According to Julian McKenzie of The Athletic , the Calgary Flames have re-signed restricted free agent forward Adam Ruzicka to a two-year contract extension.
The contract is worth $1,525,000 over two seasons, carrying an AAV of $762,500. Ruzicka split the 2021-22 season between the Calgary Flames and their American Hockey League affiliate Stockton Heat. He played 28 games in the NHL this year, scoring 10 points. He was on the fourth line with Milan Lucic and Trevor Lewis during his stint in Calgary, two players not known for their offensive abilities.
Ruzicka was originally selected by the Calgary Flames in the fourth round of the 2017 NHL Draft. They picked him after a solid season playing for the Sarnia Sting in the Ontario Hockey League. In the 2016-17 season, he scored 46 points in 61 games.
He went on two play 128 additional games in the OHL, first with the Sting then the Sudbury Wolves. He scored 150 points over those two seasons.
Ruzicka made his professional debut in the 2019-20 season with the Stockton Heat. He carved out a role on the team and scored 27 points in 54 games, exactly .50 points per game. The following season he returned to Stockton, this time scoring 21 points in 28 games. Later in the 2020-21 season, he played three games for the Calgary Flames.
In 2021-22, Ruzicka scored 20 points in 16 AHL games along with the 28 games he played in Calgary. Although he was stuck on the fourth line for the bulk of his time there, he managed to post a +8 rating.
Ruzicka is a big center who will try to earn his spot on the Calgary Flames roster this season.
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