RD Adam Jiříček - HC Plzen, Czechia (2024, 16th, STL)

[Goodman68]

Looks like Badinka´s form is steadily and slowly declining throughout the season sadly.

According to the points earned, sure. However, he often had problems in passing and perhaps the opponents were not as good as in the last tournament. I would say, as we Czechs say, that they stripped him naked there..

 

[Antiillafire]

Looked extremely impressive against Sweden. Check out this move:

 

[LeProspector]

better than his brother at the same age

 

[Czechboy]

He may be another first rounder... Looks tremendous paired with Dvorak on top pair!

 

[pgfan66]

better than his brother at the same age

No.

 

[Goodman68]

No.

Yes, his brother was an even more noticeable player at his age. Adam is a better skater.

 

[pgfan66]

Yes, his brother was an even more noticeable player at his age. Adam is a better skater.

The only reason people are saying Adam is better than David at the same age is that none of them saw David play at that age.

David played for the U18 national team and was the best player for them at the U18 5 Nations in 2020 as an underager, when everyone had their eyes on Svozil. But none of the casual prospect watchers watch that tournament and he didn’t get a chance to play at the U18 worlds that year because of Covid. So nobody really knew about him until he got his full-time pro role, made the U20 and then the men’s national teams and so on.

With that said, why has everyone known about Adam for at least a year already? Because he’s David’s brother.

Don’t get me wrong, Adam is very, very good too. But David was – in my eyes – even better at the same age, especially when it comes to his ability to navigate high-pressure situations.

 

[Goodman68]

The only reason people are saying Adam is better than David at the same age is that none of them saw David play at that age.

David played for the U18 national team and was the best player for them at the U18 5 Nations in 2020 as an underager, when everyone had their eyes on Svozil. But none of the casual prospect watchers watch that tournament and he didn’t get a chance to play at the U18 worlds that year because of Covid. So nobody really knew about him until he got his full-time pro role, made the U20 and then the men’s national teams and so on.

With that said, why has everyone known about Adam for at least a year already? Because he’s David’s brother.

Don’t get me wrong, Adam is very, very good too. But David was – in my eyes – even better at the same age, especially when it comes to his ability to navigate high-pressure situations.

I'm unfortunate that I didn't watch the last two games because of my club's games, but I feel the same about both players. David has excellent orientation when playing under pressure, he knows how to pass really well, at his age he was a dominant player towards the attack. Of the two players at the same age, I would prefer David. However, Adam is indeed a very promising player, no doubt about that.

 

[WeThreeKings]

I'll take one Adam Jiricek for the Habs in 2024, thanks.

 

[GettingYourMoms]

better than his brother at the same age

I would not say he is better or worse, just different type of defenseman. Adam is primarily puck moving offensive defenseman. He is also not getting nearly as much time with Pilsen as David was getting, because he is nowhere near as physically developed as David. His passing seems really off to me in this tournament, otherwise i would go batshit crazy over this guy, little bit dissapointed, but hey he is still too young even for this tournament.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I always enjoy watching him play. He’s as good as his brother. That’s no slight to David. He doesn’t have the size or offensive game of David, so it’s easy to think he’s not as good, but he’s a very good skater. David isn’t that. His defensive game is also better at the same age. David made a lot more mistakes at this age than Adam does. Adam could very well challenge for top 5 in 2024, and top 10 seems likely to me.

 

[pgfan66]

I always enjoy watching him play. He’s as good as his brother. That’s no slight to David. He doesn’t have the size or offensive game of David, so it’s easy to think he’s not as good, but he’s a very good skater. David isn’t that. His defensive game is also better at the same age. David made a lot more mistakes at this age than Adam does. Adam could very well challenge for top 5 in 2024, and top 10 seems likely to me.

Huh? Swap Adam and David in your write up and I’d agree. David’s offensive game developed much later than Adam’s. David was a big, strong, aggressive defensive player very early but offensively his biggest threat was his shot. He always reminded me of Seider a bit because Seider was also not the greatest skater but a big, smart defensive player who’d have to develop his offensive game with time. Now Adam is a lot more dynamic with much worse decision-making than David at the same time.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Huh? Swap Adam and David in your write up and I’d agree. David’s offensive game developed much later than Adam’s. David was a big, strong, aggressive defensive player very early but offensively his biggest threat was his shot. He always reminded me of Seider a bit because Seider was also not the greatest skater but a big, smart defensive player who’d have to develop his offensive game with time. Now Adam is a lot more dynamic with much worse decision-making than David at the same time.

