Sale scored six goals and added 15 assists, finishing with 21 points across 51 games. Those who have tracked Sale since his draft year will have read much about his ups and downs over recent years. The fact he is playing meaningful minutes in the AHL is a good sign, as well as his continued dominance for Czechia on the International stage. Where the rubber will meet the road for Sale, and those who have invested their fantasy teams’ draft capital in him, is if he can prove to have learned enough from his experience in North American pro hockey to move towards the NHL, or if he will veer towards Europe where the success may come easier. There is still plenty of time for us to watch and find out.

Sale has been selected 20th overall by the Seattle Kraken in the 2023 NHL Draft.

Eduard Sale struggled to end the season with HC Kometa Brno finishing with 7 goals and 7 assists in 43 regular season games, failing to produce a point in his 6 playoff games in the postseason. His best moments of the season came in his international competitions with 10 points in 11 games in all U20 games. Sale is cementing himself as a wild card pick in the upcoming draft, as he hasn’t progressed in significant parts of his game but still stands out as one of the most offensively creative players in this year’s crop of prospects. Eduard Sale is a relatively good skater who could benefit from a better first step. His technique is sound and moves his feet well when controlling the puck in transition. However, he is caught flat-footed at times in all three zones. Sale needs to move his feet to create space for himself which will increase his pacing as well. He uses his edges well in tight spaces which is why he is so dynamic in those situations. His offensive instincts stick out as the most projectable qualities of his game as he has above-average scanning habits and elite playmaking ability from the neutral zone and into the offensive zone. When given time and space, he is a great passer and can be a huge threat on the powerplay with his above-average shot. His release is the key component in his shot as he should work on getting more velocity consistently. Offensively, Sale is a mixed bag of high-end skill and playmaking ability with above-average intelligence to boot.

Defensively speaking, Sale needs to start improving his play in his own end. He is constantly losing men in coverage and his good scanning habits somewhat disappear when he is away from the puck. Also, his pace isn’t consistent in all three zones and Sale has a tough time fore-checking with efficiency; Sale often misses his angle or picks the wrong lane to cover. Finally, Sale is a non-factor physically which takes away from his excellent frame and potential growth on that side of the game. Eduard Sale is a high-end talent who will thrive in the powerplay in the NHL. It’ll be up to teams to decide whether they want to take the risk on his clear flaws in his game in order to tap into his obvious offensive potential. If he can find a way to keep pace and improve his defensive zone game, he will for sure be an NHLer with upside. He is a dominant force in the offensive zone during sustained pressure situations and can find teammates through traffic. Fun to watch but it comes with baggage.

Eduard Sale had a tremendous season with HC Kometa Brno’s U20 team, scoring 42 goals and 47 assists in only 39 games. In the playoffs, he scored five goals and added five assists in only five games. He followed up with a great performance at the U18 World Championships, scoring a goal and adding eight assists over six tournament games while finishing at a point-per-game pace for all international play combined. Sale was able to keep up his incredible scoring rates at every level he played, which bodes well for the young winger going into his first full season with HC Kometa Brno of the Tipsport Extraliga in his native Czechia.