I’m excited,” Jiricek said. “I heard it’s a hockey state, so that’s the first thing I know. And the second is it’s frickin’ cold out here."

After a middling start in the NHL with Columbus, the 21-year-old former first-round pick is getting a fresh look from the Wild.

Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has acquired defenseman David Jiricek (YIHR-ih-chuhk) and a fifth-round selection in the 2025 NHL Draft from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for defenseman Daemon Hunt,

Jiricek, picked sixth overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2022, was traded to the Wild last week for future picks and defense prospect Daemon Hunt. The 21-year-old met with Minnesota reporters for the first time on Tuesday and he admitted that Minnesota being cold is one of two things he knows about the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

Despite a recent story by HockeyWilderness saying David Jiricek would make his Wild debut on Tuesday against the Vancouver Canucks, Wild head coach John Hynes said on Monday that Jiricek will need to practice more before he plays.

Expected to be assigned to Iowa initially, the Wild are planning to add Jiricek to their collection of young blue line talent alongside Brock Faber and Zeev Buium.

With the David Jiricek trade now complete, it's time to give the Blue Jackets and Wild grades for their parts in the deal.

By the time Saturday's Minnesota Wild game starts, the team will have heisted No. 6 overall pick David Jiricek from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Daemon Hunt, the Wild's most NHL-ready defense prospect,