The ship has nearly sailed on the Ottawa Senators 2021-22 season and after a 5th consecutive failed playoff appearance, our attention shifts to the NHL Draft. It’s yet to be determined where the Senators will end up in terms of draft positioning however, it’s very likely to be inside the top 10. There’s a race among two, defensive prospects which has piqued my interest the most for Ottawa. With a hole on the right side on the Sens blueline, it wouldn’t surprise me the least if Ottawa targeted a defenseman at this year’s draft.
Both Simon Nemec and David Jiricek are offensive minded defenseman who posses the ability to become game breakers at the next level but for very different reasons.
The Breakdown:
Nemec relies on his smooth skating ability and deception with his edgework. He draws in the opposition then can quickly use his agility to turn away from defenders, creating separation.
Jiricek is no slouch when it comes to mobility. He has active feet and despite having a larger frame, he’s quite agile on his edges. Jiricek uses less deception and more straight-line speed to pull away from defenders in transition. Both players possess similar top speed. I would give Nemec the narrow edge in overall skating technique and ability. Take a peak at the smooth skating, Nemec as he transitions with the puck, curtesy of In Stat Hockey.
Nemec is a quick thinker, often being able to scan the zone for the cleanest lane of entry although he can find himself in a difficult situation if he fails to distribute the puck at the most opportune time. He does take on risk offensively, sometimes turning pucks over at the blueline and having to retreat defensively. For the most part, his thinking often leads him to risk which results in a favourable outcome.
Jiricek is a “fun” player of the game. He takes on some of the most risk you will see from a defenseman. He’s not the most calculated with his thinking and his turnover rate is concerning to some degree. His ability to generate offense and be involved in the play however, has distinctly separated him from the pack. He doesn’t go unnoticed when he’s on the ice, even for a moment. That game-breaking ability is unique to Jiricek and he has it in spades. With risk comes reward and at the moment, Jiricek is a risk taker. As we’ll see below, curtesy of In Stat Hockey, sometimes it pays off.
Nemec uses deception and finesse to get his shot off. He generates good power and a great ability to time his shots well from the blueline. He’s able to miss the defending players shin pads and deliver his shot through layers of traffic. As we can see from his scatter chart below, Nemec is much more diverse in terms of where he typically shoots from.
Jiricek has a distinctive edge in the shooting department. He’s also able to shake defenders just as well while walking the blueline but has an absolute cannon of a shot. It’s accurate, it’s hard and it’s a legitimate threat on the powerplay. Teams knowingly have to shut Jiricek down on the man advantage and that opens up passing lanes for the rest of his team. He displays great accuracy from a distance and primarily shoots from his right flank position as seen in the scatter chart below.
Both players are great at breaking the puck out but they do so in different fashions. Nemec is an accurate passer, he can move pucks with support passes and can also stretch things out with longer banks or homerun passes. Nemec skates the puck out as well, again typically choosing the opportune time to do so.
Jiricek is far more prone to skating the puck through the neutral zone in transition. He can make accurate passes from time to time but can also dead-end himself with some bad passes or poorly timed decisions.
Nemec has the edge in terms of quality breakout passes and decision making, however, in the offensive zone it gets interesting. Jiricek is a risk taker which often leads to more dazzling passes through seams and high danger areas, creating more scoring chances and turnovers with his passing. Nemec tends to play very deep in the offensive zone, especially off the rush. This can lead to transition, odd man rush opportunities against. Again, both players love taking risks.
Defensively neither player is going to blow you away with Jake Sanderson-esque abilities. Nemec is more of a positionally sound defenseman. He backchecks hard, uses stick positioning and gap control to his advantage and has good awareness. He often reads plays before they develop into scoring chances and puts forth a very good effort. There are also occasions where his engine shuts down and he’s not the hardest working guy on the ice.
Jiricek is more of an adventure at this stage, although he has a massive advantage in his ability to separate his opponent from the puck. Jiricek will often go out of his way to make a big hit and he plays with some raw physical tenacity. That nasty side is something to keep in mind, especially if you remember that the Ottawa Senators have a rather known agenda in terms of philosophical outlook, being “hard to play against.”
The question for Ottawa becomes; do you take the less certain guy in Jiricek, who has some unmatched, raw talent combined with physicality. Or do you take the more projectable player in Nemec, who might be closer to the NHL with his refined style of play? I decided to turn to Sens twitter to get your opinion on the matter and here are your results.
Working on my next piece of writing. I need your vote. Which right shot, defensive prospect would you prefer for the Sens?
— Derek Lee (@DLee075) April 16, 2022
While I have Nemec as the conventional favourite, I’ve also played with the idea of taking a chance on the fun player in David Jiricek and rolling the dice. I feel the physical elements and offensive dynamism would be plenty of fun alongside a predictable talent like Jake Sanderson. Jiricek is also the player who’s more likely to be in Ottawa’s draft range (currently 7th overall). In reality, either player on July 7th would be worthy of celebration for Sens fans.
-Derek Lee
Twitter: @DLee075