David Jiricek was selected by the Blue Jackets in the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft at No. 6 overall and made his NHL debut on Oct. 28 of that year against the Boston Bruins at Nationwide Arena.
One of the top prospects in the organization, Jiricek is the youngest player on the blue line (he just turned 20 on Nov. 28) for the squad while mostly being paired with veteran defenseman Ivan Provorov. Despite being one of the youngest Jackets on the roster, he has no trouble holding his own, standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing in at 189 pounds. He's also made an offensive impact this season, posting a goal and seven assists in 27 games, including scoring his first career goal Oct. 14 and earning his first multipoint game with two assists last Thursday in Toronto.
Before coming to Columbus, the Klatovy, Czechia, native had nine points (three goals, six assists) in 34 games for Plzen in the Extraliga, the top professional league in his native country, as a 17-year-old in 2020-21 and was named rookie of the year. Jiricek sustained a knee injury at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship in December which sidelined him for three months, but he returned and had 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 29 games for Plzen, the second highest point total of any under-20 player in the league. He also had seven points (three goals, one assist) in five games to help Czechia finish third at the 2022 IIHF World Championship.
Last year at the World Juniors, he had three goals and seven points in seven games to help lead Czechia to the silver medal, all while posting 6-32-38 in 55 game with AHL Cleveland and earning a league all-star selection.
Jiricek met with BlueJackets.com on Wednesday after CBJ practice. The conversation has been edited for length.
1. With your brother Adam preparing for the 2024 NHL Draft, and you already playing in the NHL, how did you both get into hockey?
David Jiricek: “Our dad. He used to play hockey. It was him for sure.”
How often do you and your brother talk?
“We call almost every day or every second day. So, we are very close.”
Do you give him any advice leading up to his draft?
“No, like he has to get through by himself. So, I just let him go. He’s doing good right now, so I just tell him to keep it going. I talk with him about some hockey stuff and situations about that, but not much about the draft and stuff.”
2. Is there anything you miss most from home while you’re in Columbus?
“Yeah, food for sure. Home for sure, too. You know, family. I want to have the longest season as possible, but every time after the season I’m so excited to go home and spend my time home with my family and have a good summer.”
Are there any foods from home that you cook for yourself here?
“There are different ingredients in Czech, and I can’t cook as good as my mom, so it’s not that easy. But she’s coming here, too, so I hope she cooks me something.”
3. Were there any other sports you played growing up?
“Oh yeah, I played soccer, tennis, volleyball, a lot of sports. I like sports. But hockey was in first place all the time.”
4. What are your favorite sports to watch?
“I like tennis a lot and soccer if it’s an important game. In Europe that’s the biggest sport. Not right now. If there’s a day off and it’s an important game, then sure. But right now, I’m just focusing on hockey and in the summer, I go watch some soccer in person, but not right now.”
5. How are you spending your days off?
“Watching sports for sure. Go for a walk. When we get back at like 1 or 2 a.m., it’s hard to wake up early, so I get up later in the day and I’m kind of lazy. That’s a day off after a game or work. Right now, they’re lazy days.”