Agree to disagree. I think David is a lot better with the puck than you are giving him credit for. You don’t have the success he has only because you have a big shot. He’s a very good all around offensive threat. He takes a lot of risks with the puck that Adam wouldn’t try because he’s better with the puck and has more confidence in his puck handling and passing. Adam knows he’s decent offensively, yet not great. His skating allows him more margin for error in recovering from his mistake, but his highs aren’t as high as David because he has less ability with the puck.

 

[pgfan66]

Agree to disagree. I think David is a lot better with the puck than you are giving him credit for. You don’t have the success he has only because you have a big shot. He’s a very good all around offensive threat. He takes a lot of risks with the puck that Adam wouldn’t try because he’s better with the puck and has more confidence in his puck handling and passing. Adam knows he’s decent offensively, yet not great. His skating allows him more margin for error in recovering from his mistake, but his highs aren’t as high as David because he has less ability with the puck.

I didn’t say he doesn’t have it now, just that he wasn’t at Adam’s level skill-wise at Adam’s age. Adam is a lot more flashy. David was always more straight-forward in that he was a very good passer, shooter and decision-maker without any flashy stickhandling skill or whatever. That flashy element that allows him to evade forecheckers even at the AHL level with quick dekes and such came later on throughout his draft year and beyond. Adam’s more flashy now than David was at the same age and will absolutely be able to use that to make an offensive impact in his draft year and beyond. It’s the hockey sense / decision making that I don’t think is close to David at the same age (plus the size, physicality and aggressiveness).

 

[Voodoozz]

I think 17 year old David was much more willing to take risks at both ends of the rink, even when playing against men in Extraliga. Many times it resulted in some amazing plays that portrayed him as a dominant player who can confidently deke around professionals, avoid forecheck with ease and score points. However, this risky styl often led to giveaways and odd-man rushes, where (as Pavel Buchnevich wrote) David didn't have good enough recovery tools in terms of pivoting and acceleration to to put out the fire. Now that he's older, he calmed down in this regard and is much more selective iwith his decisions.

Adam usually doesn't force plays when he doesn't see the opportunity window clearly, he instead uses his skating and puck skills to buy himself more time and open up a different position.



Adam looks much more refined and in control during NT games against his peers compared to David at the same age, but I wonder if he can have the same success in Extraliga the upcoming season, where he won't be able to possess the puck as much and the opposing players will be much less forgiving. David was very good under pressure in professional hockey, partly because he didn't have the tools to escape with his skating, so he made quick, simple, yet very precise plays that most of the time went the right way for him. I think Adam will have to adjust his game a little bit in this regard.

 

[pgfan66]

I think 17 year old David was much more willing to take risks at both ends of the rink, even when playing against men in Extraliga. Many times it resulted in some amazing plays that portrayed him as a dominant player who confidently can deke around professionals, avoid forecheck with ease and score points. However, this risky styl often led to giveaways and odd-man rushes, where (as Pavel Buchnevich wrote) David didn't have good enough recovery tools in terms of pivoting and acceleration to to put out the fire. Now that he's older, he calmed down in this regard and is much more selective in his decisions.

Adam usually doesn't force plays when he doesn't see the opportunity window clearly, he instead uses his skating and puck skills to buy himself more time and open up a different position.



Adam looks much more refined and in control during NT games against his peers compared to David at the same age, but I wonder if he can have the same success in Extraliga the upcoming season, where he won't be able to possess the puck as much and the opposing players will be much less forgiving. David was very good under pressure in professional hockey, partly because he didn't have the tools to escape with his skating, so he made quick, simple, yet very precise plays that most of the time went the right way for him. I think Adam will have to adjust his game a little bit in this regard.

Somehow I disagree with most of the things you said.

 

[Voodoozz]

Somehow I disagree with most of the things you said.

That's ok . I didn't mean it as a knock against David, who looked more "dominant" of the two when at the same age, just in a different way - more like a pro, less like a fancy junior (not that he didn't make fancy plays, he did, and did so against men). The way David was able to handle himself in Extraliga was incredible and Adam has yet to prove he can have a similar impact. They have a different approach to how they play. Adam is much more technically refined (especially skating-wise) player compared to David at the same age (David has always had great puck handling for a Dman, just not as smooth-looking), which gives him more options to solve some of the situations on the ice. But that's not to say he's necessarily the better prospect.

 

[Goodman68]

I won't spill too much, it won't end well then..
Much has been written here. David was willing to take far more risks and tried to support the offensive at all costs. Therefore, his game was more effective for the viewer, and thanks to his physical disposition (he was almost certainly stronger than Adam at the same age) he was able to do it even against men. Adam plays more carefully, he is a much smoother skater. Still, it's clear that he's made a lot of progress in his offensive game as well, he wasn't even the team's best defender at that time last year and where we all see them now. On top of that, he plays superbly positionally, many times keeping the play excellently in the attacking third thanks to a brave performance against the opponent who sets up the attack (yet his play seems safe due to his estimation).
Anyway, both brothers are different players. And both are great prospects.

