By Neil Urbanski -
It was only one game, but it was a good one. Not for the injury-riddled Minnesota Wild, of course, who suffered a 6-1 decimation at the hands of the surging Colorado Avalanche. But for David Jiricek and the Wild, in the big picture.
Thursday’s game could be a potential launchpad for the team’s future at right defense. It could be a sign that their gamble acquiring the towering defenseman from the Columbus Blue Jackets could begin paying off as this season continues.
Let’s start with Jiricek’s individual statistics in his Wild debut. He had a 64% on-ice expected goals percentage, 60% Corsi, and 55% Fenwick in just over 16 minutes of ice time (including 2:12 spent quarterbacking the 2nd powerplay unit). He also had an even plus/minus on a night where the Wild’s makeshift top-four D corps was a combined -9.
Those numbers reflect a player who positively impacted play and drove possession in the minutes he played, even if John Hynes deployed Jiricek and partner Travis Dermott largely in a sheltered role against the Avalanche’s bottom six.
However, the most impressive aspect of Jiricek’s debut on Thursday was his understanding of the Wild’s desperate need for players to step up and attempt to dictate play from the back end on a night where they were missing their top-three defensemen.
Despite being a newcomer who wore the Wild sweater for the first time, Jiricek did so often. He regularly pinches up the wall in the offensive zone to extend forechecks and win puck battles.
The results of these efforts were mixed. Three of his four giveaways on the night came from attempts to force passes to the slot, resulting in possession changes. Still, he was willing to be aggressive and push play in circumstances where most 21-year-old players making their debut with a new team might be hesitant or cautious. That says a lot about Jiricek’s confidence and ability to dictate moments in a game.
Several times throughout the night, he displayed his high-end offensive instincts at the top of the zone, using impressive power on his lateral movements to walk the blue line with the puck and look for lanes to make plays. Ultimately, Jiricek played without fear and with an earnest desire to make a difference. It was an excellent first showing for a player who came to the organization with baggage.
Some of the concerns that plagued him in Columbus are still there. He has awkward skating and the tendency to get caught flat-footed and beat wide by faster players. Several times on Thursday, Jiricek, who tends to get too far out over his toes when changing direction or trying to pick up speed skating backward, lost body position in front of the net against smaller players who used their leverage to take advantage of the off-balance defenseman.
There were also a couple of instances where the Avalanche began to attack him in quick transition plays, and it looked as if he might get burned by a quicker skater. However, in one of those instances, Jiricek quickly recognized the danger and deftly stepped into a skating lane. He used his size well to get a piece of the onrushing skater and disrupt the play. The other ended with a missed pass.
While Colorado didn’t score any of Jiricek’s shifts, these moments highlighted Columbus’ concerns with his game. In the NHL, players only need a small opening to create goals or dangerous scoring opportunities. Therefore, these are deficiencies that the Wild will want to address with Jiricek as they build his game in Iowa and over the offseason. Look for them to continue to shelter him as much as possible in any NHL minutes he gets throughout this season.
Ultimately, Wild fans should be pleased with what they saw from Jiricek on Thursday night. He came to Minnesota ready to play. Even though he’ll almost certainly head back to Iowa as Jonas Brodin, Brock Faber, and Jared Spurgeon work their way back into the lineup, Jiricek demonstrated the ability to produce mature, NHL-quality shifts.
That’s something that Carson Lambos, despite the recent praise from Bill Guerin and others in the organization, hasn’t yet demonstrated consistently enough to warrant a serious look with the big squad. Jiricek’s size, ability to drive offense, and the fact that he’s right-handed mean that he has almost certainly cemented himself as the organization’s top defensive prospect not named Zeev Buium.
While he’ll likely remain behind Dermott on the organizational depth chart when the team is fully healthy, it would not be surprising to see him get more NHL games this season and occasionally slot in over Dermott or Jon Merrill.
It’s been a while since the Wild have had an offensively gifted defenseman with a booming shot like the one Jiricek can unleash. It was only one game, but Thursday night gave fans a first glimpse of a big part of the organization’s future. If what they saw is any small indication of things to come, it was a welcome sight.
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