Jaromir Pytlik

September 2023 – Pytlik seems to have hit a snag in his development. The former 4th Round Pick has shown little improvent in the past few years, with only 3 Points in 33 Games for Kladno in the Czech league in 2022-23. His offense, once a strength, has evaporated. He has good size, which he used well at the Devils Development, but can’t seem to handle the talent level at the pro game back home. There might still be a player, but it’ll take a miracle to change his trajectory from where it’s currently at. – Austin Kelly

March 2022 – Pytlik has spent his season in three different leagues, splitting his time between the Liiga and Mestis in Finland as well as a long stint with Kladno in his hometown Czechia, where he earned five points in 30 games against men. He’s been struggling to keep up with the pace of men’s hockey, but is 20 years old and could very well develop that with time. Hadi Kalakeche

April 2021 – Pytlik’s plans of continuing his development in the OHL with the Soo Greyhounds ended up never coming to fruition, as the league still has not returned to play. He has been limited to only four league games this season, in the Czech second division with HC Stadion Litomerice, and was kept entirely off the scoresheet. Pytlik will hope his impressive World Juniors performance was enough to earn his way into North America as soon as possible and secure his place in the Devils’ pipeline. Hadi Kalakeche

January 2021 – Pytlik was the Czechs’ second-best forward at the World Juniors, after captain Jan Mysak – the sizeable center accumulated seven points through six total games at the tournament, and was a mature, leading presence for an otherwise inexperienced Czech side that performed well enough to upset Russia in the Round Robins. He will now report to Sault-Ste-Marie in the OHL and hope the league’s return-to-play plan kicks off without any issues. Hadi Kalakeche

December 2020 – Pytlik’s frame and mature game have earned him a World Juniors call-up with his native Czech Republic. He will likely see top minutes and high responsibilities, namely the first penalty-killing unit and defensive zone face-offs. He will need to prove that he can assume such burdens without wavering, and he will have the opportunity to do so against the best players in his age group. Hadi Kalakeche

October 2020 – Pytlik dropped to the fourth round of the 2020 draft for the Devils. Pytlik is a massive forward with powerful legs, and core strength that lets him lean into body checks and drive to the net. He is a forechecking specialist and is good for creating space for nimble, intelligent forwards to work their magic. He can also distribute the puck efficiently and has the ability to make a small, quick pass to a supporting player while tied up on the boards. Pytlik is shadowed in the Devils’ depth chart by Hughes and Hischier, but he could eventually slott in at 3C as a checking line, penalty-killing specialist. The only problem is that his production last year was very average for one of the oldest 2020 draft-eligibles. He has the tools to make a bottom-six impact, but if he cannot put up more than a point a game next season in the OHL he will not make the lineup anytime soon. Hadi Kalakeche

October 2020 – Pytlik was drafted 99th overall by the Devils. Pytlik is expected to need another year or two before moving up to the AHL.  Jokke Nevalainen

September 2019 – At the U20 Four Nation Event, Pytlik had spent time playing both center and right-wing. Unfortunately, Pytilk had positioning issues and would often go back and forth between playing on the right side and at center on the same shift. That needs to be ironed out. Also, Pytlik needs to be cautious about staying onside. Most of the time, Pytlik is not the one carrying the puck into the zone and will wait at the blue line. He will occasionally get a bit jumpy and beat the puck carrier into the offensive zone. While Pytlik needs to work on positioning, his skating is solid. His crossovers and edge work are sound. In terms of his defensive awareness, Pytlik will not consistently battle along the boards for the puck, but there are times where he will be more active along the boards. When he is at open ice, he makes great poke checks and constantly looks for the optimal time to pounce on the puck. His biggest asset is his play in the offensive zone. You can count on Pytlik for accurate passes to and from anywhere on the ice. He is quite effective at creating space for himself and finding holes in the offensive zone to help his team capitalize.  From a fantasy perspective, Pytlik has all the tools to be a productive point getter in the NHL. When he is NHL ready, he will likely be a solid second-line or third-line contributor. Josh Tessler