The Wild have reassigned David Jiricek to AHL Iowa, according to a team announcement. There’s no corresponding transaction yet for the roster spot that their No. 2 prospect is vacating.
Today marks a week since opening night for the Wild, which was Jiricek’s only appearance out of the club’s first four games. That’s despite the 21-year-old having a strong showing in what was his first outing for the club since January of last season. He only saw 14 minutes of ice time and didn’t record a point, but had a +3 rating in their 5-0 win over the Blues. He won his minutes possession-wise with a 53.3 CF% at even strength.
Then, Jonas Brodin returned to the lineup after missing the first game while recovering from offseason upper-body surgery. That pushed Jiricek out of the picture, with Minnesota opting for a more veteran lineup on the right side of their defense, with Zach Bogosian slotting in behind top-four staples Brock Faber and Jared Spurgeon. It’s hard at the moment for head coach John Hynes to justify scratching Bogosian to get Jiricek another look. The 35-year-old has also done well in his limited minutes, recording a +3 rating with seven blocks and four hits in four appearances while averaging 14:19 per game. He’s trusted on the penalty kill and has yet to be on the ice for a goal against at even strength.
Minnesota wants its promising young righty playing, and that isn’t happening on the NHL roster right now. As such, they’ll take advantage of his continued waiver-exempt status and return to Iowa, where he spent most of last season after the Wild acquired him from the Blue Jackets in November. The only player Minnesota surrendered in that deal, Daemon Hunt, is now back with the organization after being claimed off waivers from Columbus and will serve as their lone healthy extra for the time being, with Jiricek down.
It’s an inauspicious sign amid a tough couple of years for the 2022 No. 6 overall pick. After the former AHL All-Star looked like he was on the verge of capturing a regular role with Columbus after making 43 appearances for them in 2023-24, he was a frequent scratch to begin last season, leading to his trade out of town. Yet even amid mounting injuries on the Wild’s blue line last year, Jiricek, included in those troubles amid a ruptured spleen, didn’t get much of a chance and only made six NHL appearances after the swap. In 27 appearances with Iowa, he only mustered seven assists and a -1 rating.
He’ll be destined for as many minutes as he can handle now in the minors as he looks to get consistent playing time and fuel some long-awaited forward progress in his development. For now, Minnesota will be operating with an open roster spot to fill as necessary if more injuries pop up.