NHL preseasons are always jam-packed with drama and anticipation for what has yet to come. Young prospects and minor leaguers are trying to prove they are ready to play in the bigs, and on the opposite side of the spectrum, many veterans are out trying to prove they still belong. In these regards, the 2024-25 rendition has spared us no expense so far. For the Calgary Flames, an abundance of storylines are making waves, especially with the new youth movement coming through as the franchise rebuilds. The team now boasts a few high-quality youngsters who are chomping at the bit to showcase their talents to secure themselves an NHL roster spot.
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One such player is the Flames’ 2023 16th overall draft pick, forward Samuel Honzek. Many critics were quick to judge general manager Craig Conroy’s first career draft selection. The soon-to-be 20-year-old has had an up-and-down experience since being drafted, dealing with injuries and inconsistent on-ice production. Many had him pegged to spend the upcoming season in the American Hockey League (AHL). Fast forward to today, and the Slovak is tied for the NHL lead in preseason scoring with seven points. Both his recent play and his path to a Flames roster spot are deserving of analysis.
Honzek’s Play Turning Heads
Honzek did not have a fantastic Flames camp in 2023 and had an underwhelming 2023-24 season with the Western Hockey League’s Vancouver Giants. Despite finishing second in team scoring the year prior and being named team captain, he only put up 31 points in 33 games in his draft-plus-one campaign. He was also underwhelming in the postseason, with just two goals in five games as the Giants were defeated by the Everett Silvertips in Round 1. Fans were getting worried, and his performance in this year’s Young Stars Classic was solid, but not groundbreaking either.
However, none of that seemingly matters now. Honzek was quoted as saying his “goal was to get drafted” and after the Flames made it happen, he “didn’t have any goals.” Now, his goal is to surprise everyone by making the team and thus proving his doubters wrong. As previously mentioned, he’s certainly on his way to doing so. His five preseason assists lead the NHL, and his seven points tie him for first place with Philadelphia Flyers phenom Matvei Michkov.
It’s not all about the numbers, we know. When watching Honzek play with and against established NHL veterans, he doesn’t look out of place. He was coveted and drafted higher than anticipated because of his combination of size and skill (6-foot-4, 186 pounds), and he is now adapting his tools to become successful professionally. Honzek is doing an excellent job of using his big frame to shield the puck from defenders and push to the net to create scoring chances. In addition, he is winning more puck battles along the boards and in the corners to keep or regain possession. Defensively, the youngster has been very responsible and has even earned a spot on the team’s top penalty kill unit to end the preseason. All of these positives point towards a taste of NHL action for Honzek, who remains humble even with his successes. He knows he must simply “play the right way and don’t cheat.”
An NHL Path Should Be Clearer Now
Honzek’s dreams could come true a lot sooner than he or we initially anticipated. Sure, it is just “one preseason”, but the fact that he is successfully contributing amongst longtime NHLers right now means he should be put in a situation where he can continue to do so. After a series of cuts, Honzek’s name is still on the Flames roster. Head coach Ryan Huska sees what we see as well, recently stating that the Slovak is “deserving of the opportunity to keep getting more opportunities” and that he is “gonna make it hard on us” to make a final decision on whether or not the young man starts the season with the big club (from ‘Pushing for Calgary Flames job, Sam Honzek gets one more opportunity,’ Calgary Herald, Oct. 3, 2024). As for his competition, Honzek has fellow first-rounders Jakob Pelletier and Matt Coronato as well as 23-year-old hulking forward Adam Klapka in his way.
Coronato has looked very good as well; the 21-year-old has three goals and five points in five preseason appearances and had a strong camp to boot. He had 42 points in 41 AHL games and finished the season with the Flames. Klapka also had an excellent season in the AHL with 21 goals and 46 points in 65 games. He also got into his first six career NHL games last season, scoring his first NHL goal. Pelletier has unfortunately underwhelmed after a trying 2023-24 season in which he had multiple surgeries and seemed to have lost his game at the NHL level. Fortunately for him and perhaps unfortunately for Honzek, Pelletier would require waivers in order to be sent down to the minors and the Flames may not want to take the risk of him being claimed by another franchise. However, even if one of these three are picked over Honzek, he should be first or second in line for an NHL call-up should a regular get injured or struggle and get scratched.
At some point, Honzek should see NHL action in 2024-25. He has more than earned it with this dominant preseason performance. If his name isn’t on the opening night roster, we should expect to see him making his NHL debut sooner than later.
