The Blues will be seeing a lot more of Adam Jiricek than they saw last week during the club’s development camp.
Jiricek — the team’s first-round pick at this summer’s draft — was held off the ice last week as he recovers from a knee injury that sidelined him for the last half of the season. But he still was in ºüÀêÊÓƵ with the rest of the prospect pool, relegated to being a spectator in the crowd.
“Good to see the rink, to see the city and be here for a full program,†Jiricek said.
In the fall, Jiricek could be closer to the Blues than his native Czechia, where he played last season.
Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said Jiricek is working through “the likelihood of potentially going to major junior†hockey in Canada. That could mean playing for Brantford in the Ontario Hockey League because it owns his rights there. Armstrong noted that it’s easier for Jiricek to come play junior hockey in North America now that he’s signed his entry-level contract.
People are also reading…
Jiricek himself said, “I don’t know where I’m going to play next year, but I am expecting I will be 100% next season,†adding that “I want to make the best decision to play next year.â€
The Blues signed him to a three-year entry-level deal last week, making him the first 2024 draft pick to sign with an NHL team.
“As a first-round pick, not many first-round picks don’t get signed, so (it’s either) pay me now, pay me later,†Armstrong said. “Put a little of that American dollars in his pocket, I guess.â€
In Jiricek, the Blues have placed a hefty bet that he’ll be able to rebound from his knee injury to become a top-pair-caliber defenseman in the NHL. When he was picked at No. 16, he became the highest-drafted defenseman by the Blues since Alex Pietrangelo went No. 4 in 2008.
A right-handed shot with a 6-foot-3 frame to build around (he was listed at just 167 pounds), Jiricek brings a two-way game to the ice.
“We’re trying to get bigger on the back end with more skill throughout the whole organization,†Blues assistant general manager Tim Taylor said. “He brings all those elements. Obviously, we signed him so we’re excited to have him.
“He had the knee injury, so I think he’s three weeks to a month away from getting on the ice. Another young player that we’re excited to have in the organization. Great attitude, he’s eager to go. A guy that brings some more skill on the back end for us.â€
Should Jiricek indeed come to North America to play junior hockey, he will be more available to the Blues’ management team. He could play in the club’s prospect tournament with Chicago and Minnesota in mid-September. He could participate in training camp and even play in NHL preseason games.
None of that would be possible if Jiricek remained overseas. Plus by coming over he could be playing a big role on a team filled with players his own age instead of being potentially buried on the depth chart on a professional team in Europe.
“Every situation is totally different,†Taylor said. “We do like them coming over, we just like them to play in the best spot that’s possible to reach their goals each year. We don’t like players to be stagnant for a full year because it’s such a young league now, you can’t afford to have guys not develop. They have to take a step every year. That’s our philosophy. They just have to play in the best spot that’s available to them to grow.â€
If Jiricek does play in North America, he would join a growing list of European-drafted players the Blues have brought over to play junior hockey.
Dalibor Dvorsky (Slovakian) moved from Sweden to Sudbury in the OHL last season. Juraj Pekarcik (Slovakian) played in the USHL for Dubuque last season, and will be playing in the CHL next season — Acadie-Bathurst in Quebec owns his rights. Jakub Stancl (Czech) is projected to play in the CHL in the fall, and Kelowna of the WHL owns his rights.
For Jiricek, the influx of Czechs and Slovakians made for an easy transition to the Blues. In Jiricek, Dvorsky, Pekarcik, Stancl, Ondrej Kos (Czech) and Adam Jecho (Czech), there was a handful of players who could speak in their native tongue to each other.
Ironically, it was Pekarcik who fell on Jiricek at the World Junior Championship resulting in his season-ending injury.
“It’s funny the player who hurts me, he’s my teammate right now,†Jiricek said. “Juraj Pekarcik fall on my knee, and it was a very unlucky situation, so I can’t be mad at him. It was hockey, and it was an unlucky situation.â€
Armstrong and the Blues felt comfortable enough with Jiricek’s recovery to take him in the first round, and expect him to be on the ice soon.
“He’s going to go home, we’re working with his people at home to make sure our strength staff and training staff are comfortable,†Armstrong said. “If he’s not ready right at training camp, it’s going to be very close. We obviously did our due diligence on the injury and how he’s going to respond to it.â€