David Jiricek’s knowledge of Minnesota is limited, but he knows the bullet points.
“I heard it’s a hockey state,” Jiricek said. “So, that’s the first thing I know, and the second thing is it’s freaking cold out here.”
Jiricek’s arrival confirmed his impression about the weather, the defenseman skating on Monday at Tria Rink in snowy downtown St. Paul.
As for the hockey part, the 21-year-old is about to get a crash course on the NHL-leading Wild after the team added him in a trade with Columbus over the weekend.
“Good first day for him, and we’ll just keep bringing him along,” coach John Hynes said after Jiricek practiced with the team. “Hopefully he gets more comfortable each day and gets comfortable quickly.”
Because of his age, Jiricek might be more important to the Wild in the future.
Alongside Brock Faber and University of Denver’s Zeev Buium, whom the Wild drafted 12th overall in June, Jiricek joins a budding core of young defensemen overlapping with longtime veterans such as captain Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin — a mix that could set the Wild up for the next few years.
But that doesn’t mean Jiricek can’t also help in the present.