BUFFALO, N.Y. -- It's incredibly unlikely that the Penguins are going to draft a player at No. 14 that will be ready to make the jump to the NHL -- or even the AHL -- immediately.
Players drafted out of Canadian junior hockey or NCAA hockey are typically a few years away from even turning pro.
If getting a player on the fast track to North American pro hockey is a goal for the Penguins with their first-round pick on June 28 in this summer's draft in Nashville, Tenn., then drafting a player already playing in one of the European professional leagues could be an intriguing option.
Eduard Sale, the top Czech player available in this year's draft, could be that selection.
Sale is a left-handed right wing who is listed by Central Scouting as 6 foot 2 and 175 pounds. Most major rankings and mock drafts have him being drafted somewhere in the mid- to late-first round this year, so he could conceivably still be on the board when the Penguins are on the clock at No. 14.
Sale told me at the NHL's scouting combine earlier this month that he met with around 20 teams that week for pre-draft interviews, and that the Penguins were among that group.
Sale, who didn't turn 18 until March, spent the entire season in the top Czech league this season despite being 17 years old for most of the season. He spent the year with the club HC Kometa Brno, scoring seven goals and seven assists in 14 games. Those 14 points were the most by a U20 player in the top men's league this season, and he earned the award for the league's top rookie.
"I think I have good hockey sense, and I'm a playmaker," Sale told me of his strengths. "I can score goals."
Sale's strengths also includes his skating -- he's fast. He has an exceptionally accurate and strong shot, too.
Sale's pro debut with Brno came the year before, when he spent 10 games in the top Czech league, scoring two goals and an assist in 10 games. He spent the majority of the 2021-22 season with Brno's U20 junior affiliate, where he scored 42 goals and 47 assists in 39 games. His plus-52 rating led the entire junior league that year.
While the points didn't come quote as easily in the top men's league this season, it was a huge step forward for Sale to play with and against grown men and fare well.
"I think It was hard," Sale said of the task of playing in the top men's league. "It was a tough season, and up and down season. But I think it improved me in many things, I learned many things. It was pro hockey, and I think it's going to help me for the next season and the next step in my career."
Sale said that the biggest eye-opener for him playing in that top men's league was the physical side of the game -- most players were bigger and stronger than he was.
Sale had a strong year on the international stage as well. He represented Czechia at the U18 World Junior Championship, scoring four goals and two assists in five games. He played for Czechia again at the main U20 World Junior Championship, and scored one goal and five assists in seven games as Czechia took home the silver medal. Sale also played in the U18 Hlinka Gretzky Cup tournament and led Czechia in scoring with four goals and two assists in five games.
Where Sale's game could stand to improve is his play in his own end. His lack of consistency throughout this past season also caused his draft stock to fall -- while he is now expected to be a mid- to late-first round pick, projections early in the season had him going in the top-10.
Sale said at the combine that he thinks he's about two years away from being able to compete for a spot on an NHL roster. That's probably a bit of a reach. It would be best for Sale's development to spend another full year in the top Czech league first. Because he's coming from Europe and not affected by the NHL-CHL junior transfer agreement, he'd be able to move to the AHL at any time, and doesn't have to wait until he's 20 years old like the Canadian junior prospects. His path to North American pro hockey could be accelerated, especially since he already has experience playing against men in his own country.
That could make Sale appealing for a team that has a short window to win like the Penguins.
This is the ninth story in a series of player profiles from the NHL's Scouting Combine in Buffalo, N.Y., focusing on potential first-round picks for the Penguins.
