New York Rangers’ stock market: Prospect edition

Up: Filip Chytil

Filip Chytil was an anomaly when he initially came to the Rangers. He was drafted in the first round, 21st overall, and seemed to be a reach of a pick. His 16-17 draft year totals weren’t exactly eye grabbing where he had eight points in 38 games (though in 15-16, he had 50 points in 30 games on the U18 team.) However, the more Chytil played, the better he looked.

Chytil actually made the NHL roster out of training camp. He unfortunately played only two games before being sent down to the AHL. Presumably due to Alain Vigneault’s favor of playing veterans over the young forward.

Surprisingly, Chytil was quite dominant in his first professional season. Though he missed 30 games due to both injury and the World Junior Championships, he made his mark in the 46 he did play in. He finished off his AHL season with 11 goals and 20 assists for 31 points. During the World Junior Championships, he played in all seven games and finished with two goals and two assists for four total points.

Chytil was rewarded for his strong play with a call up to the NHL. In the seven games he played, he had a goal and two assists for three total points.

In his short time in the NHL, the young Czech looked incredible, if not dominant against grown men as an 18 year old. His strong skating and puck handling ability mean he is already a threat offensively. If he is this dominant now, just wait until he has a few seasons of development under his belt.