MONTREAL – Kevyn Adams and his staff went to a familiar area of Europe to add another intriguing talent to the Buffalo Sabres’ pipeline.
Rounding out the first round of the NHL Draft for Buffalo, here are five things to know about the Sabres No. 28 overall pick, center Jiri Kulich.
With the No. 28 pick in the first round of the NHL draft Thursday night, the Sabres selected center Jiri Kulich of Czech Republic’s top professional league. Kulich, who is listed at 5-foot-11, 178 pounds, showcased his talent against his peers at the IIHF Under-18 World Championship with a tournament-best nine goals in six games.
Kulich follows in the footsteps of recent Sabres draft picks from Czech Republic, most recently Lukas Rousek in 2019 and Jakub Konecny in 2020. Kulich was ranked as the No. 13 international skater in the class by NHL Central Scouting, moving up nine slots from his mid-season ranking because of the performance at the Under-18 world championship.
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Playing against older, stronger men, Kulich delivered nine goals and 14 points in 49 regular-season games in Czech Republic’s top professional league. He can play center or wing.
Previously, Buffalo drafted forwards Matthew Savoie and Noah Ostlund at picks 9 and 16, respectively.
