Jeff Goldblum wrote: ↑05 Jan 2026 15:51 pm
Moderators? Moderators? Helloooooooo!
I score a goal, and Goldblum fakes a dive in the goal crease. Ugly.
You DID NOT score a goal. Your shot was miles wide. Your post screams lack of knowledge or clouded judgement due to your biased hatred of Army.
Buium is 7 months older than Jiricek. Buium is a -11 in 41 career games.
Sorry, but I think I’d rather wait a little longer and have Jiricek. He’s got the better all around game and I really don’t think it’s close.
Ive always like the Jiricek pick but no reason to down play Buium, he just turned 20 and has 18 points in his first 41 NHL games. We'd be thrilled with that if we picked him but the fact of the matter is he wasn't on the board when we picked so we picked Jiricek who is looking pretty (drat) good as well. Who knows which ones ends up being better but I'm sure Buium would also be dominant at the jr level right now.
Currently I'd be thrilled to have either one.
I thought Buium was too much like a defenseman version of Carbonneau and wouldn't translate into quality NHL D without significant improvement, and so far that is correct. Jiricek was a young one in his draft who I wanted over Buium. I agree that I'd be just fine with a -11 20pt guy at this point, but he'd probably be like -100 on this team
So long as he isn't butter soft on the physicality front like Alexa, I'm all in here.
Andy Strickland
@andystrickland
Not saying he will be this guy but when talking to hockey personnel the one comp I continue to hear scouts use when talking about Adam Jiricek is….Alex Pietrangelo. #stlblues
Jeff Goldblum wrote: ↑05 Jan 2026 15:51 pm
Moderators? Moderators? Helloooooooo!
I score a goal, and Goldblum fakes a dive in the goal crease. Ugly.
You DID NOT score a goal. Your shot was miles wide. Your post screams lack of knowledge or clouded judgement due to your biased hatred of Army.
Buium is 7 months older than Jiricek. Buium is a -11 in 41 career games.
Sorry, but I think I’d rather wait a little longer and have Jiricek. He’s got the better all around game and I really don’t think it’s close.
Ive always like the Jiricek pick but no reason to down play Buium, he just turned 20 and has 18 points in his first 41 NHL games. We'd be thrilled with that if we picked him but the fact of the matter is he wasn't on the board when we picked so we picked Jiricek who is looking pretty (drat) good as well. Who knows which ones ends up being better but I'm sure Buium would also be dominant at the jr level right now.
Currently I'd be thrilled to have either one.
I thought Buium was too much like a defenseman version of Carbonneau and wouldn't translate into quality NHL D without significant improvement, and so far that is correct. Jiricek was a young one in his draft who I wanted over Buium. I agree that I'd be just fine with a -11 20pt guy at this point, but he'd probably be like -100 on this team
That’s gooky talk…Buium is an absolute stud of a player. Going to be all star caliber for many years. He’s that good.
TBone wrote: ↑06 Jan 2026 07:31 am
So long as he isn't butter soft on the physicality front like Alexa, I'm all in here.
Andy Strickland
@andystrickland
Not saying he will be this guy but when talking to hockey personnel the one comp I continue to hear scouts use when talking about Adam Jiricek is….Alex Pietrangelo. #stlblues
TBone wrote: ↑06 Jan 2026 07:31 am
So long as he isn't butter soft on the physicality front like Alexa, I'm all in here.
Andy Strickland
@andystrickland
Not saying he will be this guy but when talking to hockey personnel the one comp I continue to hear scouts use when talking about Adam Jiricek is….Alex Pietrangelo. #stlblues
TBone wrote: ↑06 Jan 2026 07:31 am
So long as he isn't butter soft on the physicality front like Alexa, I'm all in here.
Andy Strickland
@andystrickland
Not saying he will be this guy but when talking to hockey personnel the one comp I continue to hear scouts use when talking about Adam Jiricek is….Alex Pietrangelo. #stlblues
Last edited
9:52 PM · Jan 5, 2026
·12.7K Views
I’m not going to say anything negative about Petro or Strickland…..but I don’t get Petro vibes from him. Jiricek is much more physical and looks to have much better offensive skills, but Petro was much better defensively. Of course Jiricek is still only 19, so he can get much better over the next few years.
But the one thing I’ll say is that Jiricek looked 1,000% better than he did at last year’s WJC. Last year he looked skinny 9he was), timid, and hesitant……almost like an 18-year old coming off of ACL surgery. Oh yeah, he was! This just shows that a lot of people jumped the gun on declaring the kid a bust.
Jiricek did a good job in this tourney showing exactly what he is right now which is a dynamic, minute muncher offensive defenseman who's physical and is either going to make a great or terrible play defensively. The first Swedish goal last night – that kind of showed a common trait he has. He makes frequent decisions that are all or nothing and if he can't execute each perfectly it's a chance against. That is not a one-off mistake that you saw on that play. It's the thing that keeps me from being completely enthused, because he does not have a back up plan for some of his decisions.
HOWEVER his progress is encouraging enough that he deserves time to work on this too. In terms of whether we should be optimistic about this overall, yes this was an A performance from him and he can keep improving from here.
seattleblue wrote: ↑06 Jan 2026 09:36 am
Jiricek did a good job in this tourney showing exactly what he is right now which is a dynamic, minute muncher offensive defenseman who's physical and is either going to make a great or terrible play defensively. The first Swedish goal last night – that kind of showed a common trait he has. He makes frequent decisions that are all or nothing and if he can't execute each perfectly it's a chance against. That is not a one-off mistake that you saw on that play. It's the thing that keeps me from being completely enthused, because he does not have a back up plan for some of his decisions.
