The New York Rangers surprised many when they selected Filip Chytil 21st overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. However, the young left winger impressed in his first full season in the NHL.
Prior to being drafted, there were reports that were predicting that Chytil to be selected anywhere from 28th to 70th overall. The New York Rangers made a somewhat risky move in choosing Chytil where they did, but in his first 84 games Chytil has posted solid numbers centering both lines in the bottom six last year.
Chytil played 75 games for the Rangers in the 2018-19 season and posted 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points.
In perhaps one of the best streaks on the team this season, Chytil recorded five goals in five straight games, to help the Rangers win four out of those five games during the month of November.
All things considered, the 19-year-old had a great first showing in the league and this year, there is hopefully more to come.
What we can expect
As Chytil gets more games under his belt, he will undoubtedly see more production in his game. He was one of the first forward prospects in the pool to show signs of elite potential prior to stepping on to NHL ice. The more people watched, the more excited they became for him to join the team.
Playing in the NHL is hard enough on its own. Add playing your first full year on NHL ice at age 19, and it’s even harder. On top of that, add moving 4,223 miles (yes, I Googled that) from your hometown to one of the biggest cities in the world where you are not fully comfortable with the language… that’s a lot to handle.
But all things considered, Chytil overcame these obstacles and saw success. Chytil performed well enough last season to ensure himself a spot playing on the NHL roster, which was a best case scenario (especially considering the near disaster Hartford turned into last season).
As Chytil becomes more comfortable, we can fully expect that he will step out with more confidence and look to continue to help the team in any way he can. And he will have plenty of opportunity. With the Rangers rebuild further along and with an increased number of young roster additions, he will be in great company on the offensive end.
Right now, it is looking like he may be paired with Vlad Namestnikov on his left and the (highly anticipated) number nine pick from 2018 Vitaly Kravstov on his right. With Namestnikov bringing experience and reliability and Kravstov bringing raw, elite talent, this is a great place for Chytil to be.
He will step back into the same role he had last season (adding to the comfort level), but the new additions will give him more support (allowing for more confidence on the ice).
Chytil may still need to work through the tail end of a learning curve before he truly hits his stride, but we got glimpses of just how effective he can be last year. With a full season behind him and the increased talent around him, 2019-20 should be even better.