The Calgary Flames were in a bit of an odd spot when they selected Sam Honzek with their first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.

Craig Conroy had only just taken over as GM from Brad Treliving, but he’d only traded one of the club’s seven pending UFAs. There was still plenty of talk about potentially signing Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin, and Nikita Zadorov to contract extensions. Darryl Sutter had already been fired, but the Flames remained adamant that they wanted to make the playoffs in 2024.

Just over a year later, things couldn’t look any more different. Coming off a near-unprecedented teardown and a monster showing at the draft in Las Vegas earlier this summer, the Flames are suddenly one of the NHL’s youngest teams — and they boast one of the league’s strongest prospect pools. Even after a very difficult first season as a Flames prospect, Honzek remains a big part of this team’s future.

There might not be a single prospect in Calgary’s system with more riding on this upcoming season than Honzek. Let’s take a closer look.

Sam Honzek

Left wing, shoots left
Born November 11, 2004 (age 19) in Trencin, Slovakia
6’4″, 195 pounds
Drafted in the first round (16th overall) by Calgary in the 2023 NHL Draft

The Flames generally adhered to the consensus when they took Honzek, ranked No. 17 by Bob McKenzie and No. 20 by Elite Prospects, with the No. 16 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. They passed on some pretty flashy players in the process, including Axel Sandin Pellikka and Gabe Perreault, but for the most part, Honzek remains firmly in the same ballpark as many of the players who went after him in last year’s first round.

That’s not to say Honzek’s first post-draft season was a cakewalk, because it absolutely wasn’t. The 6’4″ Slovak looked solid while wearing the Flaming C last September both at the Penticton YoungStars tournament and in the pre-season, but he suffered an abdomen injury in his final exhibition game with the Flames and didn’t return to action with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants until the beginning of December.

Then, after a decent showing with Team Slovakia at the 2024 World Juniors, Honzek suffered another injury in his first game back with a Giants that hampered his effectiveness for the rest of the 2023-24 regular season. After collecting 23 goals and 56 points in 43 games with the Giants in 2022-23, Honzek managed just 10 goals and 31 points in 33 games while serving as Vancouver’s captain in his second WHL season.

The Flames hoped Honzek would be able to take on additional responsibilities as a centre with the Giants this past season, but that largely fell by the wayside as he struggled to remain healthy and productive. He stayed on the wing as he made his pro debut with the Calgary Wranglers at the end of the 2023-24 campaign, ultimately appearing mostly in a depth role in three games in total over the regular season and playoffs.

Still, when he’s healthy, Honzek is more than capable of driving possession and can be dominant with the puck, using his huge (if somewhat slight) frame to fend off attackers and maintain control seemingly with ease. He showed in the 2022-23 season that he can be a high-volume shooter with a true finishing touch against WHL goaltenders. Simply put, he has the potential to become a top-tier power forward.

Here’s what McKeen’s Hockey assistant director of scouting Derek Neumeier had to say when we asked him for his thoughts on Honzek:

When he’s healthy and on the top of his game, Honzek can be a lot to handle for opposing defenders. He hits a good top speed with minimal effort, he has a very natural feel for the puck, and his big frame gives him a big advantage when it comes to winning body positioning around the net. The Flames did make a worthwhile long-term gamble when they picked him where they did. Unfortunately, he still has a lot to learn about how to blend those tools and maximize his strengths, and his injury issues have significantly slowed that progress. Even though he’s eligible to play in the AHL full-time beginning this fall it might actually be best if he goes back to the WHL for his overage season.