Calgary Flames 2023 first-round draft pick Sam Honzek will make his professional debut Friday night when the American Hockey League’s Calgary Wranglers take on the Abbotsford Canucks.
The Wranglers added Honzek to their roster on an amateur tryout agreement on Thursday. They made it official this afternoon that he’ll suit up for his first AHL game in Abbotsford tonight at 8:00 p.m. MT.
Honzek, 19, collected 10 goals and 31 points in 33 games with the Western Hockey League’s Vancouver Giants during the 2023–24 regular season. He added two points (both goals) in five games with the Giants in the 2024 playoffs.
The Flames originally selected Honzek in the first round (No. 16 overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft. The Trencin, Slovakia product missed significant chunks of 2023–24 with various ailments, including an abdomen injury that wiped out more than a month to start his season.
In 43 games with the Giants in the 2022–23 season (prior to being drafted), Honzek racked up 23 goals and 56 points.
Honzek is one of a large wave of black aces set to join the Wranglers for their late-season push into the playoffs. Matt Coronato, Dustin Wolf, Adam Klapka, and Ilya Solovyov have already returned from the Flames, while Jaden Lipinski, Etienne Morin, and Honzek have joined the team on tryouts from the junior ranks (with Hunter Brzustewicz likely on his way).
The Wranglers currently rank seventh in the AHL’s Pacific Division with a 35-27-5-3 record and 78 points in 70 games. They have two games remaining in the regular season, both on the road against the Abbotsford Canucks: tonight, and tomorrow.
If the season were to end today, the Wranglers would take on the Tucson Roadrunners in a best-of-three series to kick off the 2024 AHL Playoffs. There’s also a chance they could take on Ontario Reign or the Colorado Eagles in the opening round.
The Wranglers clinched a playoff spot all the way back on March 31. The top seven of the 10 teams in the AHL Pacific reach the playoffs. Calgary is currently a full 16 points up on the Henderson Silver Knights for the seventh and final playoff spot in the division.
As a 2004-born player, Honzek is eligible to join the Wranglers on a full-time basis for the 2024–25 season.
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