The 19-year-old power-forward prospect struggled to stay healthy, limited to only 38 outings with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants.
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Sam Honzek is hoping to finish this frustrating season on a positive note.
And, in the future, to avoid ever having another quite like it.
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After being picked by the Calgary Flames in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft, many expected Honzek to be a dominant force in what will likely be his final junior campaign.
Trouble is, the 19-year-old power-forward prospect struggled to stay healthy, limited to only 38 outings — including five spring showdowns — with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants and playing at less than full-strength in a bunch of those.
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He arrived earlier this week in Calgary for an audition with the AHL’s Wranglers, although his professional debut has been delayed by an upper-body ailment, a leftover from the WHL playoffs.
“I hope I’m getting rid of those injuries so in my future, it’s just going to be a normal career with no injuries,” Honzek told Postmedia. “Hopefully, it’s going to get out of me right now. Better than later.”
The brass at the Saddledome are certainly hoping the same.
Honzek is a big part of the long-term plan, but there must be some concern that this run of rough luck could stall his development. You don’t gain the same sort of experience when your gear is hanging in your locker-room stall, although Honzek did benefit from some bonus time around the Flames after suffering an abdomen injury in early October during an exhibition eye-opener against the Oilers in Edmonton. He didn’t return to Vancouver until late November.
Honzek: ‘It was a really up-and-down season’
“It was pretty much a tough season,” said Honzek, who averaged just shy of a point per game when he was in the Giants’ lineup. “Started with an injury, then played five games and then left for world juniors, so I wasn’t with the team for two weeks and then I was gone. And then I came back and first game back, I got injured again, but an injury that I could play with. So nothing bad, but it still affects your mind.
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“It was a really up-and-down season. I would say I’m not happy with my performance in some games. But that’s hockey and I need to work on it. Especially in the summer coming up, I need to really dial it in.”
Before he starts his summer training regimen, Honzek is aiming to help the Wranglers with a Calder Cup push.
It’s a good sign that he was proud of his work in the WHL playoffs, even though the Giants notched only one victory in a best-of-seven opening-round showdown against the Everett Silvertips.
Honzek, currently listed at six foot four and 195 lbs., potted a pair of goals during that series.
“In playoffs, I would say I did a good job, or better than I played in the regular season,” he said. “So I was happy with that. And now, it’s just the next step where I need to be consistent here and bring my best every practice and every game, if I play.
“It’s tough that we lost in the first round, especially when our team was pretty good, pretty good skill. But on the other side, I was looking forward to come here and be around these guys. Because that’s the next level where I want to play. This is definitely where I want to be and where I want to move on to.”
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Honzek participated Friday in an optional morning skate with the Wranglers but was ultimately stuck spectating as two other selections from the 2023 NHL Draft — centre Jaden Lipinski, who also wintered with the Giants, and defenceman Etienne Morin — logged their AHL debuts.
Calgary’s most recent first-rounder is hoping he will be cleared for a double-dip next weekend in Abbotsford. Those are the final regular-season dates for the Flames’ farm-clubbers. They have already clinched a playoff invite.
“I just want to get healthy and eventually get my spot in the lineup,” Honzek said.
This skilled Slovak hasn’t lost confidence that he will, sooner than later, be a factor for the Flames. His goal is to earn an NHL job in the fall. Plan B is to at least prove that he is ready to transition to the pro game.
“I believe in myself and I really want to push myself this summer and to fight for the Flames,” Honzek said. “And if that doesn’t go well, I want to really make the Wranglers.
“I just want to be focusing on here and I want to stay here for next year. So I’m going to do all I can for that.”
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