Avalanche Draft Profile: Filip Chytil

Get to Know Filip Chytil

Date of Birth: 9/5/1999
Place of Birth:
Ht: 6’0″ Wt: 179 lbs
Shoots: Left
Position: Left Wing
Team (League): HC Zlin (Czech)

Statistics

What Scouts See

Future Considerations:

Chytil is a speedy player with good hockey sense and offensive skill. He is a very good skater, with very quick feet and balance on his edges that allows him to generate good power from every stride and high-end acceleration in his first few steps. He uses his speed well to carry the puck up ice, into the offensive zone, stopping up along the outside and setting up for some offensive zone time. His vision of the ice helps him to quickly find open lanes to go through with the puck and once moving he is hard to contain when he finds space. Has decent puck skills, although nothing too electrifying, and is able to receive and dish passes at full speed without breaking stride. He is stronger than his size would indicate, hard to knock off the puck showing tremendous puck protection, goes into dirty areas and wins most of his puck battles alongside the board. He is also very active on the forechecking and his long reach helps him to steal the puck from his opponents. He is very sneaky. It is not uncommon to see him work deep in both zones and even throw a hit or two, as he wants to make his presence felt. Chytil is a guy you will need to have patience with as he takes a few seasons to add strength, but he could be well worth it.

Hockey Prospects:

In the offensive end, Chytil has the ability to make very difficult plays and has very good vision with the
puck. His playmaking skills are deceptive and many of the passes he makes are unexpected. He has shown
patience with the puck and he likes to draw defenders to him with his speed and skill prior to delivering a
pass for a wide open look. Filip has also has a hard, accurate wrist shot. He tends to pass the puck when in
open space, but when he has a wide open shooting lane, he can score and release the puck quickly. When
he does score, he shows cockiness and is very obnoxious with his celebrations. In addition, he likes to twirl
his stick and does this before most of the draws he has taken in international viewings.

Filip’s compete level and commitment to defensive play is ordinary, and he tends not to show the same
effort to retrieve pucks in his own end in comparison to his forechecking work. In addition, when in tight
quarters with defenseman, he showed some vulnerability when taking contact. He could get knocked off his
feet easily, especially against older players in the Czech League, and he relies on his footwork and skill to
avoid contact. His flashiness was less apparent in viewings of Chytil with his club team.

Highlights

NHL Potential

He has top six potential in the NHL as a scoring winger whose defensive game will never leave you overly impressed.

How Prospect Fits in Avalanche Organization

Not highly ranked enough for strong consideration at 32nd overall, Chytil would only be a target for the Avalanche should they move off that lofty perch atop the second round or somehow acquire a third round selection. Either way, should he find his way to Denver, Chytil would be an intriguing addition to an underwhelming group of forward prospects, especially on the wing. His goal-scoring ability should make him worth the multi-year wait the team selecting him is likely in for as he adds strength and further develops his defensive game.