2022 NHL Draft: David Jiříček is massive and good

Welcome to Hockey Wilderness’ coverage of the 2022 NHL Draft. We will not act like experts, nor will we act like we have watched hours of footage of these players. So instead, we have opted to rely on the opinion of people who have, and have compiled plenty of information from different publications regarding these prospects. Note: This is not a ranking, but just going down a list of interesting draft-eligible dudes without any order in mind.

Sometimes, you just don’t need any flash or sexiness when it comes to your top draft picks. You just want to nab a dude in the top-10 that will provide you with a decade of solid contributions and stay that way. They might blossom into more and suddenly be a franchise cornerstone, or they can just be a very stable presence and one of the first skaters that you think of when conjuring up a fantasy lineup.

David Jiříček, the long and lanky defenseman from Czechia, is exactly that. He might not be the ultimate offensive contributor and transitional blueliner like Simon Nemec can be, or a gutsy, dazzling forward like Matthew Savoie, but Jiricek is just so projectable and someone that can eat up minutes and be part of a very good team.

Pre-Draft Rankings

#4 (EU skaters) by NHL Central Scouting
#7 by McKenzie/TSN (midseason)
#7 by Dobber Prospects (April)
#6 by Wheeler/The Athletic
#2 by EliteProspects

What Scouts Are Saying

Would They Fit In With The Wild?

Yes. The right side of the Minnesota Wild’s blue line is fairly unstable after Jared Spurgeon — especially with Matt Dumba’s looming contract expiry — and somehow getting Jiricek would be able to calm some nerves. And, as a bonus, he does seem to just give some size that the top defensemen on this team do not possess.

Can The Wild Get Them?

We write the same exact thing in this section for every other top prospect in this draft class, but if the Wild somehow trade Kevin Fiala — as it seems more and more likely every single day — for a top-10 pick, then selecting Jiříček is a real option. If they don’t do that, sitting at 24th overall is way too far away to nab the defenseman.

A Minnesota Relation

Maybe the wound is too fresh, but considering it’s an all-situations, all-zones, sizeable type of defenseman, maybe the comparison can be if Ryan Suter grew a few inches? He was just a very stable force on the top pair for so damn long. Nothing flashy, not winning any individual awards or getting Norris hype; but just being there and good.

2022 NHL Draft Board