Miracle March TTM 2018 Edition

My monthly TTM wrap-up post is coming up in two days, but on Monday I got back a return that was so cool I just had to blog about it on it's own.

BAM! A TTM autograph of Filip Chytil!

This was one of the requests I sent out thinking my chances of getting a return were about zero. But I was fortunately proven wrong.

"It's something special"#NYR prospect Filip Chytil is ready for his call-up to the Blueshirts

Watch his exclusive interview ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/qfh9DcnpPQ

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) March 25, 2018

Chytil is a center from the Czech Republic who was drafted by the New York Rangers in the first round (21st overall) last year. Chytil's draft selection was puzzling at first to many but as more details about the type of player he is and who he could one day become came out, the more there was to be excited about him.

Chytil's pre-draft scouting reports indicate that his biggest attribute is his speed and his ability to hold his own when matched up against competitors who are several years older than him. Considering how he was still a teenager back then (he's still a teenager now since he doesn't turn 20 until September in 2019), that is pretty impressive. Most of his other skills are said to be "above-average", except maybe power but give it like five years and he'll probably gain a few more kilos and find himself as a capable forward with power.

Another word that came up al lot when I was looking up his scouting reports was the word "raw". Which is to be expected with any teenage athlete. In baseball terms "raw" is usually code for a player having unteachable skills but never really delivering on them (usually power), hopefully in hockey it means something completely different. And based on what I've read and seen from fans and people who covered the Hartford Wolfpack (the AHL affiliate of the Rangers where Chytil spent most of this past season), Chytil is really starting to add some polish to his game (the results speak for themselves).

With the Rangers in complete rebuild mode for the rest of this season (all five games that remain anyway lol), this is an excellent chance to give Chytil and fellow 2017 first rounder Lias Andersson - both of whom were recalled from Hartford at the same time - a shot to see what they've got as the Rangers sort out who they'll keep around next season. The Rangers have the core to be pretty competitive next season too (with Henrik Lundqvist in the net any team could be), and big strides from Chytil and Andersson would be a huge step forward in the Rangers' Yankees-style five minute rebuild. Hopefully they'll force the issue and show that they're not going back to Hartford, but some more polish in the AHL isn't the worst thing either. The tougher it is for Jeff Gorton to make a decision, the better.

Woof, man, I don't think I've been this excited about a TTM return since... last year when I got a return from Shigeru Sugishita (another March Miracle return). Speaking of which, I guess it's time for a banner pic update...

So yeah, děkuji to Filip Chytil for the awesome autograph.

As always thanks for stopping by and take care :).

Sources:
*http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=196744
*https://futureconsiderations.ca/player/filip-chytil/
*http://www.blueshirtsbreakaway.com/?s=chytil
*https://www.blueshirtbanter.com/2017/6/24/15867362/lias-andersson-scouting-report-filip-chytil-scouting-report-2017-nhl-draft-first-round
*https://www.sny.tv/rangers/news/rangers-call-up-filip-chytil-and-lias-andersson/269673698