Flyers sign David Jiricek to two-year contract extension
The Philadelphia Flyers have signed defense prospect David Jiricek to a two-year contract extension, the club announced Wednesday afternoon.
Jiricek, 22, has played exclusively with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms since being traded to the Flyers ahead of this year’s deadline. The 6’4″ right-shot defender has two goals and 10 points in 10 games with the Phantoms.
The Flyers acquired Jiricek from the Minnesota Wild on Mar. 6 in exchange for winger Bobby Brink. The Klatovy, Czechia product had been slated to become a restricted free agent upon the conclusion of the 2025-26 season; now, he is under contract through 2028 at a $1.5 million cap hit.
BREAKING: We have signed defenseman David Jiricek to a two-year contract extension worth an annual average value (AAV) of $1.5 million. #LetsGoFlyers
Having only turned 22 last November, Jiricek is already on his third NHL organization. The Columbus Blue Jackets originally selected Jiricek with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, and he appeared in his first 53 NHL games with the club.
Despite putting up impressive offensive numbers with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, Jiricek never reached his full potential under multiple Blue Jackets head coaches and was traded to Minnesota early in the 2024-25 season. In return, Columbus received four draft picks, including a 2025 first-rounder, as well as defense prospect Daemon Hunt, who later returned to Minnesota via waivers.
Jiricek looked to be a significant long-term piece for the Wild, but his future in the organization became less clear when Quinn Hughes arrived from the Vancouver Canucks in December. With the Wild gearing up for a potential Stanley Cup run, they elected to swap Jiricek for more of a win-now piece in Brink, a Minnesota-born forward who has 15 goals and 30 points in 63 games this season.
Although he remains in the AHL for the time being, Jiricek’s new contract suggests that the Flyers view him as a likely NHL piece starting next season. He is now their fifth-highest-paid defender for the 2026-27 campaign, behind Travis Sanheim, Cam York, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Nick Seeler; Jamie Drysdale will likely also make more once he signs an extension of his own.
Through 84 career NHL games over parts of four seasons with the Blue Jackets and Wild, Jiricek has collected two goals and 13 points. He’s compiled 19 goals and 87 points in 149 career AHL contests.