues on the pace he’s been on. I see more and faster upside to him than Quinn (whom I really like) or JJP. 

But, again, the proof of the pudding will be in the eating when he competes at the highest levels. 

 

Edited March 28, 2023 by FrenchConnection44

[North Buffalo]

I like the idea of a third kid line maybe Kulich and Rousek with Mitts... Rousek seems good going to the net... put Savoie in there with Krebs on a speed line with Girgenson, as others have said Sabres need the depth at forward... Trade ok to Minnie and trade Ollie for a D?  Not sure if this happens next year?

Edited March 28, 2023 by North Buffalo

[LGR4GM]

5 hours ago, FrenchConnection44 said:

But I’m not seeing how some of these  comps are altogether accurate when one looks inside the numbers. 

“A touch ahead of Quinn’s 15 game pace his first season with the Amerks?”

Quinn had 2 goals in 15 games. Kulich has 21 in 55. Seems to me that’s more than a touch ahead. (.13 to .38 per game)

But more to the point is how well Kulich has progressed … as opposed to his overall numbers. He had 7 goals in his first 32 games. Nothing special but very good for his age (it might be accurate to say that was a touch ahead of Quinn’s first yr with the Amerks but it’s still 7 in 32 to a pace of 4 in 30). 

But in his last 21 games, he has 14 goals. Which, though only 21 games, is a better pace (.67) than Quinn (.53) last year or certainly JJP (.40). And Kulich is still 18. And hardly spoke English at the start of the year. Whereas Quinn was 20 all last season. JJP turned 20 mid season last year.

Given that, I would not exactly label that, “clearly at least a step behind where Peterka was a year ago and 2 below Quinn.” His overall goal pace is equal to JJPs last year, better this last half season, but certainly has continued to show significant improvement (as Seth Appert noted, “He gets better every week, he keeps growing his game and his work ethic is very impressive.”)  

His passing game needs to develop as well as his size and those are the elements almost certainly going  to keep him down at the start of next season. But as I said, given how he is progressing in the toughest league outside of the NHL, as an 18 year old, it is going to be tough to keep him down for very long if he continues on the pace he’s been on. I see more and faster upside to him than Quinn (whom I really like) or JJP. 

But, again, the proof of the pudding will be in the eating when he competes at the highest levels. 

 

Hi! I'm sorry that you didn't understand what I was saying but I will write it out in detail. 

Jack Quinn had 9pts in 15 games

Jiri Kulich has 40 in 55 games

That means Quinn played at a .6ppg pace in his 15 game injury season (he had a groin injury)

That means that Kulich 0.73ppg is just ahead of what Quinn did. 

See how that works? Further you even did my work for me, Kulich had 7g in his first 32 games which shockingly falls really close in line with what we saw from injured Quinn in his first 15 games.

In addition you have completely ignored Kulich's assist total which seems at odds considering that his playmaking is exactly why I would leave him in Rochester another yr. You even note that his passing needs work. That is because Kulich lacks deception and timing still. We already know he can score on breakways and from the Olofsson spot on the pp, but his overall game and his playmaking is half of what Quinn was bringing to the AHL. There is a big reason that Kulich has half as many assists as Quinn did. Quinn had 1.356ppg last year in the AHL whereas Kulich is rocking a 0.73ppg this year in the AHL. That's almost exactly half of what Quinn did. SO no, Jiri Kulich is not on the same level as Jack Quinn and is not ready to jump to the NHL yet. 

Finally, you say that you see more upside to Kulich compared to Quinn. That is mindboggling to me if I am being honest. Kulich is good but there are layers to Jack Quinn's game that I have never seen from Kulich. Maybe he develops them but right now the higher level functions of Quinn's game (preparing space, deception, passing, and positional iq) are not as readily apparent in Kulich. This is again another reason to leave him in Rochester so he can develop these things. 

