‘I felt like a ghost’ | Inside Jiri Kulich’s road to recovery

Jiri Kulich knew something wasn’t right.

Dizziness. Fatigue. Sluggishness. Fuzzy memory. He was 21, in peak physical shape and early in his second NHL season, but Kulich just felt off – on the ice, at the grocery store and everywhere in between.

Things reached a breaking point on Nov. 1, 2025, in a Sabres win over the Capitals. He took just one shift in the third period that night, and it turned out to be the final shift of his season.

“The last game against Washington, I didn’t even know I’m on the ice. I actually felt like a ghost,” Kulich recalled. “And then I picked the puck behind the net, and I left it in front of our net and just kept skating.

"I’m like, ‘Oh, yeah, there’s definitely something going on with me.’”

A CT scan revealed a blood clot, unexpected and rare for someone his age. Most likely, it stemmed from a March 15, 2025, hit by Vegas’ Brett Howden – Kulich entered concussion protocol at the time – and was exacerbated during August 2025 offseason training. Symptoms emerged after a hit during one of his skates that summer.

Hockey abruptly moved to the backburner, life to the front. Kulich’s parents flew in from Czechia as soon as they heard the news. His girlfriend, Gabrielle, stood by his side, as did the whole Sabres team and organization. But no matter how supported he felt, Kulich was still terrified.

“The doctor’s telling you that it’s a really uncommon thing, so you just don’t know what to expect, and your thoughts are always the worst,” he said. “At some point, I was like, well, if I’m not gonna be able to play hockey, what am I gonna do? Do I have to work for my dad (in construction)?”

No career change will be necessary for the talented young forward. Thanks to a March procedure, Kulich is now clot-free, fully healthy and back in playing shape, with several months of training under his belt. The Sabres still see top-of-the-lineup potential in the 22-year-old, and as training camp gets going, he can’t wait to prove it.

“I’m still a kid, but at the same time, I grew from a kid to a man,” Kulich said. “My thoughts are way different than they were last year. My confidence, too. Everything.

“I’ve never felt better.”

‘It was terrible. I hated it’

As the Sabres found their footing without No. 20 and stormed their way to the playoffs, Kulich had his own team behind the scenes in Buffalo, three guys (among others) who guided him through a slow, frustrating recovery.

Michael Adesso, assistant athletic trainer and physical therapist, was the liaison between Kulich and the doctors – reporting symptoms, treating any soreness, making sure he took his medication.

“I call him my Czech son,” joked Adesso, 66. “There were some days where he came in, ‘I just don’t feel like doing anything today.’ Okay, we’ll get after it tomorrow. For me, having raised kids, you just take the same approach.”

Mike Ansell, skating and skills instructor, worked with Kulich on the ice. It was months of strictly non-contact skating because of the risks associated with blood thinners, and dizziness prevented Kulich from pushing himself too hard, anyways. They still found ways to make it entertaining, with hit-the-crossbar challenges and other shooting competitions – a tough draw for Ansell, the way Kulich can fire pucks.

Despite the limitations and heartrate monitoring, Ansell explained, it was about “making sure he felt some bit of accomplishment while he’s on the ice.”

Ray Magliozzi, assistant strength and conditioning coach, was the constant in the KeyBank Center gym while Brian Galivan and Jake Nitsche traveled with the Sabres. Magliozzi was as much a friend as he was a coach for a world-class athlete reduced to baby steps – squats without weight, for one.

“It was terrible. I hated it,” remembered Kulich, who couldn’t stand gaining weight during those stagnant months.

“Any time a guy is injured,” explained Nitsche, the head strength and conditioning coach, “you’re not battling the physical ailment as much as the mental, because at the end of the day, these are guys’ careers. … A lot of communication with the medical team, PTs, our doctors, to make sure that we were giving him what he needed to stay in shape and not just lose a full year of physical development, physical capacity and conditioning.”

So, at home, Kulich had Gabrielle for support, TV and video games as distractions (he got really into League of Legends). And at work, the trio of Adesso, Ansell and Magliozzi were by his side to make the most of a delicate situation.

“I was spending every day with those two and Ray,” Kulich said. “It was great to have someone around when the guys were on a trip, and we had so much fun, even if I wasn’t playing.”

Added Ansell: “I can’t say enough good things about Jiri. His attitude, his enjoyment to go through this process and to, 95 percent of the time, always have a smile on his face.”

‘Looking for a grand slam’

Hockey’s a bloody game. Without blood’s natural clotting properties, there’d be no quick comebacks from pucks, sticks and fists to the face.

