New York Rangers Select Filip Chytil with No. 21 Overall Pick

In Blueshirt Bulletin Main Blog, News by Tom Urtz Jr

The New York Rangers selected center Filip Chytil of HC Zlin of the Czech Extraliga with the No. 21 overall pick in the first round.

It was a somewhat off the board pick, as he was ranked 11th among European skaters, 64th by ISS, and 33rd by Corey Pronman. For reference, No. 1 ranked European skater Klim Kostin was still on the board, and he ultimately went 31st overall. With that said, there is a chance Chytil is a player who could help the Rangers in a couple of years. He was a boy among men playing in the Czech Republic, and it is impressive that he skated as a 17-year-old in the top Czech league.

With that said, Chytil is a player who could help the Rangers in a couple of years. He was a boy among men playing in the Czech Republic, and it is impressive that he skated as a 17-year-old in the top Czech league.

He stands 6’2″ and weighs 192 pounds, and tallied four goals and four assists in 38 games played. As for his ability, here is what Alex Nunn had to say.

In many ways, the description sounds like a younger, more offensive Carl Hagelin, and that wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

The most encouraging analysis of Chytil comes from Canucks Army, and this excerpt really stood out.

Filip Chytil is my prospect crush/underrated sleeper pick in this year’s draft. The fact that he is rated so low on most lists honestly baffles me sometimes. Sure, he has some features that often cause prospects to be overlooked – he’s extremely young for this draft class, and the fact that he played pro hockey all season led him to a modest 8 points to show for the year. On the other hand, he’s one of the youngest members of his draft class and he played professional hockey all season. Chytil doesn’t turn U18 until September 5th, meaning that he could actually have played in the Czech U18 league that he dominated last season, but instead he spent 38 games with HC Zlin in the Czech Extraliga, one of Europe’s top four professional leagues.

Although the pick was a reach, it sounds like Chytil has some decent upside.

Chytill is young and has time to blossom into a player who can impact the Rangers’ lineup as they transition as a club. The more you read about it, the better the pick looks for NY in a vacuum.

He will likely spend the next two seasons overseas, and after that he will be a contender to join the Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL before making it to the main club.