DAVID JIRICEK

Defense
6’3/176
Right
HC Plzen/Czech

Related: Simon Nemec

David Jiricek is most likely going to be a top 10 pick in the 2022 draft, and also happens to be the second best defenseman in the draft. He rose to prominence during the U20 WJC, where he was a standout player for the Czech Republic, and was named to the U20 WJC top 3 player on team. Jiricek is a pretty well-round defenseman with all the tools to be a top-pair defenseman in the NHL.

Size/Strength Great
Skating Excellent
Shot/Scoring Good
Puckhandling Great
Physical Play Good
Offensive Play Great
Defensive Play Great
Hockey Sense Excellent
Competitiveness Excellent

Strengths

1. His excellent skating ability allows him to have great impactful four-way ability.
2. extremely active defenseman; never hesitates to activate to jump into the offensive attack.
3. Is excellent at walking the line to find shooting lanes, and has a great shot, especially on a one-timer.

Areas of Improvement

1. Doesn’t use his size to his advantage, and tends to play soft at times
2. His Shot is hit or miss

Scouting Report:

David Jiricek is a smooth-skating defenseman out of the Czech Republic, with great size at 6’3 and outstanding skating ability. He seems to float above the ice, with excellent technique and the edgework, pivots, and agility to cover ice in all directions. The Czech defenseman can do it all on the ice and has a great mix of size and skill. Jiricek is extremely active when he is on the ice, and he doesn’t hesitate to activate from the offensive blueline to become a threat from the high slot. He can walk the line and get a shot through traffic, or load up an absolute bomb of a one-timer. Jiricek has been playing against players older than him for a few years now; for a defenseman its even tougher for a younger player to not only play against but excel against players 2 to 3 years older than him. Jiricek has been a mainstay on the Czech national team
since the 2019-20 season, but in the 2020-21 season he really rose to prominence and shot up the draft ranking due to his play at the U20 WJC. David Jiricek is comparable to New York Islanders’ defenseman, Ryan Pulock, who is a big defenseman with excellent four way ability and a bomb of a shot. However, like Pulock, Jiricek may take a few years before he starts to show that is true number 1 defenseman. David Jiricek is a lock to go in the top 10, and has the potential to be a top pair defenseman in the future.

Skill: Smooth Skating defenseman, who is great at joining the offensive attack, and has a bomb from the point

NHL Comparison: Ryan Pulock

NHL Potential: 1st pair defenseman

Season	Team	League	GP	G	PTS
2019-20	HC Plzen U20	DHL CUP	24	6	17
	Czech Republic U17	International-Jr	12	5	11
2020-21	HC Plzen	Czech	34	3	9
	Czech Republic U18	International-Jr	3	2	3
	Czech Republic U20	WJC-20	5	1	2