Top Minnesota Wild Defense Prospect David Jiříček Is Finished For the Season

A top defense prospect is finished for the season, as the Minnesota Wild's David Jiricek endured a gruesome-sounding injury while playing with Iowa of the AHL. Jiricek suffered a lacerated spleen and will no longer be an option for a call-up for the Wild as they get set for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Defenseman David Jiricek suffered a lacerated spleen in Saturday’s @IAWild game and will miss the remainder of this season. He is expected to make a full recovery and be ready for the start of the 2025-26 season.
— Minnesota Wild PR (@mnwildPR) March 28, 2025

Jiricek is expected to make a full recovery in time for the 2025-26 season.

The Wild pulled off a coup, trading for Jiricek early in the season when the Columbus Blue Jackets surprisingly made the former No. 6 overall pick available. He had played a total of 53 games for Columbus over 2+ seasons, including six games early this campaign before being optioned to the AHL.

The 6'4" D-man played six games for the Wild back in January, recording two points with a plus/minus rating of +2, in an average of 13:02 ice time per night. At Iowa, he's recorded seven points in 27 games.

It hasn't been the best of years for Jiricek, but with his huge shot and equally huge on-ice presence, he's expected to be a big part of the Wild's blueline in the years to come.

Jiricek is in the second year of a three-year entry-level contract.

The Wild continue to hold down the first Wild Card berth in the Western Conference going into Friday night's action, but the hard-charging St. Louis Blues, on an 8-game win streak, have cut the gap to just two points.