With the 2024 Trade Deadline now in the rearview mirror, we’ll resume our 2024 Draft preview series.
Yes, the big even is still more three months away. However, there are dozens of potential picks to look at through a deeper lens.
Thus far, our handful of 2024 Draft preview articles already posted have had an ongoing theme: family. All of the players we’ve been featuring have had a family already selected by an NHL team, and this article is no exception.
One of the biggest obstacles in evaluating a player and projecting their future performance is how they respond when returning from an injury that takes them out of the lineup for a period of time. This upcoming player was rated fairly highly, yet has fallen to such a fate.
It is also important to consider position. As we’ve discussed multiple times in previous articles throughout this series, teams should not draft on ‘need.’ That’s primarily because over time, organizational needs often change. In LA, General Manager Rob Blake has kept a consistent stock of right-handed defensive prospects: Brandt Clarke, Jordan Spence, Otto Salin, Matthew Mania, and Jack Sparkes. As the past few years will show, though, the depth chart can change quickly. Brock Faber, Sean Durzi, and Sean Walker were all traded in the past two off seasons. By the time a prospect is ready, he may become that need.
Adam Jiricek
Vitals
Date of Birth: June 28, 2006
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 168 lbs
Shoots: Right
Position: Defense
2023-24 Season
Jiricek has spent the season playing for HC Plzen in both the professional and junior level. He has 1 point, an assist in 19 games of Czechia’s top league.
High Profile Brother
Jiricek is the younger brother of David, who was drafted sixth overall by Columbus in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. David has had a bit of attention recently when he spouted frustration being sent down to the AHL.
Holiday Heartbreak
One of our favorite tournaments held throughout the year is the World Junior Championship, which begins every year on Boxing Day (December 26). Being able to represent one’s own country is among the highest honors a junior-level player can receive. Jiricek had such recognition for the most recent tourney; unfortunately, he was injured during his first game against Slovakia, and has subsequently been ruled out for the remainder of 2023-24.
In an unfortunate coincidence, his aforementioned brother, David, also suffered an injury during day 1 of the same World Juniors.
Rights of OHLnership
Every year, the three CHL leagues (OHL, QMJHL, WHL) have multiple drafts, which are similar to any regular draft. With European players, however, things get handled a little bit differently. Each team has a limit on the number of ‘imports’ who can play for their team. For the 2023 CHL Import Draft, Brantford selected Jiricek 19th overall.
What this means for an NHL team that drafts him is the options available for where Jiricek could play once he’s healthy are plentiful: NHL, AHL, Europe, or the OHL.
We explained how this works here, and it’s something the came into play for the Kings with recent top pick Jakob Dvorak just a few months ago.
Rankings by Independent Scouting Services
Ranked No 8 by The Hockey News. In a subsequent article, Tony Ferrari shared some insight on him: “Playing against men, Adam Jiricek looks like a functional player at both ends of the ice. He played with hesitation in this game, which can be a bit of an issue at times because he is so often trying to keep mistakes to a minimum.”
Ranked No 14 by Dobber Prospects. They wrote, “Jiricek has struggled this season, hesitation has plagued his on-puck game in our viewings and the flashes of confidence and offensive play-driving he showed at the Hlinka over the summer have been few and far between in league play this year, both at the pro and U20 levels. That said, his tools forced our hand in keeping him inside our top 15. Few sub-160 lbs players are as vicious on a shift-to-shift basis as the younger Jiricek, his physicality is already a clear strength so once he adds 30-40 lbs to his frame, he’s going to be a scary sight.”
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Final Comments
There is a high-risk, high reward scenario should the Kings draft Jiricek. This past season, the lanky defender had a concussion and a season-ending lower body injury. Either one in isolation can be cause for concern, and both within a month leaves one hoping he just walked under a ladder and gave himself a short string of bad luck.
The injury and missing time becomes exponentially concerning, as a very formative season and growth opportunity has been lost. Simply stated, young players need to play.
As far as style of play, this is where some of the rewards can be actualized, though it will take time. The native of Plzen shows a vast array of individual tools – good size at 6-foot-2, breakout passes, skating, and a heavy shot. He’s extremely lanky at only 168 pounds, so weight will be added for that size to have significant meaning. For now, though, there’s still an opportunity to take away space with his stick. Coupled with his skating ability, and there’s a defender with the capability to cover a lot of ice.
His breakout passes and heavy shots from the point are Jiricek’s bread and butter. There’s little deception when he’s ready to dish, yet he finds his mark with precision. When he commits to taking a shot, a lot of velocity gets carried into it. However, these shots could afford to be better at getting through traffic.
Because the Kings have a few solid, young, right-handed defensemen, they could likely afford to take their time on a player like Jiricek. Along with his health, he simply has not played as the sum of his parts. Each of these qualities need to be put together more consistently on a shift-by-shift basis. And these qualities would stand out further if he just added a dimension to each: weight to frame, deception to passes, and accuracy to shots. Since he was drafted by the Brantford Bulldogs, spending at least his D+1 season in the OHL would give a chance to refine these skills.
Chat with David: You can find him on Twitter @Davidenkness to talk more hockey.
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