 

[pgfan66]

I won't spill too much, it won't end well then..
Much has been written here. David was willing to take far more risks and tried to support the offensive at all costs. Therefore, his game was more effective for the viewer, and thanks to his physical disposition (he was almost certainly stronger than Adam at the same age) he was able to do it even against men. Adam plays more carefully, he is a much smoother skater. Still, it's clear that he's made a lot of progress in his offensive game as well, he wasn't even the team's best defender at that time last year and where we all see them now. On top of that, he plays superbly positionally, many times keeping the play excellently in the attacking third thanks to a brave performance against the opponent who sets up the attack (yet his play seems safe due to his estimation).
Anyway, both brothers are different players. And both are great prospects.

I agree with the last two sentences. But in all you guys’ descriptions of David “at the same age” I feel like you’re comparing David in his draft year to Adam right now, when you’d actually have to compare David at the start of 2020 to Adam now. David developed a lot of what you talk about in his draft year, which was his second year of pro.

 

[Goodman68]

I agree with the last two sentences. But in all you guys’ descriptions of David “at the same age” I feel like you’re comparing David in his draft year to Adam right now, when you’d actually have to compare David at the start of 2020 to Adam now. David developed a lot of what you talk about in his draft year, which was his second year of pro.

I don't agree. David always played far more physically, often almost intimidating the opponent with his game. There were conversations about this with the Czech coaches of the national team, who confirmed it, saying that sometimes they even felt sorry for the opponent. I also read scout reports on the same topic and in a similar vein. David had a similar performance throughout his representative career from the U16 category. And you can believe me that I have seen almost all of his matches. It was by no means typical for Adam, and it still isn't (I'm not saying that he doesn't play to the body well. He's just not that intense in not looking for physical contact with the opponent). Another different attribute of the game is the ability to shoot hard. I practically did not see this with Adam in the national team, unlike David, who always scored goals from the blue line. Another sign that David was a physically stronger player. This is in no way a criticism of Adam. Only the difference is glaring to someone who has seen the matches of both brothers regularly at the national team level.

 

[pgfan66]

I don't agree. David always played far more physically, often almost intimidating the opponent with his game. There were conversations about this with the Czech coaches of the national team, who confirmed it, saying that sometimes they even felt sorry for the opponent. I also read scout reports on the same topic and in a similar vein. David had a similar performance throughout his representative career from the U16 category. And you can believe me that I have seen almost all of his matches. It was by no means typical for Adam, and it still isn't (I'm not saying that he doesn't play to the body well. He's just not that intense in not looking for physical contact with the opponent). Another different attribute of the game is the ability to shoot hard. I practically did not see this with Adam in the national team, unlike David, who always scored goals from the blue line. Another sign that David was a physically stronger player. This is in no way a criticism of Adam. Only the difference is glaring to someone who has seen the matches of both brothers regularly at the national team level.

I fully agree with everything you said here. But not what was said about David (and in part Adam) in previous posts. But you hit the nail on the head with this post.

 

[Voodoozz]

I agree with the last two sentences. But in all you guys’ descriptions of David “at the same age” I feel like you’re comparing David in his draft year to Adam right now, when you’d actually have to compare David at the start of 2020 to Adam now. David developed a lot of what you talk about in his draft year, which was his second year of pro.

I get where you're coming from, but from what I can remember, David has always had glimpses of nasty puck skills and used them to challenge players 1v1. He naturally improved on these considerably (and his shot) during his D+0 season, which is quite normal for big players.

Here's some clips I've stored from David's D-1 season (20-21), it's not much but I'd consider all of these plays as quite fancy (and pretty risky too):





He doesn't look as smooth as Adam here, but these required a lot of skill and confidence.

 

[Goodman68]

I fully agree with everything you said here. But not what was said about David (and in part Adam) in previous posts. But you hit the nail on the head with this post.

I'm afraid the details are a bit lost in translation. Czech is a very diverse language and the translator cannot always distinguish the subtle nuances. That's why I have absolutely no idea what exactly the difference is, I'm sure you understand what I mean. I wouldn't dispute anything he wrote Voodoozz.. And it's quite possible that we don't even unlock it.. At least I don't..

 

[Goodman68]

And if one of the aspects of the game is risky, David undoubtedly always played at a much greater risk. But thanks to technology, he almost always got away with it. Adam has gained a lot of confidence and can now often be seen to allow himself a loop on the blue line. But David was taking an even bigger risk.

 

[rt]

It seems almost like Adam Jiricek plays more like Simon Nemec than he does like David Jiricek. Similarly sized. Adam with a better shot than Nemec but less razzle dazzle?