Player Discussion: David Jiricek, 6th Overall, 2022 Draft

[thebus88]

I think the “I don’t get it line” was more pointed to the hockey media hounding the Jackets over this situation, not really Jiricek himself.

Wait, that's what those last few posts were about? A presumption that JD was supposedly griping about Jiricek's attitude?

Holy f***, people. That's insane. He's going on and on about the media being stupid the whole time and y'all're assuming he abruptly pivots to Jiricek directly in the middle of that rant with no rationale beyond it makes the FO look as bad and clueless as possible. Go touch grass, please.

Actually, after listening to JD’s actual words, it seems he’s making a stance against both Jiricek and the media.

WHAT REALLY matters now, is how Jiricek really feels, along with his personality/maturity, and if he will be able get over his negative feeling about the situation. The question is how upset he really is. JD also called him a “liability at times” (which IS accurate) and the whole 13 year old girl thing. I wonder if Vincent got that idea from Torts. Love it, really.

—And thinking more about it, I wonder if anyone could read deeply into his, “and it’s going to be with the Blue Jackets” regarding Jiricek’s “future”. I WONDER if that is a response or rebuttal of sorts to Jiricek/his agent and if there have been things expressed from them to the team about a possible trade——

I don’t actually disagree about what JD actually says, he actually brings up both himself and Jarmo personally being sent down in their careers. To be clear, more was directed towards Jiricek than what reading about what he said made it seem like.

I do agree with some others, that they don’t necessarily need to air their opinions in public in these situations with the potential to “alienate” a player, but at the same time, it’s somewhat of a “test” of a player to see where their mindset is when it comes to the individual player vs the CBJ team, and quite frank IMO Jiricek has so far “failed” the test, as have other young promising/“blue chip” CBJ prospects of the past.

 

[majormajor]

jiricek absolutely has a point, by the way. he's been a relatively effective 5v5 player. he's last by a wide margin in ice time among cbj defensemen, but top-three in xGF% (2nd), GF% (3rd), CA/60 (2nd), GA/60 (1st), xGA/60 (2nd) and HDCA/60 (2nd).

If the framing is who are the best 4D for the Jackets or best 6D for the Jackets, then we can debate it. I of course think the only proper frame is "what is best for Jiricek in the long run", that's it.

But don't forget that the kid is somewhat sheltered, which skews the stats. The opposing forward he has played the most minutes against is Beck Malenstyn. I haven't conducted a thorough analysis of how much sheltering there has been, but on first glance it looks like a lot.

I get it, he feels entitled. But that doesn't make him right. And it seriously degrades my opinion of his professionalism. Yes, he has been jerked around a bit, and the organization does seem to be clueless about how to use him. But whining is not the solution. I had hoped he was mature enough to know that, but apparently he is not.

I wouldn't even yield that. The kid needs perspective. He has an enormous privilege to play professional hockey, even in the AHL. For all the whining about the apartment costs, he's made about half a million dollars so far this year. I don't think he's been jerked around. I'm not giving up on the kid but he has some growing up to do, we need players to think team first and not be so obsessed with themselves.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

 

[stevo61]

odd pair on paper and for the bit of the game I watched an odd pair on the ice

 

[NotCommitted]

jiricek absolutely has a point, by the way. he's been a relatively effective 5v5 player. he's last by a wide margin in ice time among cbj defensemen, but top-three in xGF% (2nd), GF% (3rd), CA/60 (2nd), GA/60 (1st), xGA/60 (2nd) and HDCA/60 (2nd).

more importantly, he only has 25 seconds of power play time, after being awesome on the power play last year in cleveland (24 points!).

I've looked at those stats and the way you put it makes it seem way more impressive than the way I would put it. You're saying he's "top-3", I'm saying he's practically tied with a bunch of other guys, none of who have been very impressive and some of which have faced tougher assignments than him. For most of those stats there's really not any separation between being "top-3" or bottom pair.

I somewhat agree with the PP thing, but it's not really a problem specific to Jiricek, it's a league wide thing where PP is still seen as some kind of "reward" you "earn" and it's made worse because even D-men are paid largely for points, which does make sense for 5v5. But having or not having those PP points on top of that might make a huge difference for your career earnings, so it creates a weird situation where it almost seems like those "easy" PP points are overrated, yet skills that make you a great D-man on the PP are kind of ignored and you get the gig based on other merits, which might or might not have anything to do with how well you actually do on the power play and fit the composition of your PP-unit(s).

