Czech Star Potentially Knocked Out The World Juniors With Awful Injury

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James Connelly
December 26, 2023 (5:27 PM)

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Czech defenseman Adam Jiricek was injured in this morning's game against Slovakia and is now in danger of missing the rest of the World Junior Championships.

Jiricek Injured In Collision This Morning

Early this morning the World Junior Championship began with a game between Slovakia and Czechia. Late in the 2nd period, Czech defenseman Adam Jiricek went down during an awkward collision and looked to have injured his leg.

Czech D Adam Jiricek gets tangled up and is in some obvious pain. He was eventually able to get off the ice with limited weight being used on his right leg. #WorldJuniors

Jiricek is a 17-year-old defenseman and a top prospect for the upcoming 2024 NHL draft. He is the brother of 2022 6th overall pick David Jiricek who has already made his debut with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Jiricek has spent the majority of this year with HC Plzen of the Czech league scoring 1 assist through 19 games. While his numbers may not be stellar, he is a 17-year-old holding his own in one of the top men's leagues in the world and likely has an NHL future ahead of him.

We are currently awaiting an update on the severity of his injury but if it is as bad as it looks, he will likely miss the rest of the tournament.