David Jiricek

June 2026 – Jiricek signed a two-year contract extension with the Philadelphia Flyers in April 2026. His deal carries an average annual value (AAV) of $1.50M and runs through the 2027-28 season. Chris Babos

March 2026 – Jiricek has now passed through three organizations since being taken sixth overall in 2022, but the Philadelphia landing spot may be the most promising yet. Philadelphia has shown an appetite for reclamation projects – see Jamie Drysdale – and there is a genuine path for Jiricek into their top four within a few seasons. Rasmus Ristolainen’s contract will eventually clear, Noah Juulsen is more of an organizational blocker than a quality NHLer, and in the short term, he is competing with Emil Andrae and Oliver Bonk for bottom-pairing time. Some may point to a minus-15 mark in 24 games with Iowa, but it truly looks worse than it actually is – the Iowa Wild are one of the worst teams in the AHL this year, as Minnesota has shown little hesitation trading away minor league depth to strengthen their pro core.

In his 25 games with the NHL Wild, Jiricek was even in plus-minus, which shows that when playing with better players, he can certainly hold his own. The all-around game is there – defensively responsible, calm under pressure, can walk the line and load up a one-timer – though he has a tendency to prioritize offensive impact over defensive awareness and gets exploited defending the rush. Those are correctable habits for a 6-4, 22-year-old RHD with top-four upside, and he will make Minnesota and Columbus regret moving on from him in due course. Ryan Downey

March 2026 – Jiricek was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers at the 2026 NHL Trade deadline. The 22-year-old defenseman has reported to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.  Chris Babos

September 2025 – The trajectory of David Jiricek’s development since being drafted sixth overall in 2022 can be best described as unexpected. He joined the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL after being selected, and scored 38 points in 55 games. He featured on their powerplay with 24 points, 19 of his 32 assists were primary, and he fired two shots per game. As a 19 year old rookie, Jiricek seemed to have exceeded the lofty billing that came with his draft selection.

The following season, Jiricek missed time with injury, but in 29 games he still managed 19 points, shot twice a game, and managed eight powerplay points.

This most recent season, Jiricek was moved by the Blue Jackets to the Minnesota Wild for Daemon Hunt, a 2025 first, 2026 3rd and fourth, and a 2027 second round draft pick. Much conversation was had about Jiricek’s usage in Columbus, with reports coming out that he himself stated he was frustrated with his development.

After the trade, Jiricek split time with Minnesota’s NHL and AHL affiliate, dressing in seven straight games at the NHL level, recording one assist, and managing seven points in 27 games with Iowa.

Jiricek is still all the things he was touted to be when drafted. He has a great point shot, he can play physical, and he can move the puck up ice. Despite the arguable mismanagement in Columbus, a spleen injury in March led to him missing time after his move to the Minnesota organization.

Since Jiricek last shone in the AHL as a rookie, many new draftees have arrived on the scene and garnered their own hype, and savvy managers can certainly wield the recency bias in negotiations with other managers. Jiricek will still be just under the age of 21 when the first puck of the season drops, and is further along in his development than most of the shiny prospect blueliners that are garnering more attention. If you can dangle a shinier object, or poke at the seeming decline in Jiricek’s performance, you could pluck a solid, all-around defenseman who could handle second powerplay duties. Just don’t overpay, or expect immediate dividends as 6-4 defensemen have a long development curve. Alex Wyatt

March 2025 – Jiricek has been ruled out for the rest of the 2024-25 season due to a lacerated spleen he sustained on March 22, 2025, while playing for the Iowa Wild against the Ontario Reign. Mark Henry

December 2022 – Heading into the World Junior Championships, Jiricek has adapted well in his first year as a pro in North America, posting 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) in 19 games for the Cleveland Monsters in the AHL. He will be relied upon playing for the Czechia team at the WJC and be a driving force if they plan to have any success and make it to the medal rounds. Mark Dubreuil

July 2022 – The Columbus Blue Jackets have selected Jiricek with the sixth overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. Nick Richard

December 2021 – Jiricek turned heads with his solid play at last year’s World Juniors as a draft-1 player and has continued to impress in his second season with Plzen in the top Czech professional league. On pace for one of the most productive seasons for a draft-eligible blueliner in league history and already playing over 18 minutes per game against men, Jiricek isn’t far off of making an impact in the NHL. Nick Richard

October 2021 – David Jiricek is a big piece of the future of Czech hockey, which has not produced many quality defenders who could jump to the NHL in recent years. Jiricek has played pro hockey in Plzen since he was 16. He has been tremendous this season, and his coaches see his talent as he averages just under 18 minutes on the ice per game. Jiricek has recorded three goals and eight points in 12 games with Plzen in the top Czech league through the early part of the season.

Jiricek is a big, offensive-minded defenseman with one of the hardest shots in the draft. For a player his size, he is a fantastic skater with good edgework. Jiricek can lead the team on the man advantage as the powerplay quarterback by helping develop the play from the back end. He is aware of what is happening, so he can see plays unfolding before they happen. As you would expect from a player his size, he has a very heavy shot and does a lot of damage with it. The Czech defender looks confident overall and plays an active game in all three zones. He is capable of rushing the puck up the ice, and with his size, it is very difficult to knock him off the puck or slow him down, helping him to be effective at gaining entry into the offensive zone. His size advantage allows him to be very aggressive, defending on his blue line and forcing the opposition to dump the puck into the zone rather than gaining clean zone entry. He is extremely physical and likes to lay big hits on opponents, especially along the boards. He still has areas of his game that require development, but Jiricek’s combination of size, mobility, and intelligence makes him a likely first-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. Marek Novotny