Jiri Kulich spent his summer in the weight room, intent on adding a physical, defensive dimension to the offensive prowess that made him a first-round selection in the 2022 NHL Draft.

The 20-year-old arrived in Buffalo this month feeling stronger than ever, but Friday night marked his first chance to feel the fruits of his labor in a game setting. The early returns were positive.

“To be honest, I felt so much stronger,” Kulich said. “But it was tough game.”

Kulich was an offensive standout with two goals and an assist in the Sabres’ 3-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, their first of three games at the annual Prospects Challenge inside LECOM Harborcenter. He also served as a tone-setter through his work ethic and relentlessness on the forecheck.

The Sabres outshot the Blue Jackets 41-21 in a game that featured a combined 32 penalty minutes, including two fights during the third period. Rochester Americans coach Michael Leone, who is leading the Sabres prospects through the event, provided the players with a simple directive to play hard, smart, and fast – qualities that will be foundational to the Sabres’ identity under incoming coach Lindy Ruff.

Kulich was chosen to be a leader in that regard, wearing an “A” on his sweater along with fellow veteran prospects Isak Rosen and Ryan Johnson. When Leone assessed Kulich’s performance postgame, his offensive contributions were secondary.

“I just liked how competitive he was,” Leone said.

Kulich is a veteran in terms of his professional experience, with two highly productive AHL seasons already on his resume. He led Rochester with 24 goals in 2022-23, then repeated the feat with 27 goals last season. Both years, he was named to the AHL’s Top Prospects Team.

In terms of age, however, Kulich remains young even by prospect standards. At 20 years old, he was the ninth-youngest of the 23 players who dressed for the Sabres on Friday. Rochester assistant coach Vinny Prospal offered a reminder of the time it can take for a player to develop NHL readiness when he spoke earlier this week, using his own career as an example.

“It’s a process, it takes time,” Prospal, who played four AHL seasons prior to his 16-year NHL career, said. “It’s very beneficial in my mind for each prospect to start in the American Hockey League because it’s a man’s game, it’s a fast league, it’s a heavy league.”

Kulich took those lessons to heart after what he described as an up-and-down season in 2023-24. Though he did finish with the team lead in goals, he went 12 games without scoring from late December to February and did not score in the team’s playoff series against Syracuse. His prolific rookie campaign earned him the added workload of facing opposing teams’ top lines and defense pairs.

Those experiences – along with a one-game stint for Buffalo early last season – fueled his determination to add dimensions to his game this summer.

“I was working on the net-front and those things, what I need to do, because I thought I could just shoot [from] the [one-timer] spot,” he said with a smile. “But I need to improve on these things and, yeah, I think I improved a lot from the summer to now.”

Kulich’s first goal was the culmination of a shift that saw him twice apply pressure on the forecheck, then find open space in the middle of the ice to capitalize on a rebound. His second goal saw him track back into the neutral zone, putting him in position to receive a counter pass right outside the offensive blue line. He worked his way around two defenders and deked to his forehand to score from in tight.

It was a promising start for Kulich, who is among several Sabres on the Prospects Challenge roster with a chance to crack the NHL club in the near future. His focus on Friday was to simply lead by example for the team around him.

“We played our plan to be physical and just play hard, good habits and play for each other,” Kulich said. “I think that was the key.”

Here are more notes from the Prospects Challenge opener.

1. The Sabres also received a power-play goal from forward Olivier Nadeau, which broke a 1-1 tie late in the second period. Viktor Neuchev drove down the right side and placed a shot off the goaltender’s pad, setting up Nadeau with a rebound on the opposite side of the net.

Nadeau, a fourth-round pick in 2021, is entering his second professional season. He had 12 goals and 24 points in 41 games for ECHL Jacksonville in 2023-24.

2. Scott Ratzlaff, a fifth-round pick last year, made 20 saves for Buffalo to earn the win. His night included a highlight-reel stop that saw him go right to left to rob Columbus forward Sam Alfano on an odd-man rush.

3. The Sabres held a moment of silence pregame in honor of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau:

Remembering Johnny and Matthew

We came together for a moment of silence before tonight’s game against @BlueJacketsNHL to honor the lives of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau.

Forever in our hearts. pic.twitter.com/gDfdSFhv8n

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) September 13, 2024

Up next

The Sabres continue the Prospects Challenge against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday. The game is sold out and will be streamed live on Sabres.com with Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray on the call.