The American Hockey League announced today that Rochester Americans forward Jiri Kulich has been named to the inaugural AHL Top Prospects Team for the 2022-23 season.
Determined by the league's hockey operations department in conjunction with AHL general managers, the newly formed AHL Top Prospects Team features three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender projected to be the best future NHL players.
To qualify for the AHL Top Prospects Team, skaters must have been 22 years old or younger on the first day of the regular season, and must have played at least 36 regular-season games in the AHL and no more than 30 regular-season games in the NHL during the 2022-23 campaign. Goaltenders must have been 23 or younger on opening night and have played at least 25 AHL games and no more than 20 NHL games during the regular season.
It comes as no surprise that Jiri Kulich was named to @TheAHL Top Prospects Team...
— Rochester Americans (@AmerksHockey) June 7, 2023
Kulich put together one of the most productive seasons ever by an 18-year-old skater in 2022-23, leading the Amerks and finishing tied for sixth amongst all AHL rookies with 24 goals while his 46 points were tied for 11th among first-year players. Kulich, the youngest regular player in the AHL this season, was only the fourth player in league history to score more than 20 goals during his 18-year-old season (turning 19 after Jan. 1) and first since Robert Dome of Syracuse recorded 21 in 1997-98. Kulich also became just the second Amerks player in franchise history to reach the mark as an 18-year-old since Jozef Cierny scored 27 during his only season in Rochester in 1992-93.
Kulich, who turned 19 on April 14, then notched 11 points in 12 Calder Cup Playoff games - including scoring a goal in each of his first six postseason contests - to help the Amerks reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2004. His seven goals and 11 points in the postseason rank second and third amongst all rookies, respectively, while his six-game goal-scoring streak and seven-game point were the longest in the playoffs.
A first-round pick (28th overall) by Buffalo in the 2022 NHL Draft, Kulich won a silver medal with Czechia at the 2023 World Junior Championship.