But when a clot forms inside a vein, especially near the brain, lungs or legs, it can be deadly, with consequences including but not limited to strokes and heart attacks. Blood thinners typically do the trick, although they increase the risk of serious bleeding. Hockey’s out of the question.

Whereas most people diagnosed with a clot take the medication for at least a few months by default, a professional athlete has more frequent check-ups with hopes of a quicker recovery.

So, after Kulich’s diagnosis, Lindy Ruff and the Sabres couldn’t say how long he’d be out.

“We were looking for a grand slam there; it probably wasn’t going to happen, but we tried to give it every chance to happen, if it could,” Adesso said. “He had to deal with that. Every test that came back that was a little disappointing – that’s, in his mind, another setback. That’s another month I’ve got to wait again.”

Five months into this saga, Kulich’s clot had only shrunk by about 20 percent, so it was off to Minnesota’s Mayo Clinic in March to have it removed. Under the care of the doctors there plus Dr. J. Scott Delaney, the NHLPA’s chief medical consultant, Kulich underwent a three-hour procedure, awake for the whole thing – “Oh yeah, I was so scared” – and came home a week later.

Ask Adesso, and Kulich’s story can be a cautionary one for athletes at any level. For anybody, really. Head athletic trainer Rich Stinziano addresses the players at the start of every training camp and implores them to be proactive with their health. Had Kulich tried powering through and playing into November, things could’ve gotten much more serious.

“When you’re young and vying for a spot on a team, yeah, people don’t speak up,” Adesso said.

“Tell your parents, tell your medical provider, tell your trainer when you’re having symptoms, even when you think it’s nothing. Because [Kulich’s situation] was just, ‘Oh, it could be a head cold’ – and 99 percent of the time, that’s what it’s going to be. But that’s why you want to speak up.”

In 2015, after Sabres forward Cody McCormick took a puck to the left calf, Adesso was alarmed by the swelling and sent the 31-year-old to the hospital. It turned out to be a career-ending blood clot. Another example, NBA big man Chris Bosh, was a perennial all-star before blood clots forced his retirement.

Kulich’s symptoms, and his age, didn’t sound Adesso’s alarm this time around. Thankfully, the Sabres’ medical team did their diligence, ruled out a concussion and discovered the clot in time.

“Someone who’s achieved playing in the best league in the world – it can be all taken away from you at 21,” Adesso said. “It’s just beyond words to see him out there and being back to his usual, smiley self.”

‘Can’t even describe the feeling’

While the Sabres became appointment television around Buffalo, Kulich struggled to watch.

“First three months, I was really jealous that I can’t help the team and can’t play hockey,” he said. “Especially when you see the guys playing so good and having so much fun. So, that was probably the toughest part. But they were trying to treat me like family, so that helped me a lot.”

Kulich’s teammates assured him he was still an integral part of the team, if not the lineup. Captain Rasmus Dahlin was especially supportive, as was veteran Jason Zucker – a dad-like figure these last couple years and “probably the best guy ever,” Kulich said.

Come playoff time, Kulich was locked in like the rest of us. The way the Sabres played, the post-win locker-room celebrations, the atmosphere in the arena – it all reminded him what he’d been working for and served as “super motivation” to get back on the ice.

Summer training back home in Czechia has Kulich in excellent shape, according to both Ansell and workout partner Radim Mrtka. The shortened four-game preseason will offer a bit of a runway to get back to game speed, and then it’s off and running in 2026-27.

A dizzy Kulich scored three goals in 12 games last fall. As a rookie the season before, he had 15 in 62 games. Ruff hasn’t forgotten his impact as the No. 1 center between Tage Thompson and Zach Benson, and that could very well be the first line on opening night in Columbus. Kulich’s not a finished product, but his shot and defensive commitment suggest massive potential.

“He can still rip the puck, that’s for sure,” Ansell said. “And that’s another nice thing to see on the ice: him ripping one-timers, just getting a quick release off and putting the puck in the net. It’s a special ability, and that did not go away.”

Nor did Kulich’s appreciation for the game. All those months out of the lineup, all the doctor’s visits, elementary workouts and brief skating sessions, they put everything in perspective and helped him grow as a person, he feels. And they’ll make the moment even more special when he retakes the ice in front of 19,070 at KeyBank Center.

“It’s so exciting. I can’t even describe the feeling I have right now. Even the first preseason game, just being there on the ice. First faceoff. A couple hits. Shooting pucks on the net. It actually feels unreal right now.”