David Jiříček

David Jiříček (born 28 November 2003) is a Czech professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted sixth overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2022 NHL entry draft. Following his rookie season, he was named Czech Extraliga Rookie of the Year.

He was drafted 54th overall by the Spokane Chiefs in the 2020 CHL Import Draft.

Jiříček played only 29 games in the 2021–22 season after a knee injury suffered at the 2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. Ultimately, Nemec was taken second overall by the New Jersey Devils, while Jiříček was drafted sixth overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Jiříček began his North American professional career playing with the Cleveland Monsters, the Blue Jackets' AHL affiliate. He was called up to make his NHL debut on 28 October 2022, in the midst of a string of injuries to the Columbus defence corps. Returning to Cleveland, he was named the AHL Rookie of the Month for December 2022. Jiříček was initially named as the Monsters' representative to the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic, but he subsequently was unavailable to participate and was replaced by teammate Jake Christiansen. He ultimately appeared in 55 games with the Monsters, recording 6 goals and 32 assists, leading all rookie defencemen with 0.75 points per game.

On October 14, 2023, Jiříček scored his first career NHL goal in a 5–3 victory against the New York Rangers. During the 2023–24 season, his first full season in the NHL, he recorded one goal and nine assists in 43 games for the Blue Jackets. During the 2024–25 season, he recorded one assist in six games with the Blue Jackets, and two goals and one assist in four games for the Cleveland Monsters.

Minnesota Wild On 30 November 2024, Jiříček was traded from the Blue Jackets to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Daemon Hunt and four draft picks, including a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL entry draft. He was assigned to the Wild's AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild. He was later recalled by Minnesota and registered a goal and assist through 6 games with the Wild. While reassigned back to the AHL with Iowa, Jiříček posted 7 assists through 27 appearances before his season was ended through injury on 28 March 2025, after suffering a lacerated spleen. On October 17, 2025, Jiříček was again reassigned to the Iowa Wild.

Philadelphia Flyers On 6 March 2026, Jiříček was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Bobby Brink.

International play

Jiříček represented the Czech Republic at the 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, where he recorded one assist in four games. He rejoined the national junior team at the 2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships the following year. However, he suffered an injury in his first game after a knee-on-knee collision with Team Canada forward Will Cuylle, and was forced to withdraw from the tournament. Jiříček returned to the ice for the 2022 IIHF World Championship, where he played five games in his debut with the senior national team, before a planned withdrawal to avoid overtaxing his knee. He shared in the team's bronze medal win, the first World medal for the Czech Republic in ten years.

Named once again to the national junior team for the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship, Jiříček's travel to the event in Halifax was affected by Winter Storm Elliott, which caused his equipment to be initially lost in transit. It was ultimately delivered five hours prior to the team's first game of the tournament. The tournament was an international breakout for Jiříček, who was cited as a central player in Czechia's deep run to the event final, where they ultimately took the silver medal after a loss to Canada. He was given the award for Best Defenceman of the event by the IIHF directorate, and was also named to the Media All-Star Team.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2019–20 HC Škoda Plzeň ELH 4 0 0 0 2 — — — — —2019–20 SHC Klatovy Czech.2 — — — — — 1 0 0 0 0 2020–21 HC Škoda Plzeň ELH 34 3 6 9 34 2 0 1 1 4 2021–22 HC Škoda Plzeň ELH 29 5 6 11 49 — — — — — 2022–23 Cleveland Monsters AHL 55 6 32 38 36 — — — — — 2022–23 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 4 0 0 0 2 — — — — — 2023–24 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 43 1 9 10 22 — — — — — 2023–24 Cleveland Monsters AHL 29 7 12 19 21 14 3 8 11 10 2024–25 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 6 0 1 1 4 — — — — — 2024–25 Cleveland Monsters AHL 4 2 1 3 2 — — — — — 2024–25 Iowa Wild AHL 27 0 7 7 15 — — — — — 2024–25 Minnesota Wild NHL 6 1 1 2 2 — — — — — 2025–26 Minnesota Wild NHL 25 0 0 0 14 — — — — — 2025–26 Iowa Wild AHL 24 2 8 10 12 — — — — — 2025–26 Lehigh Valley Phantoms AHL 15 2 1 3 13 — — — — — 2025–26 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 1 0 0 0 2 — — — — — ELH totals 67 8 12 20 85 2 0 1 1 4 NHL totals 86 2 11 13 46 — — — — —

International

Awards and honours Award Year RefAHL Rookie of the Month December 2022 World Junior Championship Media All-Star Team 2023