Training camp is barely underway, but the Flyers already have a defense battle taking shape, and David Jiricek has put himself right in the middle of it.
Philadelphia is facing a quick turnaround on some important roster calls, with limited looks in camp and preseason before decisions have to be made. Up front, things are mostly settled unless Nikita Grebenkin’s health changes the equation or the Flyers choose between carrying 14 forwards and seven defensemen or 13 forwards and eight defensemen. The real pressure point is on the blue line, where the younger defensemen are fighting for position.
Veteran newcomer Simon Benoit appears lined up as the rotating No. 7 defenseman. That leaves Ty Murchison, Oliver Bonk, Hunter McDonald, and Jiricek competing for spots as the No. 6 defenseman and, potentially, the No. 8.
Right now, Jiricek looks like the early favorite.
The 22-year-old former No. 6 overall pick brings the kind of offensive skill the Flyers want from their defense, and his loss of waivers-exempt status gives the team another factor to weigh when it comes time to trim the roster.
"As you said, fresh start. New system for me, so, trying to get used to it and just go day-by-day, watch the tape, be good on ice, off ice, and let's see," Jiricek said after the second day of training camp on Friday.
"Offense is there, so just gotta play defense, right? How easy is that?
Sounds easy, so, yeah, be good on defense, don't make mistakes. Obviously everyone makes mistakes, right?
But try to do it as less as you can, and that's gonna be fine."
Experience is another edge for Jiricek in this fight. At 6-foot-4, he has already logged 85 regular season NHL games across four seasons, with two goals, 11 assists, and 13 points. None of those points came on the power play, which only underscores how limited his role has been to this point.
Still, both he and the Flyers seem to believe the next step is there for the taking.
"It's as Danny said, it's up to me. Everyone's watching, you guys watch practice, same as Danny, same as coaches. So, try to make him feel like I'm ready and I'm here to take a spot," Jiricek added.
He also addressed the idea of confidence from the front office heading into a situation where every rep matters.
"Hockey memory is really short, to tell you that. You could have confidence.
You could know someone's pushing you. But it's, end of the day, it's up to you how you play.
If you play badly, you aren't gonna play. If someone likes you, no.
Just be ready, and I know it's a business, so the best players play."
So far, Jiricek has backed up the talk with a strong start in camp. Assistant coach Todd Reirden, who works with the defense, gave him stick-taps after Jiricek scored on Carson Bjarnason in a rush drill. He earned more praise when he rotated with Cam York, called for the puck in the open corner, and helped clear the zone under forecheck pressure.
He followed that with another highlight in 5-on-5 cycle work, sliding up to the left circle on his weak side and ripping a one-timer past Bjarnason’s right ear into the top corner.
The Flyers will scrimmage Saturday, take Sunday off, and open preseason play Monday. If Jiricek keeps producing like this, he’ll be in a strong position as the roster picture starts to come into focus.
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