How to get it: He was selected 28th overall in the 2022 NHL Draft
2023-24 season: Buffalo (NHL): 1 GP, 0-0-0; Rochester (AHL): 57 GP, 27-18-45

Kulich (6-1, 186) picked up where he left off in his second AHL season with 16 goals and 12 points (six goals, six assists) in seven games as the Czech Republic’s captain at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship. He was also selected to the AHL All-Star Classic.

The 20-year-old, who made his NHL debut on November 25, slowed down in the second half of the season in the AHL, scoring 11 goals in 34 games. Despite the adversity, Kulich led Rochester with 27 goals and finished third on the team with 45 points, and was named to the AHL’s All-Prospect Team for the second consecutive season.

The next step for him will be to show that his success at the AHL level can translate to the NHL.

“He’s a great kid, a great player at that level, but he’s got to be consistent,” Rochester assistant Vinny Prospal said. “He’s got to tear up the league a little bit there and show that he’s an NHL hockey player. … ‘Kuli’ has made tremendous strides in his two-way game. Even when he wasn’t scoring, he was doing all the little things on the (defensive) end, and that’s a credit to him. He can also improve face-offs and maybe be a penalty killer, things like that. He can be a more versatile player. But he’s definitely on the right track.”

Estimated NHL arrival: This season