How Wild prospect David Jiricek is handling scratches — and development: ‘You have to have patience'

New York Times

20-03-2025

ST. PAUL, Minn. — On Tuesday's off day, only a few Minnesota Wild players were on the ice.
Among them were Jonas Brodin, the veteran defenseman rehabbing a lower-body injury, and Marc-Andre Fleury, the Hall of Famer who has started just one of the past 10 games.
And touted defense prospect David Jiricek.
Advertisement
Jiricek, 21, had wrapped up shooting drills on Fleury toward the end of the session when goalies coach Frederic Chabot turned to skating coach Andy Ness.
'You know,' Chabot said, 'I think that's the best Jiricek has looked.'
Much has been made about Jiricek's being a healthy scratch in the nine games since his March 1 recall. And there's a fair argument that he would be better off playing 20-plus minutes for AHL Iowa than being bag-skated here. Any time a No. 6 pick — one for whom the Wild traded a draft haul to the Columbus Blue Jackets to acquire in November — is sitting, it's going to draw attention.
But Jiricek isn't as ticked off as Wild fans seem to be. Of course, he would rather be in the lineup.
'I'm not going to lie, I still want to play,' he said.
However, Jiricek points out he has missed only four games with Iowa in the past few weeks, and there have been benefits to his development while training with NHLers.
'One hundred percent,' Jiricek said. 'I skated with (Brodin) and had some practices with Flower. For me, that's always like a dream, you know? He's a Hall of Famer. To shoot on him, it's always a blessing. It's actually a pretty good situation for me.'
When the Wild called up Jiricek, it was for insurance in case of an injury on the blue line. And though the rest of the defensemen have been healthy since (aside from Brodin still working his way back), it's not like Minnesota could have sent him down. The Wild are allowed only four nonemergency recalls post-trade deadline, and if they tried to swap Jiricek with another defenseman, it would be their fourth and final one.
Once Brodin returns, which could be as soon as Saturday, Jiricek is expected to get shipped back to Iowa.
'It's a difficult one with David,' coach John Hynes said. 'He's been great. We've tried to use him where he hasn't got in, but he's put a lot of extra work in (and) is doing some things that will be beneficial to him. He knows the situation. We have to keep him here right now. If there's an injury, he's going to be the next man up. Being around the team, being around the environment, getting extra work put in is not a bad thing. Obviously, the game action is important. So, let's say, if (Brodin) comes back and we don't get injuries, it's on our mind to let him get down and play and continue for his development. I think, overall, it's been a positive.'
Advertisement
The one thing Jiricek has acknowledged needing to improve since he was made a top-10 pick by Columbus is his skating, and he's getting plenty of work in with Ness and the Wild staff. Jiricek noted it's mostly the transitions from backward to forward.
'It's just building, getting him stronger,' Ness said. 'His skating posture, then his skills and his daily habits. You're on the ice with Fleury, Brodin, your level just goes up that much more — just watching this and being around. Even (Kirill) Kaprizov. Just having his mentality, his competitiveness, his attitude bleeding onto you is a positive thing.'
Jiricek was acquired (along with a 2025 fifth-rounder) Nov. 30 for Daemon Hunt, a first-round pick this year, a third-rounder in 2026, a fourth-rounder in 2026 and a second-rounder in 2027. He has played in six games for Minnesota this season, picking up a goal and 2 points with a plus-2 rating in 13:02 average ice time. There was some excitement from the Wild staff on the potential there.
'I think I played some decent games and showed the guys I belong here — and showed the coaches,' Jiricek said. 'I showed well, so I'm just waiting for my chance.'
Wild forward Brendan Gaunce, who played with Jiricek with Columbus' AHL affiliate, Cleveland, said there should be some patience given to Jiricek.
'He's a good player,' said Gaunce, a 2012 first-rounder with the Vancouver Canucks. 'I find it funny because the media thinks when you're a sixth overall pick, you have to have success right away. They think you can just step in and play. There are so many factors that come into it, especially for a person coming from Europe to here. English isn't his first language. There's so many steps you have to go through to be comfortable. You're over to a new place, away from your family. It's a different game, different style of coaching. You're getting paid, and it's your job, and you're like, 'Holy, this is a lot for me to take in.''
