Quoting: Smitty426
There's a guy on the Devils threads in HF boards.com that wrote him up, has him similar to Moritz Seider in Det.
RD David Jiricek, HC Plzen Czech
"It was imperative to me to quickly write up Jiricek, as I've been writing a great deal about him since last year and he's one of the most intriguing players in the draft, playing at the position of greatest need in the New Jersey Devils organization.
David Jiricek is an absolute beast -- 6'3-190 and always playing with tenacity which borders on abject ferocity. He is one of the most physical defenders to come out of the draft in years, and he has the strength and athleticism to back it up. Playing in the Czech men's league as a teenager, Jiricek already changes the way opposition offenses approach the zone -- he's one of those defenders you always need to be aware of on several levels. He punishing in the crease and the corners, always seeking an open ice hit, and nearly impossible to beat in a one-on-one physical battle. There's no point in throwing the puck in his corner, because he's just going to come out with the puck, and once Jiricek gets the puck he really knows what to do with it.
Jiricek's puck skills are what separate him from the typical defensive defenseman and make him a likely pick for the top half of the first round in a stacked 2022 draft class. Though I would be reticent to classify him as an elite puck-mover like a Drysdale or Hughes or Clarke, Jiricek has excellent awareness and anticipation rare in a defenseman with such elite shut-down potential. He's always thinking one-step ahead, which allows him to make quick accurate passes in all three zones. He's capable of getting the puck in full stride as he enters the offensive zone and lasering a cross-ice pass onto a rushing forward's blade in full stride. It's very impressive.
Jiricek's abilities are further accentuated by some other outstanding abilities. He's a terrific skater with room to improve. Though not an elite skater in the vein of a Drysdale or Hughes, Jiricek still features 4-way mobility, acceleration and top speeds rare in a defenseman of his size and physicality. His skating is an asset now, will be an asset going forwards, and with a few improvements will increase his ceiling on either side of the puck. The young Czech's best offensive asset could be his shot -- it's an absolute cannon from the point. Though his overall offensive vision would rank him a bit shy of the elite NHL PP quarterbacks, his shot could see him one day on an NHL top PP unit as the trigger man. He's very good at using his lateral mobility to side step defending forwards and give himself passing and shooting lanes. With the passing lanes, as I've mentioned, he's very good at utilizing them, while not elite. But if you give Jiricek a shooting lane? He's downright deadly. That shot is an absolute weapon. His wrist shot is quick and accurate, and his slap shot can beat Czech men's league goalies clean from the blueline.
I feel Jiricek's shooting is what separates him from a player he's likely to be compared to from the 2021 draft in Simon Edvinsson. While their size, power and physicality -- along with strong defensive play and high compete level -- are comparable, I feel Jiricek has a clear edge in passing vision and a ridiculous edge in shooting. In Edvinsson's defense, the 2021 6th overall pick is an even better skater with a better set of hands, but it's important to note that Jiricek is strong in both areas, as well. But I feel Jiricek has a similar high-end defensive upside to Edvinsson while offering markedly superior offensive upside. That shot alone can see Jiricek hit his ceiling as a 15-20 goal scorer from the point.
Again, the offense is a bonus here. Jiricek's calling card is size, defense, mobility and physicality, along with a strong awareness in all three zones. But we should not confuse him offensively with Cale Makar or John Carlson, because that's just not the foremost strength in his game.
David Jiricek is a player for Devils fans to keep an eye on -- a big, fast physical shut-down RD with intriguing offensive potential due to underrated awareness and a bomb of a shot."
Wow. Sounds good.
Also a good write-up.
HFBoards gets a little chaotic for me. Someone needs to make a Cliffnotes version, because there is some quality on there. Just hard to find sometimes.
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