Flames’ Klapka Is Finding His Role as Depth Piece

Adam Klapka has been making his presence known on the ice, and for more than just one reason for the Calgary Flames. Through six games this season, he has recorded two goals, two fights and 37 penalty minutes, with 25 coming in the Oct. 3 matchup vs. the Vancouver Canucks. 

Klapka has a career high of six goals, and with two already, he is on pace to beat that marker long before the end of the season. Standing at 6-foot-8 and weighing 235 pounds, he is shaping up to be the power forward and depth tough guy the Flames are in need of, especially during this rough start when team morale can be down.

Klapka’s Career to This Point

Klapka, who hails from Prague, Czechia, grew up playing in the HC Slavia Praha youth system, then switched clubs for one season before heading to the United States to play in the United States Hockey League (USHL) for the Tri-City Storm. In the USHL, he made a presence as a physical force, already standing at his towering height while playing for the Storm. 

During the 2020-21 season, Klapka recorded 12 goals and 21 points through 49 games with 73 penalty minutes. A trend that followed him from his time in youth hockey, when he was recording more points, to now in the NHL – Klapka is not afraid to step into his frame and utilize it, crushing opposing players. 

After going undrafted, Klapka returned to Czechia, where he played for Bílí Tygři Liberec, recording six goals, 18 points, and 72 penalty minutes in 44 games to begin his professional career. Following the season, on May 16, 2022, he signed his entry-level contract with the Flames, marking his return to North America after just one season. 

In his first season, Klapka was assigned to the Calgary Wranglers, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Flames. After some initial struggles, he found his game, finishing the season with 13 goals, 25 points and 80 penalty minutes in 60 games. He ended the season with 10 goals in his final 25 games, and carried that scoring into the playoffs, netting four goals in nine games.

His second season with the Wranglers saw major improvements, as Klapka picked up the scoring, recording 21 goals and 46 points in 65 games. The improved offence, along with his known physical play, brought his first call-up to the NHL. He then recorded his first NHL goal at the end of the 2023-24 season and signed a one-year extension with the club. He spent the next season split between the Flames and Wranglers, producing well with both, enough to earn him a two-year extension. Last season, he recorded six goals, 18 points and 112 penalty minutes. 

Start to This Season

Although the season is still fairly new and the Flames are in one of the roughest patches in franchise history, Klapka has continued his growth in the league as a solid depth piece that brings tons of physicality, with 21 hits, good for second on the team, only behind Martin Pospisil. 

Against the Colorado Avalanche, Klapka displayed some nifty hands in tight when he undressed an Avalanche defender with a toe-drag before sniping the puck for his first of the season. The goal got quite the reaction from Flames fans, as the big man is not known for hands, at least not in terms of deking. 

Klapka followed that up with another big performance vs. the Anaheim Ducks on Oct. 13, recording the game’s opening goal just past the eight-minute mark of the first and a fight against Ducks enforcer Jeff Malott, whose brother Mike Malott is a UFC fighter. A tough matchup, Klapka held his own, and it came at a crucial time with the game tied 2-2, when previously the Flames had let games slip. 

Even though Klapka may not record 35 goals or play more than 15 minutes a night, his role is key on nearly every NHL team. He still has the ability to put up good numbers, production-wise, as seen in his few seasons with the Wranglers, but to be in the NHL you need to know your role. Right now, it is being the Flames’ tough guy who’s ready to pick up 25 penalty minutes when needed and maybe a nifty toe-drag goal as a cherry on top.