CHL notebook: Blues prospect Jiricek regaining form after knee injuries

Future NHL stars are developing in the Canadian Hockey League this season. Each week, NHL.com will highlight a few of the top NHL-affiliated prospects in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League and the Western Hockey League.

For Adam Jiricek, bronze was as good as gold at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship.

The St. Louis Blues defenseman prospect finished third with Czechia at the tournament, a little more than a year after his 2023-24 season came to a sudden end because of a knee injury sustained in the first game of the 2024 WJC.

“Last year I just watched it from the hospital,” Jiricek said. “Already, it's a different feeling right now. And I'm so happy and proud of this team for winning this bronze medal. For sure we wanted to win this tournament, but it is what it is, and we take the bronze.”

There has been a lot better news this season for Jiricek, who was selected by the Blues with the No. 16 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. Not long after, the 18-year-old opted to play for Brantford of the OHL.

“After the draft the [Blues] recommended me this opportunity, and we just decided this is the best option for my career after that long out [of] hockey,” Jiricek said. “So it's probably the best for me.”

Recovery from the knee injury kept him off the ice until Nov. 1, but after four games he sustained an injury to the same knee that had him worried he might miss another chance at the World Juniors.

“I was pretty unlucky,” he said. “I got a hit on my same knee like before. It was just unlucky on the same knee. I can't even explain it. I have a brace, so that probably saved me a little bit, but yeah, it was my knee again.”

He returned to the lineup Dec. 13, giving him two games to get ready for the WJC. He had an assist against Barrie in his first game, and then had his first two-goal game two days later against Kingston.

Jiricek said he wasn’t sure how he would hold up with such little prep time, but he had five assists and was second among Czechia defensemen with an average ice time of 18:52 in seven games. That includes the primary assist on Adam Jecho’s game-winning goal in a 4-3 win against Canada in the quarterfinals, and one assist in a team-best 24:26 of ice time in a 3-2 shootout win against Sweden in the bronze-medal game.

“He was getting stronger and stronger as the tournament went along,” Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. “He hasn't played a lot, quite honestly, in a year. One of the things that [special assistant to the GM] Alex Steen and I talked about, and he pointed out, was his excitement at both ends of the rink. He made a great play on a goal to Jecho to beat Canada, but he really enjoys defending. He's physical, he likes to break up plays. He finds value at both ends of the rink, which is really something that excites us because at a certain age you sometimes only think offense or the glamour part of the game, and he showed a real desire to impact the 200-foot part of the game. He was a very good player on a very good team at a very young age.”

Jiricek has six points (one goal, five assists) in 12 games since returning from World Juniors, but said his main goal is just to stay healthy after missing so much time.

“I'm just happy I can play again, and I just enjoy it,” he said. “I need to get used to it again because after that long time, it's hard to play. It feels better game by game for sure.”

OTHERS TO WATCH

Igor Chernyshov, LW, Saginaw: The San Jose Sharks prospect made his season debut Jan. 30 following offseason shoulder surgery and has made an immediate impact with 18 points (10 goals, eight assists) in seven games, including a six-game goal streak and multipoint streak that ended in a 3-2 overtime loss to Windsor on Friday. His most productive game was a five-point performance (two goals, three assists) in a 10-7 win at Guelph on Feb. 8. The Sharks selected the 19-year-old in the second round (No. 33) of the 2024 draft.

Jakub Milota, G, Cape Breton: The Nashville Predators prospect made 13 saves in a 5-4 overtime win against Blainville-Boisbriand on Feb. 8 to improve to 5-0-2 with a 2.67 goals-against average, .908 save percentage and one shutout in his past eight games. The 18-year-old, selected in the fourth round (No. 99) of the 2024 draft, is 14-10-5 with a 3.02 GAA, .906 save percentage and one shutout in 30 games.

Andrew Cristall, RW, Spokane: The Washington Capitals prospect had his second double-digit point streak of the season with 35 points (nine goals, 26 assists) during an 11-game run that ended Tuesday. He responded to that with four points (two goals, two assists) in a 5-4 shootout loss at Tri-City on Friday. The 20-year-old also had 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists) during a 15-game streak from Oct. 19-Nov. 30. Selected by the Capitals in the second round (No. 40) of the 2023 NHL Draft, Cristall leads the WHL in scoring with 99 points (37 goals, 62 assists) in 42 games with Kelowna and Spokane.