Honzek put on significant weight as he pushes for full-time role with Calgary Flames
The 2024-25 season proved to be a bit of a roller coaster for Calgary Flames prospect Samuel Honzek.
In what was his first professional campaign, Honzek shocked many with an outstanding performance throughout the preseason, which was enough to earn him a spot on the Flames’ opening night roster. An upper-body injury suffered just five games into the regular season, however, put a major damper on things.
Honzek wound up being re-assigned to the Calgary Wranglers after suffering the injury, and was rather mediocre in his first AHL season, posting eight goals and 21 points in 53 games. That said, there were still plenty of positive learning experiences for the 2023 first-round pick, who won’t turn 21 until November.
“I would say personally it was kind of my mistake, kind of let myself down by getting sent down. Things just didn’t go my way,” Honzek said. “Just being down [emotionally], I think that’s what I [need to work on] for this year. If that happens, I need to be ready to not let myself down, work harder, and find my way back.”
The left-handed winger made it clear that his main goal this camp is to not only crack the Flames roster once again, but remain with them for the entirety of the season. He seems quite confident that he knows what to do in order to make that become a reality.
“It’s doable. I can do it again,” Honzek said. “There’s more guys coming in, it’s going to be more competitive, but that’s good because it helps us improve, whether it’s me, Aydar [Suniev], Zayne [Parekh], and lots of other guys.”
Honzek spent most of the offseason training with another Flames forward in Martin Pospisil. While there were plenty of on-ice sessions to help hone his craft, he also put in some major work away from the rink.
“I put some weight on, and I feel a little bit heavier on the ice, but I think my speed has stayed the same. I worked out really hard with Pospy in the summer. Lots of off-ice and on-ice training. It’s been a really hard summer, and I’m hoping it pays off.”
The young prospect revealed a short time later that he put on roughly 15 lbs to help add to his 6-foot-4 frame over the summer. That should be a big boost for Honzek, who was listed at 186 pounds last season.
Though Honzek still has plenty to show going forward in training camp, he certainly made a name for himself a year ago and will be looking to defy the odds once again heading into the 2025-26 season.
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