Flames Activate, Reassign Samuel Honzek

Yesterday afternoon, the Calgary Flames announced they activated forward Samuel Honzek from the injured reserve. In the same transaction, the Flames assigned Honzek to the Calgary Wranglers in the AHL. The reassignment will likely serve as a conditioning loan.

Honzek, who turned 22 today, has been out for the last several weeks with a lower-body injury. He had already missed multiple games by the time Calgary placed him on the injured reserve. It’s believed that he suffered his lower-body ailment in the Flames’ October 8th matchup against the Colorado Avalanche.

The former 16th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft has been limited to four games this season after missing a month with injury. He wasn’t productive in those four contests, going scoreless with a -4 rating while averaging 15:39 of ice time per game.

As a recent first-round pick, Calgary hoped Honzek would play a part in their rebuild. However, injuries are quickly becoming a recurring issue for the Trencin, Slovakia, native. Last season, after scoring two goals and four points in 18 games, Honzek’s season was prematurely ended after shoulder surgery.

Still, given his age, he has more than enough time to develop into what the Flames believe he can be. He wasn’t drafted as a player who would threaten to lead a team in scoring, but he is a strong defensive player, which holds a lot of value, especially at center.