AHL notebook: 2022 1st-round picks having success
Jiricek, Wright among NHL prospects impressing
By
Patrick Williams
NHL.com Independent Correspondent
Whether it has been helping a team make one last push for the Calder Cup Playoffs this week or gearing up for the postseason, players who are 18 and 19 years old are facing the best competition possible outside of the NHL. With the AHL regular season down to its final week, those demands will only intensify as play shifts to the playoffs.
Here is a look at five 2022 first-round picks who are finding success in the AHL:
David Jiricek, Cleveland (Columbus Blue Jackets)
The defenseman joined the AHL as an 18-year-old after the Blue Jackets selected him sixth in the 2022 draft, and he has passed the test.
Jiricek, who turned 19 on Nov. 28, ranks third among AHL rookie defensemen with 38 points (six goals, 32 assists) in 52 games entering Wednesday. Cleveland is competing with Belleville (Ottawa Senators) and Laval (Montreal Canadiens) for what could be the fifth and final North Division playoff berth and plays its final three regular-season games this weekend.
The Blue Jackets have rewarded Jiricek with NHL time, and he played a career-high 21:02 in a 4-0 loss to the New York Rangers on Saturday, one day after he had two assists for Cleveland in a 5-4 win at Laval. He played for Cleveland in a 2-1 win against Grand Rapids (Detroit Red Wings) on Monday before returning to the Blue Jackets to play 20:13 in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday.
Joakim Kemell, Milwaukee (Nashville Predators)
Kemell arrived in Milwaukee when the team was dealing with multiple player recalls to Nashville.
Kemell, who turns 19 on April 27, spent this season in Finland on loan to JyP Jyvaskyla in Liiga, the top professional league in the country. The forward had 15 points (12 goals, three assists) in 43 games. After his Liiga season ended, he was reassigned to Milwaukee on March 17 and has quickly taken a key role with the team. He has nine points (four goals, five assists) in nine games. Nashville made him the 17th pick in the 2022 draft.
Kemell also played in the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship and had four points (two goals, two assists) in five games for Finland. Last summer, he also competed in the delayed 2022 IIHF WJC and had 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in seven games to help Finland win the silver medal and was named to the tournament All-Star team.
Jiri Kulich, Rochester (Buffalo Sabres)
Rochester has been churning out elite talent in recent seasons, and Kulich is on track to add to that.
Kulich, who turns 19 on Friday, has established himself as a regular in the Rochester lineup and could join graduates JJ Peterka and Jack Quinn with the Sabres before long. The No. 28 pick in the 2022 draft is tied for ninth in AHL rookie scoring with 45 points (23 goals, 22 assists) in 60 games and is tied for sixth in goals among rookies.
Kulich won a silver medal with Czechia at the 2023 WJC and was named to the tournament All-Star team. He had nine points and his seven goals in seven games tied him for the second-most in the tournament.
Simon Nemec, Utica (New Jersey Devils)
The Devils have resisted any temptation to use the 19-year-old defenseman at the NHL level this season and have instead allowed him to play heavy minutes with Utica. Nemec did captain Slovakia at the 2023 WJC served and had a goal and four assists in five games at the tournament.
The No. 2 pick in the 2022 draft, Nemec is seventh among AHL rookie defenseman with 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists) in 62 games and tied for second in goals.
Shane Wright, Coachella Valley (Seattle Kraken)
The 19-year-old forward was chosen fourth by Seattle in the 2022 draft. After having two points in his first eight NHL games (one goal, one assist), he went to Coachella Valley on a conditioning assignment in late November. Wright played five AHL games and had four goals.
Wright then represented Canada at the 2023 WJC, where he had seven points (four goals, three assists) in seven games and won a gold medal. He then was assigned to the Ontario Hockey League and was traded from Kingston to Windsor on Jan. 9. Wright had 37 points (15 goals, 22 assists) with Windsor.
Windsor was swept in the first round of the OHL playoffs by Kitchener, which made Wright eligible to return to the AHL. He had a goal and two assists in four playoff games.
