A Flame from the Past: Austin Czarnik

Do you remember Austin Czarnik?

Every week, we’ll look at a forgotten Calgary Flames player in the weekly series “A Flame From the Past.” Of course, the player had to have played a significant number of games for the Flames – at least a full season. Each week, I’ll put every Flames season (since moving to Calgary) in the Wheel of Names. This week, it landed on the 2018-19, with the player we’ll look at today being Austin Czarnik.

Czarnik played for the US National Development U-18 Team in 2008-09, scoring 16 goals and 34 points in 42 games. The following season, the Detroit, Michigan native scored 10 goals and 28 points in 26 games as he played in the United States Hockey League. Czarnik’s final season of junior was played in 2010-11, where he scored 20 goals and 34 points in 46 games with the Green Bay Gamblers.

The centre was committed to playing for Miami University in Ohio, where he spent all four of his collegiate years. His career-high in points came in 2013-14 when he finished with 47, while his career-high of 14 goals came the season before. In his four seasons of collegiate hockey, Cnarnik finished with 46 goals and 169 points in 159 games.

Undrafted, Czarnik signed with the Boston Bruins in Mar. 2015, playing three games with their American Hockey League team. He returned to the Providence Bruins in 2015-16, playing a full season with 20 goals and 61 points in 68 games.

Czarnik made the Bruins out of training camp in 2016-17, potting five goals and 13 points in 49 games while playing 22 games in the AHL. Unfortunately, he only played 10 games with them the following season but scored 25 goals and 69 points in 64 games in the AHL that year.

He signed with the beloved Calgary Flames before the 2018-19 season, scoring a career-high six goals and 18 points in 54 games. He also played his only postseason game that season as he was held pointless. Czarnik saw limited action with the Flames in 2019-20, scoring two goals and three points in eight games. He produced well in the AHL again, scoring 16 goals and 33 points in 32 games.