Decision to Stay in North America Proves Positive for Chytil

Filip Chytil turned heads last September with a strong preseason with the Rangers that earned him a two-game stint in New York at the start of the regular season.
And while Chytil wasn't quite ready for a starring role on Broadway in October, he feels he's made great strides playing big minutes with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League.
"I think I've improved my game," Chytil told NYRangers.com. "Everything is different here than in Europe. I've had to adjust my style for the U.S. It didn't take so long, so I'm glad. All season has been very good for me. I'm learning in every game, so that's most important."

At just 18-year-old, Chytil is having one of the best AHL seasons for a player of his age group. His 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists) are 12th-most among players 19 years old and younger in AHL history. He's the first player since Toronto's William Nylander in 2014-15 to register at least 30 points and at least .68 points per game.
Chytil has made the transition from life in the Czech Republic to Hartford a good one both on and off the ice. In regards to hockey, he said the biggest change has been the pace of the games.
As a young player in the Czech league, he was able to separate himself from the competition using his feet, and while that's still the case in North America, it's been something he's had to get used to.
"It's faster," he said. "Everything is faster, especially in the offensive zone. It's a little harder than playing in the Czech league because there are many older players [in that league] and it's not so fast. It's much different."
The strong training camp and two games in New York gave Chytil the belief he could not only play in North America and in the AHL, but excel.
"It was a great experience and it helped me with my confidence coming to Hartford," he said. "I've played with confidence here. I think that's the most important thing to me game; be confident and play my best. I think if I get called up next time, I'll be more ready."
Wolf Pack head coach Keith McCambridge said he's seen Chytil make "tremendous strides" over the course of the season in Hartford. When he arrived in October, McCambridge said there was plenty of "raw skill" to Chytil's game, and it was up to him and his staff to fine tune that into a more developed game.
"You can see the raw skill when we got him and why he was picked where he was," McCambridge said. "With Fil, the ability to really mold and define his game so it now mimics what's going to give him potential success in the National Hockey League. Not taking away from any of the attributes he possesses, but just really polishing a lot of different areas of his game."
Arguably the bigger change has been away from the rink, where Chytil has had to get acclimated with living in a big city like Hartford after spending most of his life in his small village of Kromeriz, which he said is home to about 500 people.
He's had help along the way, and he's grateful for it.
"Luckily people like Ondrej Pavelec helped me in New York," he said. "Right now, I'm living with Ryan Gropp. In November, Marek Mazanec joined us here and he helps me. I think I've improved my English. Almost every guy from our team helped me. Our coaches helped me all season and all the management. I'm thankful for them."
McCambridge said that aspect is a big hurdle for a player like Chytil to overcome. Sometimes players from Europe - especially ones so young as Chytil - can become secluded and homesick. McCambridge and his staff have made it a point to not let that happen with Chytil.
"It's something that as a staff you're on top of," he said. "Little things like being in the hotel and having a chance to talk to the player. The more he can integrate himself with the group, the better chance it's going to make him feel like this is home for him, feel like he's part of the group."
The shift in New York towards a younger, faster and skilled team certainly bodes well for Chytil, as he checks all the boxes of what General Manager Jeff Gorton envisions for his Ranges teams for the foreseeable future, which is why Chytil went 21st overall last June.
But while Chytil has hopes of getting back to New York, he's trying to not think about it too much.
"I want to be part of the team, but I'm not putting pressure on myself," he said. "I'm young and I want to work hard and work hard every practice and enjoy every game.
"It's the NHL and it is New York," he added. "I want to be there soon and I'll do everything I can to play there and be a Ranger."