Sam Honzek has one more game to book an NHL job.
That’s probably not entirely true. When the Calgary Flames decide whether to keep Honzek around for the regular season or send him to the AHL for a stint with the Calgary Wranglers, they’ll consider his entire body of work throughout training camp and the pre-season.
It won’t be Friday night’s game against the Winnipeg Jets alone that seals his short-term hockey-playing fate. Even if he does get sent to the Wranglers, there’s every chance he’ll earn a call-up sooner rather than later, too.
The Flames’ first-round draft pick in the 2023 NHL Draft is pushing for playing time, plain and simple, and Friday does represent an opportunity for Honzek to show he deserves it right away.
He knows it, too.
“Now is the point where the pressure comes in,” Honzek said Thursday. “It’s the last pre-season game. The lines are pretty much set, there have been lots of cuts and now we have a few guys left, only. I just came here to make the team. That’s the goal. I’m happy with how I played, how many points, the way I played and how I did what the coaches asked me to do.”
Honzek’s not the only one who is happy with his training camp. The Flames coaches are thrilled, too.
After a tough 2023-24 season that was interrupted by injuries and saw him underperform with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants, Honzek’s stock had fallen in the eyes of some.
Today, it is higher than ever.
He’s been arguably the story of training camp for the Flames. As of Thursday afternoon, he was tied with the Philadelphia Flyers’ Matvei Michkov for the most pre-season points in the entire NHL, with seven.
He scored a shorthanded goal against the Seattle Kraken that was legitimately spectacular, and he’s been doing impressive work along the boards and in the corners, too.
In short, Honzek’s done everything the coaches could have asked for.
Whether he winds up on the opening night roster or not, Honzek has put himself right in the mix.
“Last year at camp it felt like he was getting his feet wet and he didn’t want to step on any toes or ruffles any feathers, he just wanted to try to listen,” said Flames head coach Ryan Huska. “He didn’t have the impact I would have hoped he had. When you see him come back this year, he’s a totally different player.
“He’s a big man who is using his size and skating the right way. There haven’t been many players throughout our training camp and exhibition season that have played with the consistent pace that he has. He’s done an excellent job and we’ve talked about him a lot, he’s deserving of the opportunity to keep getting more opportunities and I’m hopeful he’ll continue to run with it.”
So what does Honzek have to do against the Jets to earn a spot in the regular season lineup? It’s hard to say, truthfully.
The Flames have decent veteran depth on the wing, so it’s entirely possible that they’ll send him to the Wranglers for a little while until an opportunity arises. For now, he’s done everything that’s been asked of him.
On Friday, Honzek probably just needs to do more of the same.
Waiver wire
The Flames sent Jonathan Aspirot, Clark Bishop, Hunter Brzustewicz, Martin Frk, Justin Kirkland and Sam Morton to the Wranglers on Thursday morning.
Then, an hour or two later, they placed Walker Duehr, Dryden Hunt and Jarred Tinordi on the waiver wire.
“There wasn’t much of a message, it’s just telling them they’ve been placed on waivers and based on what happens tomorrow, we’ll have a better idea as to the direction we’re going to go.”
With Duehr and Hunt being placed on waivers, Adam Klapka would appear to have the inside track on a job next to Ryan Lomberg and Kevin Rooney on the Flames’ fourth line.