Vancouver Canucks 2017 NHL Draft Profile: C Filip Chytil
Will Czech center Filip Chytil be on the Vancouver Canucks’ shortlist for their second-round picks?
Thanks to former Vancouver Canucks coach John Tortorella and his new club, the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Canucks now own two second-round picks in the 2017 NHL Draft, and seven in total.
At 33rd and 55th, the Canucks’ options will be endless. Centers, wingers, defensemen, goalies — there will be plenty of promising prospects available.
One of them is Czech forward Filip Chytil, who can play at center or on the wing.
Name: Filip Chytil
Position: Center, left wing
Shoots: Left
Birthdate: 1999-09-05
Height, weight: 6’2”, 179 lbs
Team, league: HC Zlin, Extraliga
Stats (from eliteprospects.com):
G
A
P
PIM
+/-
3844816-5
Rankings:
#79 by Future Considerations
#11 by NHL Central Scouting (EU Skaters)
Risk, Reward: 2/5, 3.5/5
NHL-potential: Top-nine forward
Draft Range: Top 90
Scouting report
"Chytil is a speedy player with good hockey sense and offensive skill. (…) 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 can pull the trigger with a heavy and accurate wrist shot that is dangerous anywhere from the circles on in. He is also very active on the forechecking and his long reach helps him to steal the puck from his opponents and create even more quality scoring chances. (…) 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. (Future Considerations)"
Strengths
Chytil is a solid all-around forward who does everything well offensively and can play a solid two-way game as well.
Chytil is a strong skater with an excellent first step and acceleration, as well as strong top speed. That, along with solid puck skills, allows him to carry the puck through the neutral zone and into the offensive zone with speed and confidence. Although his stick-handling skill is nothing outstanding, he manages to get through traffic with the puck extremely well.
In the offensive zone, Chytil displays strong vision and passing skill. He can set up dangerous scoring chances for his teammates, either off the rush or from down low. In addition, he is a strong finisher who knows how to get into openings and finish a play.
Chytil works hard in all three zones and does not scare away from physical play. He digs hard in the corners, plays an aggressive forecheck, and occasionally throws a hit. Furthermore, Chytil goes back deep into the defensive zone to support the D.
Weaknesses
There are no glaring weaknesses in Chytil’s game, as he has a very well-rounded skillset. But, he doesn’t have any standout attributes either. The question is: how far can you get when you do everything well, but aren’t outstanding at anything?
More from Draft
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- Canucks take Daimon Gardner in fourth round
- Canucks select Elias Pettersson in third round
- Canucks select Jonathan Lekkerimäki with 15th overall pick
- Five players the Canucks could draft with the 15th overall pick
Chytil has produced well at every level he has played on, including the Czech top-tier men’s league, where he recorded four goals and eight points in a limited role. Yet, Chytil does not look like much of a game changer. He can be a decent complementary player to a more skilled one at the NHL level, but will probably need someone to carry him a bit.
With that, it is difficult to project his upside. When you put Pittsburgh Penguins winger Conor Sheary on a line with Sidney Crosby, the best player in the world, he can score almost a point per game. But if you replace Crosby with, say, Brandon Sutter, Sheary likely wouldn’t be the one making Sutter better. Chytil might be similar — a player that can score a high number of points with the right line mate, but he probably won’t be the one carrying the rest.
Final Thoughts
Chytil will be an interesting player to watch come draft day. To some, he is a very early second-rounder, right in the Canucks’ 33rd-pick range. Others might even have him in their top 31. Yet, he could very well fall out of the first two rounds, and deep into the third.
It seems like within the top 90 or so, there is always a player teams could like better than Chytil. One has higher playmaking upside, the other is a better shooter, yet another one plays a stronger defensive game. Teams generally look for players that have at least one standout attribute, that could make that player look like a major steal a few years down the road.
Even if Chytil becomes an NHL regular one day, no one will call him an outstanding pick if he only scores 35 points per year after being selected 30th overall.
Next: All 2017 NHL Draft Profiles
So, while he will certainly be a potential target for Vancouver at 33, I personally wouldn’t pick him there. If he’s still on the board in the third round, at 64, I would consider it, but there will still be players worth picking before Chytil.