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  • Do The Wild Still Want David Jiricek?

    Image courtesy of © Brad Penner-Imagn Images
    Thomas Williams

    By Thomas Williams -

    David Jiricek has been caught in the middle a little bit. When the Minnesota Wild traded a boatload of draft picks and a defenseman (that they eventually got back, in Daemon Hunt) for the former sixth-overall pick, he was seen as more of an instant answer for some offense from the blue line for the NHL club. 

    Now over a year later, Jiricek is on the bubble and splitting time between the AHL and NHL. But still, he just turned 22 years old in November and has all the potential to work out. Well, the Wild certainly still hold that confidence in his ability.

    In Michael Russo's latest at The Athletic, the Wild's director of player development Brad Bombardir made it clear that Jiricek is still in their plans and fans need to have some patience.

    Quote

    “I believe he’s going to be a hell of a player for us, I do,” Wild director of player development Brad Bombardir told The Athletic. “I have no qualms with it. He’s shown some great areas where he’s really effective. I have no problem with him. I know internally we have an incredible amount of patience. You have to give them time. On the outside, it’s where he’s drafted and all that, but that’s just a number. Beyond that, you have to have the ability to put the work in. Be patient. Let guys fail, let guys succeed, they will reward you eventually. Everyone wants to fast-track guys, and it’s hard.”

    Bombardir said it’s important for prospects to cycle through the NHL with enough reps to get a better feel for and understanding of opposing teams and players, how the game is played at this level.

    “It’s really difficult to play in the NHL — you can get some games, but it’s tough to survive in the NHL,” said Bombardir, a former defenseman who played 356 games in the NHL. “Most of those guys do because you start to understand teams, start to understand the game, you start to understand your opponent more. For young guys, and (Jiricek) is the same way, he needs time to cycle through players and teams. Time can be a great asset for guys.

    “He’s going to be a tremendous player for us. I have no problem with him at all. I know internally we’re extremely happy with him and he’ll continue to grow.”

    That's Wild

    • What have we learned in the first 11 games of the Quinn Hughes Era in Minnesota? [Hockey Wilderness]
    • Unfortunately the Wild couldn't scratch and claw their way back in this one, as they lost 4-2 to the Kings, making their trip to Los Angeles a total of just one point earned out of the possible four. [StarTribune]
    • Wild prospect Adam Benak had to settle for the silver medal in the final game of the World Juniors as the pre-tournament favorite Sweden took home the gold. [Sportsnet]

    Off the trail...

    • The Seattle Kraken continue to be the most volatile team in the NHL. They started out the season very well, hit a massive road bump that sunk them, and then now have points in their last eight games. [NHL.com]
    • The Canucks have hired former NHL defenseman Jack Johnson as a scout. [CanucksArmy]
    • A little bit of a fun thought exercise: Who wins between the United States' and Canada's B team? [ESPN]
    By Thomas Williams  

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    B1GKappa97
    Quote

    When the Minnesota Wild traded a boatload of draft picks and a defenseman (that they eventually got back, in Daemon Hunt) for the former sixth-overall pick, he was seen as more of an instant answer for some offense from the blue line for the NHL club. 

    I don't think this was the case at all. They still had Spurgy, Faber and Bogo on the roster when they traded for Jiricek. The GM literally called it 'an investment.' 

    I don't think the plan was for Jiricek to instantly supplant anyone on the NHL roster. And if it was, they sure didn't make it seem that way. 

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    MrCheatachu

    The most interesting line in Russo's article was the last line:

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    Bombardir said the staff was really pleased with how Carson Lambos handled himself in his much-waited NHL debut, and said fellow defense prospect David Spacek has taken another step in the last six weeks in Iowa...Scouts we spoke with at the World Junior tournament feel Hunter Haight and Spacek are the top two Wild prospects in Iowa.

    I'm guessing that the article and access to Bombardir fluffing up Jiricek/Lambos means the team would be delighted to trade either of those guys as a package toward the 'top six' guy they're rumored to look for.  However, it seems the league is more interested in Haight/Spacek...

     

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    mnfaninnc

    I still like Jiricek, but he is still a project. I'm convinced he has to unlearn a lot of bad habits he got away with because he could dominate the junior leagues so well with his size. However, now everyone is better and he has struggled by doing the same things he's always done. 

    When you break down players and try to get rid of their bad habits, not everyone takes it the same way. But, generally speaking, the guys who have bad habits to break look like disasters until the good habits can be implemented. 

    This may be why Neil saw that he was making less of an impact and more safe plays when viewing him in Des Moines. I'd like to see him pull everything together, and I'd also like to see the Wild unleash his body checking ability to throw big hits. His scouting report mentioned he was a very willing defender, but he doesn't defend the way most of our undersized defenders do, he uses the cancel out method. That's why I think teaming him with Brodin would help. Brodin, like Faber, can cover 60% of the gaps giving Jiricek less ice responsibility. 

