ROCHESTER – Americans center Jiri Kulich has returned to where he starred for two seasons as a more accomplished and mature player.
When the Buffalo Sabres assigned him to the AHL for a four-game stint in early November, they had just spent a month easing him into the lineup, playing the neophyte at the wing and occasionally scratching him.
Kulich, who will play for the Amerks in tonight’s opener of the Calder Cup Playoffs at Blue Cross Arena, finished the NHL season centering the Sabres’ top line alongside leading scorer Tage Thompson and regularly playing 18 or 19 minutes per game.
The 15 goals and 24 points Kulich scored in 62 contests as a rookie with the Sabres illustrate just one part of his development. As their No. 1 pivot, coach Lindy Ruff often awarded him the most difficult checking assignments, making him shadow the opponent’s best scorers.
As the season progressed, Ruff saw how well Kulich, 21, skated in the middle, how he processed the game at a high level and how Thompson produced alongside him.
“The match-up against top lines, which most coaches would be scared to play a young guy against top lines, his defensive reads and what he was doing defensively, made it a match-up that I actually think started making us better on the road,” Ruff said Saturday during his end-of-season media availability in KeyBank Center. “I could play them against other teams’ top lines and the production was still there on the offensive side.
“So he basically made the decision for me, like, just with the way he played, how effective he was being.”
Kulich, the 28th overall pick in 2022, has almost certainly cemented a spot with the Sabres. Still, they had the option of sending the Czech to the Amerks for the postseason, so they took it.
He wants to embrace what are likely his final days in Rochester.
“Yeah, I was thinking about it and, yeah, that’s why I’m so excited,” he said following Thursday’s practice of his AHL career ending. “I enjoy it, gonna have fun, be with the boys all the time.”
Why send him to the minors after a long NHL season? Remember, he battled some injuries, including a concussion. If they want him to keep playing, why not send him to represent Czechia at the upcoming World Championship?
“There was a chance for him … to play in the Worlds, which would have been a great option as well,” Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said Saturday. “But when I really kind of thought this through, I mean, he’s (21) years old, and I feel that Rochester has a really good team and an opportunity to do something really special. …
“I also think if there’s a chance to win a championship and they go down and have success, I think that would be great for Jiri’s development.”
Ruff said the AHL postseason resembles the NHL more than the World Championship.
“I’ve been at a lot of World Championships, and there’s good hockey,” he said. “But sometimes you get on the big ice and it’s not near as intense as physical as what you would face here. I think this prepares him.”
Kulich said he was ready for either option.
“I love everyone in this room, so it just makes it easier,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun with those guys and, yeah, I grew up here with them.”
Kulich, who scored 51 goals for the Amerks in his first two seasons, will be front and center throughout their best-of-five AHL North Division semifinal series against the Syracuse Crunch.
The Amerks compiled a 44-22-5-3 record and 92 points without Kulich for most of the season. How much better could he make them?
He scored seven goals in 12 postseason games two years ago as a rookie before dropping to zero in five outings last season as Syracuse defeated Rochester.
“This is his last chance, and for him, it’s a great learning experience to be the guy that is basically going to be under the spotlight,” Amerks assistant coach Vinny Prospal said. “The other teams are going to have to worry about him … because he’s a legit threat, and he should prove to everybody that basically the experience that he’s gained throughout this year in the NHL level is going to translate to him at the lower level here to be a top dog.”
Leone said Kulich built his foundation as a player in Rochester.
“The season that he had, the camaraderie with the guys and realizing the opportunity we have … benefits him in his long-term development, for him to ultimately play more games in the middle,” he said. “And not just for us, but I think the long-term for him to be ready to go to play top six next year in the NHL.”