11 minutes ago, North Buffalo said:

I like the idea of a third kid line maybe Kulich and Rousek with Mitts... Rousek seems good going to the net... put Savoie in there with Krebs on a speed line with Girgenson, as others have said Sabres need the depth at forward... Trade ok to Minnie and trade Ollie for a D?  Not sure if this happens next year?

This team needs to decide if it will add Savoie or Kulich but they shouldn't be adding both next season. 

Edited March 28, 2023 by LGR4GM

[JohnC]

26 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Hi! I'm sorry that you didn't understand what I was saying but I will write it out in detail. 

Jack Quinn had 9pts in 15 games

Jiri Kulich has 40 in 55 games

That means Quinn played at a .6ppg pace in his 15 game injury season (he had a groin injury)

That means that Kulich 0.73ppg is just ahead of what Quinn did. 

See how that works? Further you even did my work for me, Kulich had 7g in his first 32 games which shockingly falls really close in line with what we saw from injured Quinn in his first 15 games.

In addition you have completely ignored Kulich's assist total which seems at odds considering that his playmaking is exactly why I would leave him in Rochester another yr. You even note that his passing needs work. That is because Kulich lacks deception and timing still. We already know he can score on breakways and from the Olofsson spot on the pp, but his overall game and his playmaking is half of what Quinn was bringing to the AHL. There is a big reason that Kulich has half as many assists as Quinn did. Quinn had 1.356ppg last year in the AHL whereas Kulich is rocking a 0.73ppg this year in the AHL. That's almost exactly half of what Quinn did. SO no, Jiri Kulich is not on the same level as Jack Quinn and is not ready to jump to the NHL yet. 

Finally, you say that you see more upside to Kulich compared to Quinn. That is mindboggling to me if I am being honest. Kulich is good but there are layers to Jack Quinn's game that I have never seen from Kulich. Maybe he develops them but right now the higher level functions of Quinn's game (preparing space, deception, passing, and positional iq) are not as readily apparent in Kulich. This is again another reason to leave him in Rochester so he can develop these things. 

This team needs to decide if it will add Savoie or Kulich but they shouldn't be adding both next season. 

If the organization is not allowed to send Savoie to the AHL (hate that rule--there should be exceptions) then it's more likely that Savoie will be added to the NHL club. And because of injuries and ineffective play it wouldn't be surprising if Kulich was called up. 

[North Buffalo]

24 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

This team needs to decide if it will add Savoie or Kulich but they shouldn't be adding both next season. 

You are assuming a lot... growth this summer... what each brings to the table which is very different... does playing at NHL level help or hurt either's growth and finally Sabres needs... I am not saying you are wrong... just that I wouldnt put that line in the sand. If I had to guess and this is just a guess... start with Savoie and see how Kulich starts next season in the A... use him as the first call up... but who knows???  I like Rousek's willingness to go to front of the net... Sabres consistently need this badly... 

[LGR4GM]

22 minutes ago, North Buffalo said:

You are assuming a lot... growth this summer... what each brings to the table which is very different... does playing at NHL level help or hurt either's growth and finally Sabres needs... I am not saying you are wrong... just that I wouldnt put that line in the sand. If I had to guess and this is just a guess... start with Savoie and see how Kulich starts next season in the A... use him as the first call up... but who knows???  I like Rousek's willingness to go to front of the net... Sabres consistently need this badly... 

No that's a hard line in the sand for me. If Savoie and Kulich are both in Buffalo next years, it means that the Sabres didn't effectively supplement their forward group in an effort to make the playoffs in 2024. Jack Quinn is the best case scenario for either of their rookie years and jjp is the more likely scenario for either. We need a veteran forward who can get 35-40pts but is more defensively sound than JJP has been most of the year. It will mean winning 2-4 more games in the first half of the season and probably the same in the 2nd half because there won't be rookie growing pains. 

[inkman]

2 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Hi! I'm sorry that you didn't understand what I was saying but I will write it out in detail. 

Jack Quinn had 9pts in 15 games

Jiri Kulich has 40 in 55 games

That means Quinn played at a .6ppg pace in his 15 game injury season (he had a groin injury)

That means that Kulich 0.73ppg is just ahead of what Quinn did. 