 

[CBJWerenski8]

 

[Ice9]

So he's stuck right there in between being almost too good at the AHL level and just not quite adapted to the NHL. Is it inconsistent effort? Skills not quite there yet? Speed of NHL decision making not fully developed? All of those?

Still think a playoff run with playoff type pressure would be good for him and about another 4 or 5 guys. Want to see this guy succeed.

 

[stevo61]

So he's stuck right there in between being almost too good at the AHL level and just not quite adapted to the NHL. Is it inconsistent effort? Skills not quite there yet? Speed of NHL decision making not fully developed? All of those?

Still think a playoff run with playoff type pressure would be good for him and about another 4 or 5 guys. Want to see this guy succeed.

Hes not too good for the AHL. His biggest issue is some of the physical tools dont match the mental tools yet. He'll get there, he does get cute sometimes or a bit over aggressive but I 100% want guys you have to reel in sometimes over guys you constantly have to push

 

[Ice9]

Hes not too good for the AHL. His biggest issue is the physical tools dont match the mental tools yet. He'll get there, he does get cute sometimes or a bit over aggressive but I 100% want guys you have to reel in sometimes over guys you constantly have to push

Ya know I completely left that option out and while coaching seen it many times. Players know where to be and what to do but don't have 100% control of the body. Seen it many times with BIG kids 12-15 years old with a big unwieldy bodies for their age. Id think at his age he'd be used to his size but not necessarily I suppose.

 

[stevo61]

Ya know I completely left that option out and while coaching seen it many times. Players know where to be and what to do but don't have 100% control of the body. Seen it many times with BIG kids 12-15 years old with a big unwieldy bodies for their age. Id think at his age he'd be used to his size but not necessarily I suppose.

He was 6'3 189lbs at the draft so while not small still had some filling out to do plus the knee injury did him no favours. (did for us though, no way hes there at 6 without it) I dont know what his training was like when he was younger but there are some clear improvements needed in his core/legs paired with improved skating.

His brother is basically the same case, even following the footsteps of the untimely bad injury

 

[majormajor]

Ya know I completely left that option out and while coaching seen it many times. Players know where to be and what to do but don't have 100% control of the body. Seen it many times with BIG kids 12-15 years old with a big unwieldy bodies for their age. Id think at his age he'd be used to his size but not necessarily I suppose.

Jiricek has been 6'3 ish at least since he was 16. He isn't filled out yet. He's got a lot of room for strength gains in the core and lower body. I think it's a strength issue more than coordination, but could be both, it often is at that age.

His brother is basically the same case, even following the footsteps of the untimely bad injury

They're both very aggressive and can play mean, and love to activate. But beyond that I don't see as much resemblance. Adam is a great skater, he's not as strong in the upper body as David, but seems more balanced, perhaps just better skating making him look that way. Supposedly his decision making has looked much worse in Czech league this year, that was never an issue for David.

 

[stevo61]

Jiricek has been 6'3 ish at least since he was 16. He isn't filled out yet. He's got a lot of room for strength gains in the core and lower body. I think it's a strength issue more than coordination, but could be both, it often is at that age.



They're both very aggressive and can play mean, and love to activate. But beyond that I don't see as much resemblance. Adam is a great skater, he's not as strong in the upper body as David, but seems more balanced, perhaps just better skating making him look that way. Supposedly his decision making has looked much worse in Czech league this year, that was never an issue for David.

Hes slight for his height is basically what I was getting at. Probably some genetics at play. Good sized kids but also arent those teenagers that are basically fully developed men at 18/19. Id expect it to take Adam multiple years to develop physically also

 

[majormajor]

Hes slight for his height is basically what I was getting at. Probably some genetics at play. Good sized kids but also arent those teenagers that are basically fully developed men at 18/19. Id expect it to take Adam multiple years to develop physically also

I see what you mean now. I was thinking of how the lankiness manifests itself in different ways on the ice.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

Walsh was at the game today, btw. Thought that was important to mention

 

[CBJx614]

When he played this aggressive in the NHL he looked good.


The problem is he's done it like maybe a handful of times. Whether that's because his own confidence or the coaching staff...I don't know.

 

[majormajor]

The problem is he's done it like maybe a handful of times. Whether that's because his own confidence or the coaching staff...I don't know.

It's not the coaching staff, we have the most activation friendly coaching you can get. I've seen Jiricek try to activate many more than a few times in the NHL, it just doesn't look as easy vs NHL defense.

