David Jiricek makes up for lost time in Wild training camp

David Jiricek didn’t play much last season, but he’s making up for lost time.

The defenseman has been in the lineup for every Wild preseason game, including the 4-1 loss to Chicago on Sunday at Grand Casino Arena, and the busy schedule is just fine with Jiricek as he vies to lock up a spot on the blue line.

“It’s kind of better for me to get back like that,” he said. “I like it. I feel more and more comfortable when I play more. So, yeah, I think it’s good.”

Jiricek, 21, is coming off only half a season’s worth of work.

He was used sparingly by Columbus and its minor league team before getting a fresh start with the Wild last November via a trade that cost the Wild a first-round draft pick. Once here, Jiricek debuted with Iowa in the American Hockey League, suited up for six games with the Wild in January and also sat an extra on their blue line.

When he returned to Iowa in March, Jiricek suffered a lacerated spleen from what he described as an awkward hit, an injury that ended his season.

“It could be way worse,” said Jiricek, who recovered by resting during the summer.

Although the team had minimal turnover on defense, there is an opportunity for Jiricek and rookie Zeev Buium to each secure a job, especially with Jonas Brodin still working his way back from offseason surgery.

“I just want to play good defense, be inside the dots and then close out in the corners,” said Jiricek, the sixth overall pick in the 2022 NHL draft. “That’s my first thought when I step on the ice right now.”

Compared with the player he saw last season, Wild coach John Hynes has noticed a stronger Jiricek in camp.

Hynes has also detected progress: Last week during an overtime loss at Dallas in which Jiricek opened the scoring on the power play, the team talked to him about his positioning and leaving the front of the net. Fast forward to a recent matchup, Jiricek held his ground.

“I’m seeing growth in his game,” Hynes said. “That to me is the most important thing.”

The Marcus Johansson, Ryan Hartman and Marcus Foligno line faced the Blackhawks, the trio’s first exhibition game, and goalie Filip Gustavsson had 17 saves. Frank Nazar scored Chicago’s first two goals, the first on the power play in the first period and the second early in the second; Jiricek and fellow defenseman Carson Lambos, who has had a steady camp, were on the ice for both and the Wild’s lone tally, a second-period finish by Hunter Haight.

PRESEASON BOXSCORE: Chicago 4, Wild 1

Former Wild forward Ryan Donato added a third goal for the Blackhawks in the third period before Nazar completed his hat trick into an empty net.

“We’ve tried to put [Lambos] in some situations and against some lines at times to see how they can handle it, and same thing with David,” Hynes said. “Obviously didn’t see a lot of him last year, and now he’s played quite a few preseason games for us and playing in different situations, and it’s allowed us to be able to spend some time with him, whether it’s individually or video review on his game and try to continue to help him build his game.”

Earlier in the day, the Wild reduced their camp roster to 42 players.

The Wild still have a sizeable contingent on hand with only two preseason games to go, and more veterans should participate in those tune-ups as they prepare for the Oct. 9 season opener at St. Louis.

Based on how camp has gone so far, Jiricek’s evaluation will continue, too.