Advertisement
Jiricek, in his third year living in North America, said he's doing well with his transition off the ice, having lived in four cities in between the two NHL teams he's been with. He noted the differences in the NHL level from even some of the top levels he's played at, from world championships to the Czech league.
'These are the best players in the world,' Jiricek said. 'It's going to be a different challenge for me. Especially as a young guy like me. I'm just trying to learn. There's a lot of tremendous players on the (Wild) D-core, so I'm trying to learn too.'
Jiricek knows this will be a 'huge' summer for him as he enters the last year of his entry-level deal before becoming a restricted free agent. Whether Jiricek does his regular offseason workouts with his small group of pros in Czech or stays in Minnesota for part of the time remains to be seen. You have to imagine that Jiricek's putting in more work with Ness and strength and conditioning coach Matt Harder could have some benefits (as it did for Marco Rossi a few summers ago). Unless there's a trade, he'll have to battle for a spot on the Wild blue line, with Brock Faber and Jared Spurgeon staples on the right side and Zach Bogosian under contract for another season.
'It's a big year for me, a huge year for me,' Jiricek said. 'I'm trying to make the NHL. There's a lot of goals for next year for me. I'm still going day by day right now. But the goal for next season is really big.'
Gaunce brought up Thomas Harley, the Dallas Stars defenseman who was the 18th pick in 2019. Harley played in 131 AHL games over three seasons before jumping in regularly in the NHL. Last month, Harley jumped into the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament with Canada and shined. He's 183 games into his NHL career. As former Norris Trophy winner Victor Hedman often said, it takes 200 NHL games for a defenseman to fully feel comfortable.
'If you watch (Jiricek) play, he's got all the talent in the world,' Gaunce said. 'He's working hard to get to his next step. He's 21 years old. People are so nervous about the expectations and that he's not going to meet them. He just graduated university or would be in the third year of university, where (most kids) don't have their life on straight. And you have to deal with people around the world telling you you're not good at something. There are a lot of steps that come with it. He's adjusting well to a new team. He's doing what he can control, and the next step comes naturally.'
Gaunce has some perspective on this as a former first-rounder who has played for five teams over 185 games, bouncing between the AHL and NHL.
Advertisement
'It means getting used to the limelight, getting used to some of the stressors from the outside,' Gaunce said. 'I had a tough time when I was younger. You want to make everyone like you instead of being who you are. That's how you got there.'
Coaches and teammates say Jiricek has the right attitude. The unfortunate part in recent weeks is that there haven't been many full practices for the Wild — mostly just morning skates. In hindsight, Minnesota could have decided to recall another defenseman March 1, like Carson Lambos (another former first-rounder), leaving Jiricek in Iowa to play big minutes in those last four games. But with the margin for error in the standings so small, the Wild felt it was important to have their most NHL-ready defenseman from Iowa on the roster in case of an injury.
Jiricek could very well be back in Iowa's lineup this Saturday for its next game if Brodin is back.
This isn't the same situation as Columbus, where frustration built up when Jiricek was scratched for 12 straight games. Agent Allan Walsh told The Athletic that the Wild have been excellent in communicating their plans with Jiricek, and there's trust between the team and player.
Jiricek is taking every day with a growth mindset.
'I'm trying to work on my craft and work hard,' he said. 'It's good to be in the NHL and watch the games and make so much money. But if you're a hockey player, you just want to play the games. You don't want to be in the gym every day. But it is what it is. I don't want to be in the gym every day, but I have to. I just have to go through it and wait for my chance.'
Jiricek seems to have a healthy perspective on things. And he's handling any pressure from the outside in stride. It's hard enough to deal with the expectations that come with being a top-10 pick, much less the attention from being part of a big trade.
'Some (top-10 picks) just go in right away and show they can play,' Jiricek said. 'But sometimes it takes time. You have to have patience. And I'm just trying to be patient right now.'