 

[ThirdPeriodTurtle]

When he played this aggressive in the NHL he looked good.

He's done that second goal a few times now, probably can't do that with stone hands at that speed.

If he can string along ten of these games, then he's "mastered" the AHL.

Maybe a good time to post this: I didn't really like his off-ice attitude/decision to drink with friends while he was doing the Pipeline Podcast for the CBJ Radio a year ago (link, 4:10 probably a Pilsner Urquell cap echoes, cans/beers open throughout from thereon... or maybe it's all soda cans). I find myself agreeing with thebus in this thread so I'll borrow his words too, didn't "jive" with me very well when listening to that. Maybe Dylan should've rescheduled too, not a very professional look on anybody. He's a young kid so I get it, getting his first taste of American culture and whatnot, but I hope he takes things more seriously in the near future. Really could've used that Jagr/Voracek influence I think.

Anyhow I hope this is all water under the bridge by next season.

 

[majormajor]

Really could've used that Jagr/Voracek influence I think.

This could be interpreted in different ways. Both Jagr and Voracek were (are?) party animals, but maybe they'd keep a kid in check.

 

[NotCommitted]

You don't probably have to teach Czech people to drink beer, they have quite a rich history and great beverages for it Btw I think Voracek would be a great guy to have in the room still, I always got the feeling he had a good mixture of sensible vet and let's call it "big personality" that was good to have with some of the young players in the org, I would also imagine he generally made life in the team a bit more fun in a good way. Good work ethic and being responsible for the team are important things but depending on your personality, I think some people might need some help in realizing it's only a game and sometimes you give your best when you're also relaxed and don't take it too seriously. In other words there's balance for everything.

I would like to ask Jiricek if it was that horrible to play for the Monsters and score a hat trick.

I think that is the player the org wants him to become on an NHL level, not so much the hat trick and some things are never going to be as "easy" on the NHL level no matter how good you are, but you know... At least I believe it does a lot of good to him to still have these AHL stints to build confidence and then come back to NHL and try to translate what you can into that game and see where you're at. IMO he needs to come into the understanding playing in the AHL at the stage where he is at with his career and development is not really a "demotion", even though I understand there are aspects to it that really suck, like the cut in paycheck. But the long term outlook is important and the better his development is handled by the org, the bigger his eventual big money paychecks also will be, even if he doesn't always like the decisions.

 

[VT]

And how was his overall game? Defense, playing without the puck, creating scoring chances for his 5x5 partners. Defenseman is not forward, he has to control these things as well.
Only a question.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

 

[CBJWerenski8]

Davidson went to Cleveland to watch the Monsters last week while the Blue Jackets played in New York. He wasn’t there specifically to see defenseman David Jiricek but has closely watched how Jiricek has played in the 15 games (5-7-12, minus-8) since he was sent down in late January. Jiricek has made it clear he believes he’s an NHL defenseman, but he’s handled the stint well, Davidson said. “There hasn’t been a problem, and I’m really happy about that,” said Davidson. “When you have noise all over the place, it takes away from the focus of just playing and getting better and being coached. He’s doing all of the above, which is good.”

 

[majormajor]

I only caught about five of Jiricek's shifts today.

He was really bad, to be clear, but the way he played made me encouraged with him as a prospect. Several times on retrievals, Jiricek scooped up the puck and then made tight maneuvers (and hip-pocket dangles) to get past the forecheck, only to lose balance and give the puck away. I think the reason he can't do this yet in the NHL is because he's still in the bambi stage, still doesn't have the strength to keep balanced. I love what he's trying to do, and in his prime I think he'll have a special ability to get around the forecheck and make great breakout passes.

You can also see him reading and reacting constantly, he's not mentally locked into a dump-in situation, he'll make a sneaky pass at the offensive blue line if opponents let him. It's nice to see when we have so many players not thinking out there.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

My alarm bells for him as a player are starting (key word, starting) to ring. I don’t see much development. And I don’t think the team is helping him.

Really wish they’d let him play on the PP to maybe give him some confidence.

He’s got a big summer ahead

 

[majormajor]

My alarm bells for him as a player are starting (key word, starting) to ring. I don’t see much development. And I don’t think the team is helping him.

Really wish they’d let him play on the PP to maybe give him some confidence.

He’s got a big summer ahead

He looked confident to me. I think this is a physical readiness issue.