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Fantasy Summary

Mobile defender with good size and a bomb of a shot from the point. Plays a physical brand of hockey and has the potential to contribute in a variety of ways as an NHL defenseman.


Observations

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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

Attributes
Fantasy Upside 8.5
NHL Certainty 9.5
Country CZE
Position D
Roster Type Minors
Shoot/Glove Right
Date of Birth November 28, 2003
Height 6‘4”
Weight 199 lbs
Drafted 2022 Round 1; Overall: 6
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Stats – Frozen Tools – Profile on FT

SeasonLeagueTeamGPGAPTSPIM+/-
2024-2025NHL1212360
2024-2025AHLCleveland Monsters421323
2024-2025AHLIowa Wild2707715-1
2023-2024NHLColumbus Blue Jackets43191022-4
2023-2024AHLCleveland Monsters297121921-16
2022-2023NHLColumbus Blue Jackets40002-4
2022-2023WJC-20Czechia U207347210
2022-2023EHTCzechia20000-1
2022-2023AHLCleveland Monsters556323836-11
2021-2022WJC-20Czechia U2070442-5
2021-2022WCCzechia51120-1
2021-2022EHTCzechia822425
2021-2022CzechiaHC Plzen295611490
2020-2021WJC-20Czechia U2051122-1
2020-2021WJC-18Czechia U1840008-1
2020-2021EHTCzechia10002-1
2020-2021CzechiaHC Plzen343693413
2019-2020DHL CupHC Plzen U202461117106
2019-2020Czechia U20 3HC Plzen B U20102200
2019-2020Czechia U17HC Plzen U17516744
2019-2020CzechiaHC Plzen400021
2018-2019Czechia U16HC Plzen U16371921405426
2017-2018ODMPlzensky kraj U15806640
2017-2018Czechia U16HC Plzen U16371015251632
2015-2016QC Int PWCzech Knights600040

Highlights