Jiricek

[Frank Underwood]

I love how aggressive Jiricek plays. Last nights game and the last couple I’m noticing how often he’s getting open in the O zone and the puck isn’t making g it to him. Hes hungry to score more. Last nights goal was a great example where he just pounced to take the shot. Glad he’s in the OHL this year. Let him build his confidence and learn what he can do and can’t do.

You hit on a key thing…..most people on Blues Talk have only seen a little bit of Jiricek, and it was the tentative version as he was recovering from knee surgery. He’s not the same player he was last year and should only get better (and bigger) from here.

[seattleblue]

I love how aggressive Jiricek plays. Last nights game and the last couple I’m noticing how often he’s getting open in the O zone and the puck isn’t making g it to him. Hes hungry to score more. Last nights goal was a great example where he just pounced to take the shot. Glad he’s in the OHL this year. Let him build his confidence and learn what he can do and can’t do.

He always had that aggressive thing in the zone. He used to be a forward. so the swooping jump ups (he's a swooper) into the zone are what I'm used to seeing. He seems a bit better at them as he's aging up and playing against younger kids each year. What's new is the physicality. At the start of this game my notes on him weren't going the right way: icing, bad hold at the line, etc. But he is part of an offensive press on a highly talented team that can swarm a zone. Brantford is good, so he will get to do this often. He is very very fast as a skater, and at this level he can make up for some positioning with hustle back but not at the next level, so I am looking for more body control and more good defensive decisionmaking.

Fischer was the better player in this game overall.

One thing, Jiricek was getting #1 minutes in this game. and I questioned that previously when he wasn't getting top minutes. So that is a strong positive, getting more game situations.

[seattleblue]

Fischer and Jiricek playing today. Fischer early (11am pacific), Jiricek late (3pm pacific)

[seattleblue]

Fischer had a nice two on one in the first period and his slapshot is the weapon they look to set up on the attack. They are hosting an excellent London team, and Fischer already stood up for teammates in the first and got a matching roughing minor, but the London player just now in the second ran over his goalie, so he immediately skated over, gave the player (down) a good couple cross checks, then the player (Crete) got up and pushed back, and at that point Fischer grabbed him and pounded him into the ice. It was instantly mean retribution.

[seattleblue]

Opening shift of the second period in his game, they are hosting Barrie. He just stepped up during his first shift and delivered what must be the third huge open Ice hit I've seen him lay this season. The opposing player may have lost a tooth they were discussing. Brantford is something like 11-0-1 to start the season and Jiricek is taking the #1 role, certainly the #1 offensive defenseman.

[seattleblue]

Barrie opened a 3-0 lead on undefeated Brantford but Jiricek picked up a PP assist (just from touching it) on a goal to make it 3-1 late in the second. Then early third he took a delay of game penalty that Barrie converted to make it 4-1. But then midway through the third, Brantford had an outburst comeback and Jiricek just tied the game 4-4 with about ten minutes left. it was one of those attack the net chaos plays where the puck is loose and he barreled in found the puck and buried it, tie game. There have been some serious physical conflict in this game, there was a major fight with Aitcheson and Moore. As I type this the puck jumped over Jiricek's stick for the go ahead attempt. Brantford is playing downhill right now

In his 11th game he's 2 assists shy of his production through 27 games in all of last season that he got

[John Cocktoastin]

Thanks for the update as always, Seattle.

It appears he is all in on his physicality with not much hesitation regarding injury history.

Would you say his offensive game evens out with his overall defensive game? Or does one slightly edge the other?

[seattleblue]

Aitcheson won it OT and put on an absolute display of taunting all around the rink shouting and gesturing at the crowd. He did get his (donkey) utterly beat during the fight with Moore so I can see him angry. But he was like this last year. When he gets to the NHL hope he should try this stuff

[Red7]

The Blues don’t need ANOTHER offensive defenseman. They have enough guys who can’t get loose pucks, take pucks away from the offensive team or keep the puck once they get it. When you have to have all 5 guys below the dots because your defense is getting overwhelmed, you need to get some defensemen who, you know, play defense.

[Harry S Deals]

https://x.com/M_Meyer3/status/1983696595192606996

GP11 4 6 10 11 +12

3rd in the OHL for +/- among dmen
Tied for 3rd in OHL in goals for dmen with only 11 GP


Keep it up kid

[Harry S Deals]

Thanks for the update as always, Seattle.

It appears he is all in on his physicality with not much hesitation regarding injury history.

Would you say his offensive game evens out with his overall defensive game? Or does one slightly edge the other?

He appears to be a very good two way type of RHD man. Blues have him at 6'3" 185 at 19 yrs old he'll get bigger probably play at 195 by his early 20s maybe more if hes good in the weight room. Good skater, good offensive instincts hes going to be an exciting player. The big question is can he make the jump next Fall or does he goto the AHL. Assuming Faulk, Parayko and Maillouix are still in the picture i would say he plays in Sprinngfield to continue to develop his game. Lindstein and Jiricek are on the horizon though as future NHLers

[Zizzle1297]

I wasnt to keen on the pick for awhile mainly due to health but if he can stay healthy I dont see a reason why both he and Lindstein could be here soon.

[John Cocktoastin]

Thanks for the update as always, Seattle.

It appears he is all in on his physicality with not much hesitation regarding injury history.

Would you say his offensive game evens out with his overall defensive game? Or does one slightly edge the other?

He appears to be a very good two way type of RHD man. Blues have him at 6'3" 185 at 19 yrs old he'll get bigger probably play at 195 by his early 20s maybe more if hes good in the weight room. Good skater, good offensive instincts hes going to be an exciting player. The big question is can he make the jump next Fall or does he goto the AHL. Assuming Faulk, Parayko and Maillouix are still in the picture i would say he plays in Sprinngfield to continue to develop his game. Lindstein and Jiricek are on the horizon though as future NHLers

Thanks, Harry. I saw he said he put on 25 pounds since the draft as well.

[smilinjoefission]

Blues need him to be everything and more...ALOT of pressure, but it is what it is. Lindstein is a keeper, but the rest are unknowns right now.

[Harry S Deals]

Blues need him to be everything and more...ALOT of pressure, but it is what it is. Lindstein is a keeper, but the rest are unknowns right now.

They need to keep letting them simmer, get him to the AHL then we can really start to see how good he can be

[seattleblue]

Thanks for the update as always, Seattle.

It appears he is all in on his physicality with not much hesitation regarding injury history.

Would you say his offensive game evens out with his overall defensive game? Or does one slightly edge the other?

Yeah last year he was getting clobbered enough times to injure him repeatedly but this year he is initiating clobbering. Definitely growing into his weight. He is far more of an offensive defenseman than a defensive defenseman. But he can skate and make an excellent outlet pass and is dialed into how to score once he is up in the o zone. Last year he would be there, available and in the zone but he wasn't getting the puck. Frankly Lardis was taking a lot of the puck action and he is gone now, so that is some of it, but right now he is in really good sync with Jake O'Brien who Seattle drafted. When he first got there from training camp this year I cautioned against assuming he was the #1 defenseman but over the last few he has clearly been the #1 defenseman and has gotten some PK duty. When he is on PP they sometimes use two defensemen with him playing a down low forward spot where Perron's office used to be. His offensive game and instincts are part of who he is. The defensive positioning and shutting guys down has to come with time. He currently uses his far better speed than his peers to do a lot of that work and he cannot do that as he levels up.