Flyers' David Jiricek Growing in Confidence After Finding Niche in Lineup

VOORHEES, N.J. - Although David Jiricek didn't begin the season in the starting lineup for the Philadelphia Flyers, the talented defenseman has quietly proved he belongs in the weeks that followed.

Jiricek's calling card is his offensive ability, between his underrated playmaking, booming shot, and hard, accurate passes. That's quickly made him a go-to power play option for Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet and his staff, and it's paid dividends early on.

All three of the Flyers' power play goals this season have come with Jiricek on the ice, with the 2022 No. 6 overall pick recording an assist (and losing another to a scoring correction) on one of the three.

He's also the only Flyers player to have been on the ice for multiple power play goals, while not being on the ice for a shorthanded goal at the other end.

The 22-year-old, now on his third team in just four years since being drafted, finally seems to have gotten his NHL career on the upswing, and the Flyers are looking to continue that trend.

"His game, it's coming. Still got to get consistency in his game, got to move the puck quick and all that stuff. We're trying to grow his game," Tocchet said of Jiricek after Sunday's Flyers practice.

Jiricek played an important role in the Flyers' first win of the season, which came at a 3-1 score against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night.

Playing the puck from the point, Jiricek faked a shot through traffic before dishing to Porter Martone across the grain, with Martone's shot pounding the pads of Linus Ullmark before bouncing to Matvei Michkov, who coolly deposited for what stood as the game-winning goal.

The Flyers have enjoyed early power play success with Jiricek out there, but what is it that's clicking?

"I don't know," Jiricek told The Hockey News with a smile after a long pause. "I think I can play there. I think I have good hockey sense to be on a power play and make plays. That's where I think I can help the team."

The bigger question mark for the 6-foot-4 Czech defender, as Tocchet alluded to, is his defending and 5-on-5 play, making smart reads and decisions and playing responsibly with consistency from shift to shift and game to game.

So far, Jiricek is enjoying learning the system and everything Tocchet and the coaches have been teaching him along the way.

"I mean, everything, right? Just try to build my game with confidence, start from D-zone, go up, play offense," Jiricek said. "That's what I like, right? That's what I want to be, but defense first. Getting confidence the last few games, and just keep it going.

"I like it, I mean, still, I think we need to score more goals, right? But it comes, and in the zone, I just want to play hard. I want to do good first steps on the puck, closing the guys."

Between himself, Michkov, Martone, Denver Barkey, and now Alex Bump and Cole Knuble, Jiricek is part of a rapidly expanding nucleus of young players that will, hopefully, shape the future of Philadelphia Flyers hockey.

"It's perfect," Jiricek said of his relationship with the other youngsters. "I think we can find our way in this league. We just want to grow with each other, and if it's going be like this for, I hope long time, then that'll be nice. We just try to find a connection. It's still early in the season, so try to build our game."