HOWEVER his progress is encouraging enough that he deserves time to work on this too. In terms of whether we should be optimistic about this overall, yes this was an A performance from him and he can keep improving from here.
I agree with all of that. To me, he was night and day better than last year and he was great overall. But he definitely is a work in progress defensively and made a handful of bad plays defensively. But that’s not surprising a 19-year old that missed basically a year of development. Let’s hope he continues to get bigger and better because we might have something special with him.
seattleblue wrote: ↑06 Jan 2026 09:36 am
Jiricek did a good job in this tourney showing exactly what he is right now which is a dynamic, minute muncher offensive defenseman who's physical and is either going to make a great or terrible play defensively. The first Swedish goal last night – that kind of showed a common trait he has. He makes frequent decisions that are all or nothing and if he can't execute each perfectly it's a chance against. That is not a one-off mistake that you saw on that play. It's the thing that keeps me from being completely enthused, because he does not have a back up plan for some of his decisions.
HOWEVER his progress is encouraging enough that he deserves time to work on this too. In terms of whether we should be optimistic about this overall, yes this was an A performance from him and he can keep improving from here.
That was a weird play because it looked like some the Czechs thought the play was gonna be stopped or something, Jiricek hesitated and got walked but he did follow his man behind the net but the rest of Czechs just let Karlsson all alone at the net. It was just a defensive breakdown for the whole team, that’s how I saw it anyway.
seattleblue wrote: ↑06 Jan 2026 09:36 am
Jiricek did a good job in this tourney showing exactly what he is right now which is a dynamic, minute muncher offensive defenseman who's physical and is either going to make a great or terrible play defensively. The first Swedish goal last night – that kind of showed a common trait he has. He makes frequent decisions that are all or nothing and if he can't execute each perfectly it's a chance against. That is not a one-off mistake that you saw on that play. It's the thing that keeps me from being completely enthused, because he does not have a back up plan for some of his decisions.
HOWEVER his progress is encouraging enough that he deserves time to work on this too. In terms of whether we should be optimistic about this overall, yes this was an A performance from him and he can keep improving from here.
Thats not exactly how the play developed a delayed penalty was called and the Czechs were caught flat footed
The first goal Jiricek had his man behind the net, I’d be more inclined to ask who should have covered the open Swedish player in front of the net? Either way I love the potential Jiricek has shown and look forward to his development over the next 2-3 years.
I think at this point Faulk may be moved to make room for Jiricek. Still dont think the Blues will sell low on Faulk because they dont have to but ive heard a few times nationally that Jiricek should play NHL next season
For me i think Fowler is the one that has to go, 4 team no trade list this year, NTC next year just dont like his level of play right now and Lindstein may be able to upgrade this spot next year.
Harry S Deals wrote: ↑06 Jan 2026 10:45 am
ive heard a few times nationally that Jiricek should play NHL next season
Pump the brakes - he's playing against kids and people that won't even make the AHL.
That is true of ALL the top prospects in that Tournament. Or in Juniors, or College.
Several posters over time have made pronouncements about Jiricek's potential and status as a likely draft bust. Clearly, it's fair to note he stands out among his peers yet he's still young and needs more playing time to develop, and he may still pose an elevated injury risk. Time will tell. I like his upside potential.
TBone wrote: ↑06 Jan 2026 07:31 am
So long as he isn't butter soft on the physicality front like Alexa, I'm all in here.
Andy Strickland
@andystrickland
Not saying he will be this guy but when talking to hockey personnel the one comp I continue to hear scouts use when talking about Adam Jiricek is….Alex Pietrangelo. #stlblues
Last edited
9:52 PM · Jan 5, 2026
·12.7K Views
I’m not going to say anything negative about Petro or Strickland…..but I don’t get Petro vibes from him. Jiricek is much more physical and looks to have much better offensive skills, but Petro was much better defensively. Of course Jiricek is still only 19, so he can get much better over the next few years.
But the one thing I’ll say is that Jiricek looked 1,000% better than he did at last year’s WJC. Last year he looked skinny 9he was), timid, and hesitant……almost like an 18-year old coming off of ACL surgery. Oh yeah, he was! This just shows that a lot of people jumped the gun on declaring the kid a bust.
Agree on the Petro comparison. I don't see it. One complaint I had with Petro was his lack of urgency, especially with play on the blueline. Jiricek seems to play with more pace and like you said, is more physical.
Petro had a great defensive stick and positioning. I actually see Broberg with some of the good defensive stick work that Petro had. A dman that can kill an offensive chance in the corner.
I can't wait to see Jiricek take that next step. He was fun to watch out there.
Harry S Deals wrote: ↑06 Jan 2026 10:45 am
ive heard a few times nationally that Jiricek should play NHL next season
Pump the brakes - he's playing against kids and people that won't even make the AHL.
That is true of ALL the top prospects in that Tournament. Or in Juniors, or College.
Several posters over time have made pronouncements about Jiricek's potential and status as a likely draft bust. Clearly, it's fair to note he stands out among his peers yet he's still young and needs more playing time to develop, and he may still pose an elevated injury risk. Time will tell. I like his upside potential.
The only people saying he's a bust were insane posters like grass smell guy. Everybody else knew that his development would be behind a year because of injuries and they seem to be right so far...he's five times better currently than 2024.
