By By Matthew DeFranks St. Louis Post-Dispatch,Matthew Defranks
Copyright stltoday
Matthew DeFranks | Post-Dispatch
Adam Jiricek said he was excited to play competitive hockey again. He played like it during the Blues’ two games at the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase in Minnesota over the weekend.
Jiricek scored a goal during Friday’s 6-4 win over the Wild and displayed many of the attributes that convinced the Blues to select him with the 16th overall pick in the 2024 draft despite a serious knee injury. He was officially credited with two shots on goal vs. Minnesota but looked to uncork his right-handed one-timer from the blue line way more often than that.
His goal vs. the Wild came from the middle of the blue line as he cranked a one-timer on a feed from Nikita Susuev. Springfield coach Steve Konowalchuk coached the Blues prospects at the tournament and said he was “pretty impressed” by what Jiricek showed him.
“His poise on the blue line, hard shot, gets it through,” Konowalchuk said. “With that skill level, he’s a tough hockey player. He’s hitting, he’s going back for pucks. It was a complete hockey player, very impressed.”
In both games, including a 3-2 overtime loss to the Blackhawks on Saturday night, Jiricek sought out contact, both when defending and occasionally with a reverse hit when breaking the puck out from his own end. It could be a newer wrinkle to Jiricek’s game now that he’s added 25 pounds in the 15 months since the Blues drafted him.
Jiricek played top-pair minutes alongside fellow first-round pick Theo Lindstein (2023, No. 29 pick) as the two players tried to demonstrate why their arrivals changed the look of the Blues’ defensive pipeline.
“He’s a great player,” Lindstein said. “We both like to skate with the puck and great passers. It was just two games here but hopefully can get some more games in the future and play better and better.”
While Jiricek flashed on Friday night, he was also beaten by Chicago’s Oliver Moore in overtime Saturday, as the speedy Moore went wide and cut in to beat goaltender Matthew Koprowski just 24 seconds into the extra period.
Jiricek’s game vs. the Wild impressed Konowalchuk enough that the Blues switched up their power-play units mid-game. To start the game, they used Lindstein at the point on the top unit, but by the end of the game, they had elevated Jiricek to that spot.
While Jiricek did not pick up an assist on the play, his pass to Dalibor Dvorsky began a quick nexus of passes that ended with Aleksanteri Kaskimaki’s power-play goal in the third period vs. Minnesota.
“He was looking to shoot the puck, you could tell,” Konowalchuk said. “That’s why he ended up there, he was playing on that No. 1 power play. He was shooting, and he was getting pucks there. He does have that confidence. It was a really solid game from him, too. Very good impression.”
Jiricek is in the business of first impressions right now, despite being drafted more than a year ago.
Last fall, he was unable to compete in the prospect tournament because of his knee injury. That also limited him to non-contact drills during training camp, and he didn’t appear in any NHL preseason games. With Brantford in the OHL, Jiricek missed time throughout the year because of injury and is hoping to get through this season without another major setback.
That meant that his two games in St. Paul were his first in a Blues sweater, and when he plays an exhibition game this month, it’ll be his first with an NHL club.
Jiricek could play for Brantford again this fall, but the Blues could also opt to have him play with AHL affiliate Springfield (Massachusetts). He’s eligible as a teenager because he was drafted out of Czechia.
Preseason streams
The Blues announced Monday morning that all six of their preseason games will be streamed on their website and through their app. Five of the six will feature Chris Kerber and Joey Vitale on the call, with Sunday in Columbus borrowing the Blue Jackets’ radio feed.
The Blues open training camp on Thursday and open their preseason action on Saturday in Dallas.
