The Blue Jackets and defenseman David Jiricek have starkly opposite ideas for how the talented rookie should be developed this season.
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The team's idea includes playing Jiricek in a mixture of NHL games with the Jackets and AHL games with the Cleveland Monsters, where he'll be assured of more ice time and key roles in all situations.
"I've seen it in the past with different organizations, especially those guys that don't require waivers," Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent said. "if you can send them down and up, it's not a demotion. It's not a punishment. It's just investing in the player. … He's obviously a good player, but if one game we feel he's not playing here, and he needs to play a few games in Cleveland, then we're not afraid of doing that. I think he's going to benefit from it."
Jiricek, who was recalled Sunday from a one-game AHL stint, disagrees. Should he be reassigned to the Monsters again, he won't be thrilled about a jump in ice time.
"I'm going to be disappointed, for sure," Jiricek said Wednesday. "I just want to be here. That's a lot of traveling for me, so I just want to stay here, play here, and do what I do best, like play some hockey ... and that's it."
This is a good spot to note that Jiricek's fluency in the English language has improved a lot since he kissed the Blue Jackets' logo on the front of his jersey at the 2022 NHL draft in Montreal . Still just 19-years old for a couple more weeks, the 6-foot-4, 207-pound defenseman has learned quite a bit since that day.
Jiricek played the majority of last season with the Monsters, becoming an AHL all-star in his first professional season, and also made his NHL debut with two stints in Columbus. He also led Czechia to a silver medal at the 2023 world junior championships and learned about life in North America while living with his mother and girlfriend in Cleveland.
Now, after starting the first year of his NHL entry-level contract, Jiricek's focus is entirely on developing in Columbus and finding an apartment.
"I'm going to play my best and we'll see what's going to happen after that," Jiricek said. "I can control (how I play) for sure, but I just want to play hockey here. I was down there last year, all year, and I know it's a tough league … (but) I don't want to be an up-and-down player. That's it. I want to be up here, play here and do my best."
Jiricek, a right-hand shot, scored his first NHL goal in the Jackets' second game of the season. He skated with veteran Ivan Provorov on the second defense pairing and had a regular lineup role before sitting two games as a healthy scratch.
The Jackets' next move caught him by surprise. Jiricek was assigned to the AHL to make room for Patrik Laine 's return from injured reserve last week, and that required a lengthy journey to catch up with the Monsters in Belleville, Ontario.
He wasn't a fan of the travel.
"Up and down is tough," Jiricek said. "My last four or five days were tough, because I was in four different cities, four different hotels, four different beds, you know? So, I don't want to be like that."
He won't have much choice if the Blue Jackets feel that additional AHL assignments are necessary. Recalling Jiricek on Sunday to take the place of injured forward Jack Roslovic put eight defensemen on the NHL roster again, which forces two to sit out.
Andrew Peeke and Adam Boqvist watched the Blue Jackets' 5-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday at Nationwide Arena and could return to the press box Thursday against the Arizona Coyotes . Both are in the early stages of their careers, too, so their development is also being hindered.
Nick Blankenburg , meanwhile, is stuck in the AHL because he didn't log enough games with the Blue Jackets to require the NHL's waivers process for reassignment. It's quite a log jam on the blue line that Blue Jackets management hasn't mitigated since the end of last season.
"We want to make the playoffs, but we also have a vision for our younger players," Vincent said. "If one game, (Jiricek) doesn't play, we want him to play a game somewhere else. It's very important to us to protect those guys and make sure they play minutes. They need to be put in situations where they have the puck and it matters."
That's more likely to happen for Jiricek in Cleveland this season than Columbus, but he doesn't agree with the rationale. Playing NHL minutes are more important to him, regardless of how limited they might be.
"Every minute, every second is so important for me, here, because if I play 20 minutes in Cleveland, I know the league already," Jiricek said. "I know how they play there. I was there last year. I want to have some experience here. Play here. If it's 12 minutes, I'm going to play a hard 12 minutes. That's it."
Emil Bemstrom is either headed to AHL Cleveland or a different NHL team after the Blue Jackets placed him on waivers Wednesday.
Bemstrom, 24, made the NHL roster with a strong training camp and started out with three goals in the first six games . He's since gone silent amid the Jackets' 4-8-4 start, which includes their current six-game winless skid.
Bemstrom's removal clears a roster spot for an AHL promotion that's expected to be a forward to replace Roslovic, who's out four-to-six weeks with a fractured ankle. Kent Johnson , the 2021 draft's fifth overall pick , could make an NHL return after being assigned to Cleveland two weeks ago.
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Among Cleveland forwards with NHL experience, additional recall candidates include Eric Robinson , Carson Meyer , Trey Fix-Wolansky and Hunter McKown . Johnson has two goals, three assists and five points in four games for the Monsters. Fix-Wolansky leads Cleveland in scoring with four goals, 12 assists and 16 points in 11 games.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets notes: Jiricek wants NHL experience to continue