See how that works? Further you even did my work for me, Kulich had 7g in his first 32 games which shockingly falls really close in line with what we saw from injured Quinn in his first 15 games.

In addition you have completely ignored Kulich's assist total which seems at odds considering that his playmaking is exactly why I would leave him in Rochester another yr. You even note that his passing needs work. That is because Kulich lacks deception and timing still. We already know he can score on breakways and from the Olofsson spot on the pp, but his overall game and his playmaking is half of what Quinn was bringing to the AHL. There is a big reason that Kulich has half as many assists as Quinn did. Quinn had 1.356ppg last year in the AHL whereas Kulich is rocking a 0.73ppg this year in the AHL. That's almost exactly half of what Quinn did. SO no, Jiri Kulich is not on the same level as Jack Quinn and is not ready to jump to the NHL yet. 

Finally, you say that you see more upside to Kulich compared to Quinn. That is mindboggling to me if I am being honest. Kulich is good but there are layers to Jack Quinn's game that I have never seen from Kulich. Maybe he develops them but right now the higher level functions of Quinn's game (preparing space, deception, passing, and positional iq) are not as readily apparent in Kulich. This is again another reason to leave him in Rochester so he can develop these things. 

This team needs to decide if it will add Savoie or Kulich but they shouldn't be adding both next season. 

I was hesitant to offer up much on Jiri Kulich until this post.  Currently his game is much more Victor Olofsson than Jack Quinn. Granted, VO played in the AHL at 23 as opposed to Kulich at 18.  So his game can and will grow.  Maybe he becomes Patrick Laine or maybe he can develop into Pasternak.  It’ll be fun to watch but I’m tempering my enthusiasm.  

[K-9]

3 hours ago, North Buffalo said:

I like the idea of a third kid line maybe Kulich and Rousek with Mitts... Rousek seems good going to the net... put Savoie in there with Krebs on a speed line with Girgenson, as others have said Sabres need the depth at forward... Trade ok to Minnie and trade Ollie for a D?  Not sure if this happens next year?

As long as Mitts doesn’t play center in that scenario. 

[Flashsabre]

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0p8YWX3zk1RFW6JmdvhFPxiawwoaNhUSMugAZUAPkoWDekMVtVQ691uW5X4AXgYeZl&id=15106442953

[inkman]

58 minutes ago, K-9 said:

As long as Mitts doesn’t play center in that scenario. 

Honestly, they need to upgrade 37 & 71.  

[inkman]

Nice to see 

 

[Stoner]

What about the lady friend. Very touchy feely.

[French Collection]

1 hour ago, inkman said:

Honestly, they need to upgrade 37 & 71.  

I have been done with VO for a while now.

I can handle doses of Mitts, but only at wing.

[North Buffalo]

31 minutes ago, French Collection said:

I have been done with VO for a while now.

I can handle doses of Mitts, but only at wing.

Mitts at least plays hard gives his all... VO couldnt... never mind... grrr

[inkman]

1 hour ago, North Buffalo said:

Mitts at least plays hard gives his all... VO couldnt... never mind... grrr

I won’t question Casey’s effort but so many times I’m watching him and yelling “What the hell was that” in reference to his on ice decisions.  He’s either lacking confidence (kinda obvious) or he just doesn’t know what to do situationally.  I know this team has pulled off miracles unlocking Tage, Rasmus, Skinner and Tuch but there has to be a time to pull the chord. 

[K-9]

1 hour ago, inkman said:

I won’t question Casey’s effort but so many times I’m watching him and yelling “What the hell was that” in reference to his on ice decisions.  He’s either lacking confidence (kinda obvious) or he just doesn’t know what to do situationally.  I know this team has pulled off miracles unlocking Tage, Rasmus, Skinner and Tuch but there has to be a time to pull the chord. 

When they put him at wing and separated him from VO, Mitts started playing much better. He's just not suited for center, given the decision making issues you pointed out.