Wild assign D Jiricek to AHL Iowa 10 days after trade
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The Minnesota Wild assigned defenceman David Jiricek to the AHL's Iowa Wild on Monday, 10 days after acquiring him from the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Jiricek, 21, was acquired from the Blue Jackets in exchange for defenceman Daemon Hunt and four draft picks on Nov. 30.
The 6-foot-4 defenceman was at odds with the Blue Jackets about his ability to stick to the NHL roster and he was vocal about not getting his shot in Columbus.
"I played good hockey in the NHL. I'm an NHL player right now. That's my opinion, that I should be in the NHL right now," Jiricek told The Athletic in January. "I see guys from the same draft, like Simon Nemec [in New Jersey] and [Kevin] Korchinski [in Chicago] … they get a chance on the power play. They play a ton of minutes in the NHL. Those are different teams, so different situations, but I can compare with them. I just want a chance to play like that.”
This season, Jiricek had an assist only appeared in six games with the Blue Jackets before being traded to the Wild, who he has yet to appear in a game with.
Drafted sixth overall by the Blue Jackets in 2022, Jiricek has a goal and 11 points in 53 career games.
Jiricek was given a B grade in TSN's Core 4 U-24 Ranking earlier this year, coming in at the Blue Jackets' seventh-best under-24 player, behind Adam Fantilli, Cayden Lindstrom, Denton Mateychuk, Kent Johnson, Yegor Chinakhov and Luca Marrelli.
Minnesota recalled defenceman Cameron Crotty from Iowa in a corresponding move.
Crotty, 25, has five assists in 19 games in Iowa this season. The 6-foot-3 defenceman joined the Wild on a one-year, two-way contract in the off-season.
Minnesota is tied for the best record in the NHL with an 17-5-4 record this season.