David Jiříček

David Jiříček (born 28 November 2003) is a Czech professional ice hockey defenseman for the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted sixth overall by the Blue Jackets in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.[1]

David Jiříček
Jiricek with the Cleveland Monsters in 2023
Born (2003-11-28) 28 November 2003
Klatovy, Czech Republic
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Right
NHL team (P)
Cur. team
Former teams		 Columbus Blue Jackets
Cleveland Monsters (AHL)
HC Škoda Plzeň
National team  Czech Republic
NHL Draft 6th overall, 2022
Columbus Blue Jackets
Playing career 2019–present

Competing internationally as part of Team Czechia, he won a bronze medal at the 2022 IIHF World Championship.[2]

Playing career

Extraliga

Jiříček made his professional debut for HC Škoda Plzeň during the 2019–20 season where he appeared in four games. During the 2020–21 season, in his first full season with Plzeň, he recorded three goals and six assists in 34 games.[3] Following his rookie season, he was named Czech Extraliga Rookie of the Year.[4][5]

He was drafted 54th overall by the Spokane Chiefs in the 2020 CHL Import Draft.[6]

Jiříček played only 29 games in the 2021–22 season after a knee injury suffered at the 2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[7]

Columbus Blue Jackets

In the leadup to the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, Jiříček was considered a top prospect, and for much of the year there was debate as to whether he or Slovak Šimon Nemec would be the first defenceman taken. Following Jiříček's injury at the World Junior Championships, Nemec became favoured to go first.[8][9][10] Ultimately, Nemec was taken second overall by the New Jersey Devils, while Jiříček was drafted sixth overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets.[1]

International play
Medal record
Representing  Czech Republic
Ice hockey
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place2022 Finland
World Junior Championships
Silver medal – second place2023 Canada

Jiříček represented the Czech Republic at the 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, where he recorded one assist in four games.[11] He rejoined the national junior team at the 2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships the following year.[12][13] However, he suffered an injury in his first game after a knee-on-knee collision with Team Canada forward Will Cuylle, and was forced to withdraw from the tournament.[14] Jiříček returned to the ice for the 2022 IIHF World Championship, where he played five games in his debut with the senior national team, before a planned withdrawal to avoid overtaxing his knee.[7] He shared in the team's bronze medal win, the first World medal for the Czech Republic in ten years.[2]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2019–20 HC Škoda Plzeň ELH 4 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
2019–20 SHC Klatovy Czech.2 — — — — — 1 0 0 0 0
2020–21 HC Škoda Plzeň ELH 34 3 6 9 34 2 0 1 1 4
2021–22 HC Škoda Plzeň ELH 29 5 6 11 49 — — — — —
2022–23 Cleveland Monsters AHL 55 6 32 38 36 — — — — —
2022–23 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 4 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
ELH totals 67 8 12 20 85 2 0 1 1 4
NHL totals 4 0 0 0 2 — — — — —

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2021 Czech Republic U18 7th 4 0 0 0 8
2021 Czech Republic WJC 7th 5 1 1 2 2
2022 Czech Republic WC 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 5 1 1 2 0
2022 Czech Republic WJC 4th 7 0 3 3 2
2023 Czech Republic WJC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 7 3 4 7 2
Junior totals 23 4 8 12 14
Senior totals 5 1 1 2 0

References
  1. Arace, Michael (July 7, 2022). "A big defenseman is left for the Blue Jackets to draft with the 6th pick". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  2. Aykroyd, Lucas (May 29, 2022). "Czechs rally to thump U.S. for bronze". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  3. "Scouting Report: David Jiříček". smahtscouting.com. 22 December 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  4. Bell, Josh (28 April 2021). "Jiricek named Czech Extraliga Rookie of the Year". nhlentrydraft.com. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  5. Voltr, Martin (26 April 2021). "David Jiříček je nejlepším nováčkem extraligové sezony!". hokej.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  6. "Chiefs Select Defenseman David Jiricek in CHL Import Draft". spokanechiefs.com. 30 June 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  7. Portzline, Aaron (June 29, 2022). "No. 6 draft pick David Jiricek projects as an intimidating NHL defenseman". The Athletic. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  8. "Bob McKenzie's Final 2022 Draft Ranking". TSN. June 28, 2022. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  9. Campbell, Ken (July 7, 2022). "NHL Draft: Comparing top defensemen Jiricek and Nemec". The Hockey News. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  10. Zator, Matthew (June 24, 2022). "2022 NHL Draft Showdown: Simon Nemec vs. David Jiricek". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved July 11, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. Kimelman, Adam (24 December 2020). "2021 World Junior Championship rosters". National Hockey League. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  12. Kimelman, Adam (25 December 2021). "2022 World Junior Championship rosters". National Hockey League. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  13. Kennedy, Ryan (24 December 2021). "Czechia is Counting on David Jiricek at WJC". The Hockey News. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  14. "Power's hat trick leads Canada to win over Czechia in World Juniors". Sportsnet. December 26, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
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