ST. LOUIS BLUES SIGN ADAM JIRICEK TO A THREE-YEAR, ENTRY-LEVEL CONTRACT
St. Louis Blues President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced that the club has signed 2024 first-round pick Adam Jiricek to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Jiricek spent the 2023-24 season banged up with injuries and only got into 19 games with HC Plzen in the Czech Extraliga all year where he tallied just one assist.
During the 2022-23 campaign, Jiricek played in the Czech U20 league with HC Plzen’s U-20 team and tallied 12 goals and 17 assists for 29 points in 41 games, leading all U20 defensemen. His play also earned him 12 games at the Czech Extraliga level where he had two assists.
Internationally, Jiricek has represented Czechia on multiple occasions but most recently at the 2024 World Juniors where he played in just one game before he suffered a knee injury and was forced to miss the rest of the tournament and his season. He also donned the Czech jersey at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, registering three assists in five games and winning a silver medal, the Men’s U18 World Championships where he tallied one assist in five games and the U17 World Hockey Championship where he had two points in six games.
On a personal note, Jiricek’s brother is David Jiricek who plays for the Columbus Blue Jackets and was a No. 6 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.
Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis outlined Jiricek’s game in his 2024 NHL Draft Rankings: Final Top 120
“Jiricek was injured at the World Juniors and missed the rest of the year after and still hasn’t skated yet,” Ellis said. “His draft stock is going to take a huge blow, especially after just a so-so run with HC Plzen in the top Czech league. However, the fact he was playing against men at a young age can’t be understated, and if he’s anything like his brother, David, he could still emerge as a great value pickup. The 6-foot-2 defender had one assist in 19 pro games but was a key part of the Czechs’ national junior program, playing nearly 20 games between the U-18 and U-20 teams.”
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2024-07-03T00:02:55Z dg43tfdfdgfd