Although last season largely ended in a surprising success, the Philadelphia Flyers still have some specters looming over them ahead of the 2026-27 season, and perhaps the biggest of them all is on defense.
A deeply uninspiring training camp battle last year ended with veteran Noah Juulsen overtaking prospect Helge Grans, as the latter made far too many gaffes in the defensive zone for a young player to prove himself under first-year head coach Rick Tocchet.
Advertisement
In his second year as head coach of the Flyers, Tocchet will again have a group of young players pushing for one roster spot on defense, with newcomer Simon Benoit acting as the replacement for the departed Juulsen.
Top Flyers defense prospect Oliver Bonk, a first-round pick in 2023, will be in that mix, as will trade acquisition David Jiricek, who was drafted sixth overall in 2022.
Jiricek, 22, will have a leg up over Bonk and some of his other peers if for no reason other than the fact that he is no longer waivers-exempt, meaning that, if he’s waived and cut from the roster, another NHL team can pick him up for free.
That would mean, by extension, that the Flyers had traded a promising player like Bobby Brink for nothing.
Advertisement
Fortunately, though, Jiricek sounds ready to work, and the Flyers sound optimistic that the Czech defenseman will develop further under their vigil.
Flyers, Jiricek anticipate a big training camp
David Jiricek made his NHL debut for the Flyers at the end of the 2025-26 season. (Photo: Eric Hartline, Imagn Images)
“We don’t have many guys like you here, so shoot the puck. That’s maybe why I am in Philly,” Jiricek told The Athletic at the NHLPA European Player Tour in Munich. “I try to make it work. I try to shoot as much as I can right now, and shoot everything. If I have a pass for one-timers, I’m going to shoot it.
“Camp is quick this year, really quick,” Jiricek said. “We have just four games in preseason, so you have to start from the first day (of) training camp as game-ready, I would say. That’s the plan.”
Advertisement
Acknowledgment is the first step.
Jiricek doesn’t need to be reminded that he is battling for an NHL roster spot, now playing for his third organization in four years.
To that end, the 22-year-old has played 85 career NHL games, but produced only two goals, 11 assists, and 13 points, with none coming on the power play.
Jiricek was highly-regarded heading into the NHL draft due to his 6-foot-4 size, heavy shot, and poise with the puck, but his already average mobility was further affected by an ACL injury suffered in his draft year.
Upon joining the Flyers organization in March, Jiricek was an instant hit in Allentown for the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms, ripping off two goals, 11 assists, and 13 points in just 15 games, blowing past the 10 points he recorded in 24 games with the Iowa Wild.
Advertisement
The Flyers are hoping his experience with the Phantoms can be parlayed into a continued upward trajectory that makes him a useful NHL player for years to come.
Flyers’ Rick Tocchet Shares Refreshing Perspective on Matvei Michkov
Flyers’ Rick Tocchet Shares Refreshing Perspective on Matvei MichkovPhiladelphia Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet reflects on his first year with Matvei Michkov and what he would do differently.
“He had a really good stint in Lehigh Valley. He proved that he’s ready for the next level. For him, it’s gonna be a battle for ice time. It’s going to be up to him. Big summer for him. Yeah, he needs waivers. We’re aware of that, and he’s going to get a good look, and we hope that he’s ready for it,” Flyers GM Danny Briere told The Hockey News in a June Q&A.
Advertisement
“We feel he’s ready for it, but he’s going to have to show it on the ice. We know the offense is there, the big shot is there, the size is there, and that’s just for him to round out his game, where he becomes a player that the coaches trust every night.”
Tocchet, like Briere, is hoping that Jiricek’s long-range cannon can be of great importance to the Flyers next season.
At the same time, like Jiricek said, camp is going to go quick, and it’s going to be a race between him, Bonk, Hunter McDonald, and Ty Murchison as Tocchet sees it currently.
“The (short camp) does complicate it because we don’t have time to look at guys. You’ve got to make your mind up fairly quick,” Tocchet told The Athletic in a recent interview.
Advertisement
“Jiricek, we want that big shot. Can he add that to us, and (have) patience with the puck… Four guys that have a chance. It’s a matter of who can get there quickest.”
Time is ticking on Jiricek faster than any of the other hopefuls at his position, and it’s now up to the once-esteemed draft pick to make this chance count. The Flyers believe he can.
Read the full article here