1 week Ago
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Vinny Prospal wasn’t expecting this type of season from Jiri Kulich.
The Rochester Americans’ assistant coach saw the work Kulich put in during the AHL season last year. He saw his progress backchecking and limiting mistakes in the defensive zone. But even Prospal didn’t think he’d see Kulich playing as a No.
1 center alongside Tage Thompson at age 20. Advertisement “And he belongs,” Prospal said. Kulich is on the verge of not being a prospect anymore.
He’s part of Buffalo’s NHL plan next season. He’s one of four Sabres players with an on-ice expected goal share above 50 percent at five-on-five this season. He has 14 goals and 22 points in 57 games.
He’s also been a center after starting the season on the wing because Sabres coach Lindy Ruff trusts him in the defensive zone and likes the way his skating opens up plays in the middle of the ice. But his development isn’t finished. During this strong rookie season, the Sabres sent him down to Rochester before the NHL trade deadline as a paper transaction.
That makes him eligible to play for the Amerks during the AHL playoffs. General manager Kevyn Adams said at the deadline the team hadn’t made a firm decision yet but would revisit the conversation at the end of the season. Kulich missed time with a concussion but has been back in the lineup since March 25.
Kulich’s health will be the jumping off point for the conversation about what he does when the season ends. If he’s not dealing with any significant injuries, Adams and the Sabres will have to decide where to send Kulich. He could likely land a spot on Czechia’s team for the World Championship.
But he could also join the Amerks for what could be a long playoff run. “My opinion is he should be here with us, because I want him to be a leader,” said Prospal, a fellow Czech native. “I want him to play 18 to 22 minutes a night as a leader, all important situations, North American hockey.
With all due respect to some of the World Championship teams, is the level as high as here in the playoffs when everyone ramps up?” If Kulich is in Rochester for the playoffs, he’ll be the team’s No. 1 center and one of the players tasked with carrying the Amerks. If he plays for Czechia, it’s unclear whether he would play that same role.
There’s also a different intensity in the AHL playoffs compared to the World Championship. Advertisement “The pressure is on right away,” Prospal said. “That’s what you want your prospects to experience.
He goes back to Europe, he’s playing two exhibition games against Germany, two against Austria, two against Slovakia. That’s six games in two weeks. With all due respect, I think here he can get a little more action on the soil where he’s going to be playing his men’s hockey.
Selfishly, I’ll just say he can play World Championships later in his life when he’s fully developed as a bona fide NHL hockey player.” Prospal also thinks Kulich will have a strong chance to play for Czechia’s Olympic team next February. There’s plenty of time in Kulich’s career for him to represent his country.
Playing in the AHL playoffs is a chance for him to embrace a challenge with a group of players he’s grown up with. Some of these players will be in Buffalo with him before long. Why not give Kulich a taste of playing — and winning — meaningful games? Here are some other notes on a few of Buffalo’s top prospects in Rochester: 1.
Isak Rosen just turned 22, so the 2021 first-round pick is getting close to the point where he needs to show he has what it takes to break through in the NHL. He’s been one of Rochester’s best players this season with 55 points in 58 games. He’s played a total of six NHL games this season after getting into seven games a year ago.
He has zero goals and one assist, and his underlying numbers have been underwhelming. The Sabres have 40 percent of the expected goals and 34 percent of the high-danger chances when he’s on the ice at five-on-five. Of course, it’s a small sample.
The key for Rosen is digesting what he’s seen in his brief NHL action and using it to make his next call-up more productive. “With Rosie, it’s all about mindset in my mind,” Prospal said. “It’s all about a willingness to do the little things on the wall, to engage in these battles a lot more because the offense is there.
The skating ability is there. The offense is good. Now be a driver.
Bring the f— you attitude every game. Say, ‘I just don’t want to be a point guy, be the all-around player so when the Sabres call up to me I’m not a liability in the D-zone or on the wall.’” Advertisement The last two games of Rosen’s recent call-up were arguably his best.
The Sabres had a 16-10 advantage in scoring chances with him on the ice at five-on-five. Prospal wants him to carry that into the final stretch of Rochester’s season and the playoffs. “Don’t settle for the pass,” Prospal said.
“Don’t settle for the easy way out. Be a shooter. When you pass the puck, beat somebody to the blue paint.
” 2. Since the Sabres took Anton Wahlberg with the No. 39 pick in the 2023 draft, his blend of size and skill has been eye-opening at every level.
His first full season in Rochester has been more about learning what it will take to become a consistent pro. Size and skill only take you so far without the work habits and attention to detail on and off the ice. “Last year was a little bit too easy for him because he was playing all the games,” Prospal said.
“I did not like his mindset and commitment to our team when he showed up after the summer. I was very hard on him. I called him lazy.
I didn’t think that he was putting everything on the line for himself and for the good of the team. And then something clicked at the World Juniors. He came back a changed man.
And hats off to him, because now I really like the way that he goes about his business. Is the production there? He would be the first one to tell you he would like to score more. I know he’s pressing.
But his commitment to the team game, his commitment to the preparation, he’s been a good pro. That’s what stands out.” Wahlberg had eight points in seven games playing for Sweden at the World Juniors.
He was a leader for that team. With Rochester, he’s shown the ability to play both center and wing. He’s learning how to use his size to his advantage.
Prospal thinks the World Juniors helped Wahlberg realize he can dominate at this level by getting to the net and overpowering defensemen. He’s as high-end a skater as some of Buffalo’s other prospects, but Prospal views him as a player type that the Sabres don’t have a lot of in the system. “Maybe he’ll need more seasoning and more time, but he’s on the right path right now,” Prospal said.
3. Konsta Helenius is the latest Sabres prospect to jump right into the AHL at 18 years old. The results have been mixed for the 2024 first-rounder.
He had a hat trick over the weekend that helped him snap out of a 13-game goal drought. The Amerks have moved him from center to wing at times this season so he can focus less on faceoffs and the defensive responsibilities at center. He got moved back to center when Noah Ostlund went up to the NHL .
He’s totaled 12 goals and 21 assists in 62 games, but the bigger focus for the Amerks coaching staff has been on Helenius building the right habits on and off the ice. Advertisement “It has been difficult at times. The adjustment for my tastes has not been as smooth.
Lately, it’s been a lot better because maybe the realization is setting in. A lot of these young kids, the 18-year-olds, highly drafted, they are believing in their own way is better,” Prospal said. “I do believe the way Konsta showed up here, maybe he felt he was going to teach us the hockey here.
Now he’s recognizing that has not been the case. His teammates are playing a vital role right now in his development. The coaches have tried to help him, but it has to be both ways.
It is starting to be both ways lately.” Prospal thinks Helenius gets better the more he hits. The move to wing helped him work on board battles, too.
Amerks coach Mike Leone said it’s natural for a player like Helenius to measure himself on points. But the coaching staff is just as focused on him making the right decisions with the puck and protecting the puck. That’s all part of taking coaching.
“Be a complete student,” Prospal said. “Change your attitude in the sense that I will meet you guys halfway. Did I see that all the time? No.
Am I seeing it more now? Yes.” (Top photo of Jiri Kulich: Timothy T. Ludwig / Imagn Images).
