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.
1. He was the IIHF U18 World Championship MVP. Kulich scored a tournament-high nine goals and two assists during Czech's six game run in the championships, including a hat trick against Canada. He also scored two against Team USA, Switzerland and Germany before the Czech team fell in the bronze medal game to Finland, 4-1.
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2. He has experience against older, experienced players. Kulich spent some time this season playing in the Czech Republic's top professional league, Czech Extraliga, scoring nine goals and 14 points across 49 regular season games for the Karlovy Vary to lead all junior-aged players in the league for points.
3. He's the No. 13 international skater for Central Scouting. After being ranked No. 22 midway through the Draft Prospect Rankings, Kulich worked his way up to the No. 13 spot following his performance at the U18 World Champioships.
4. He can score on the power play. Kulich's biggest offensive showing during the IIHF World Championships came on the power play, scoring seven of his nine goals a man up.
5. His World Junior Championships was cut short. Before playing for the Karlovy Vary, Kulich was on the roster for the U20 World Junior Championships, and had one assist in two games. However, a Covid-19 outbreak caused the tournament to be canceled.
