Red Wings sign Jakub Rychlovský to two-year, entry-level contract

On Monday, the Detroit Red Wings announced they have signed forward Jakub Rychlovský to a two-year, entry-level contract. 

Rychlovský played all of 2023-24 with Bílí Tygři Liberec in the Czech Extraliga in Czechia. In 51 games, the 22-year-old tallied a league-high 26 goals, 46 points and a plus-8 rating. He became the youngest player to lead the Czech pro league in scoring. 

Rychlovský ranked second on the club with nine power-play goals and first with a 19.6 shooting percentage. He also finished first with three short-handed goals and five game-winning goals.

The-five-foot-ten goal scorer added seven points (five goals, two assists) in nine playoff games for Liberec. Rychlovský had five points (four goals, one assist) in 10 playoff games in 2022.

Overall, Rychlovský has racked up 80 points (39 goals, 41 assists) in 190 games for Liberec since the start of the 2019-20 season. 

On the international stage, the Vrchlabi native has suited up for Czechia on a few occasions. Most recently, he represented Czechia at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship, recording one assist in five games. He also skated at the 2019 World Junior A Challenge and 2019 IIHF World Under-18 Championship. 

Rychlovský signed with Detroit as an undrafted free agent. 

The Red Wings missed the playoffs for the eighth straight season in 2023-24. After adding Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane, among others, the Wings started off hot and looked like a lock for a postseason berth out of the Eastern Conference. 

But a seven-game losing streak in March followed by a mediocre 5-3-2 finish to the season put them on the bubble. And despite a miraculous comeback win in their final game, Detroit fell just short, as the Washington Capitals used a tiebreaker to sneak into the final wild-card spot. Washington was swept by the New York Rangers in the first round.