    The calming influence of Hunt was a real good look at that. When Jiricek and Buium were together it looked like a 5 alarm fire. But when Hunt was installed in the lineup, everything settled down on that 3rd pair. Brodin is a better safety blanket than Hunt and I think the pairing would be very good. 

    Then, there is the fact that we simply don't have guys in the system that match Jiricek's physical attributes. So, we need to be patient as these big guys just take longer. Our defense is fine now. We can just hide Jiricek in Des Moines and have Neil update his progress. If we trade out a guy, I'd be looking at Lambos or Spacek who appear to be more ready than Jiricek. 

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    MrCheatachu
    3 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

    This is fine with me. 

    Yeah.  I think Aron Kiviharju, who wore the 'C' for the Fins and Charlie Stramel leading the 2nd ranked NCAA team in points will get a return right now too...

    I think Kiviharju's draft day proclamation to SillyG is going to keep him here, SillyG seems to eat that crap up.  I think StrayDawg is probably going to stick under wild control too.  6'3 and 215lb is like two marco rossi's in a trench-coat...Guerin couldnt pass that up.

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    mnfaninnc
    13 minutes ago, Pewterschmidt said:

    I liked what I saw from Haight earlier, so I’m penciling him in as bottom six C next season.

    Why would you do that? We've got Sturm for another year at 4 and probably gaining a center by the end of the year. He'd be good trade bait.

    And, I look up the stats in Iowa and see all these minus players. 🤷‍♂️

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    Pewterschmidt
    3 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

    Why would you do that? We've got Sturm for another year at 4 and probably gaining a center by the end of the year. He'd be good trade bait.

    And, I look up the stats in Iowa and see all these minus players. 🤷‍♂️

    Sturm costs $2M AAV and he’s the definition of just a guy.  Gudreau has more utility that Sturm.  Haight at least offers the hope of potential

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    Imyourhuckleberry
    4 hours ago, Pewterschmidt said:

    Sturm costs $2M AAV and he’s the definition of just a guy.  Gudreau has more utility that Sturm.  Haight at least offers the hope of potential

    Haight seems like a fine prospect, but Sturm is a solid NHL player that kills penalties and wins faceoffs at a decent clip. I think they'd try Haight at wing before moving Sturm to create room at C for him.

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    TCMooch

    Would love for Jiricek to get called up and not look like ass so we can trade him because his ceiling is a bottom pairing if he’ll even stick in the NHL at all

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    mnfaninnc
    9 hours ago, Pewterschmidt said:

    Sturm costs $2M AAV and he’s the definition of just a guy.  Gudreau has more utility that Sturm.  Haight at least offers the hope of potential

    Sturm is exactly the kind of depth guy we need in the playoffs. Like Trenin, you will see his value come April.

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    Pewterschmidt
    1 hour ago, mnfaninnc said:

    Sturm is exactly the kind of depth guy we need in the playoffs. Like Trenin, you will see his value come April.

    Ok mnfan I will follow your optimism, and ignore the fact that he was healthy scratched the last two playoff years

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    MrCheatachu
    12 hours ago, Pewterschmidt said:

    Ok mnfan I will follow your optimism, and ignore the fact that he was healthy scratched the last two playoff years

    You seem to be ignoring his GRIT

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    mnfaninnc
    12 hours ago, Pewterschmidt said:

    Ok mnfan I will follow your optimism, and ignore the fact that he was healthy scratched the last two playoff years

    He was with teams that were stacked and he was merely a depth piece. However, we're thin down the middle which means he will have to play a part in this run. 

    He's large, can skate, and can use his body effectively, not only to throw monster hits which he rarely does, but to wall off opponents which he usually does. Trenin went full Conan the Barbarian last playoffs, I think Sturm will be more subtle, but valuable. 

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    Pewterschmidt
    21 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

    use his body effectively, not only to throw monster hits which he rarely does

    Doesn’t hit, doesn’t score, fo% = 48.9%, missed 1/3 of season already…just a guy. 
     

    image.gif.4da42943f2cbf3146d3bc2b079b3eded.gif

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    Will D. Ness

    Our 4th line is looking pretty good IMO.  Freddy G might have had better hands and agility than Sturm but never was physical enough to really center a checking line. 

    I think replacing Freddy with Sturm is a good move, although we do miss Freddy in the SO.  We need a hard checking line, especially for the playoffs.

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    Pewterschmidt
    11 minutes ago, Will D. Ness said:

    Our 4th line is looking pretty good IMO.  Freddy G might have had better hands and agility than Sturm but never was physical enough to really center a checking line. 

    I think replacing Freddy with Sturm is a good move, although we do miss Freddy in the SO.  We need a hard checking line, especially for the playoffs.

    I agree.  It’s just that mnfan was glossing sturmbucket’s and I couldn’t bite my tongue.  I have to live out here in reality.  

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