One of the Calgary’s promising young prospects, Samuel Honzek, will be representing his country of Slovakia at the upcoming World Championships from May 9-25. The 20-year-old most recently played for the Flames' AHL affiliate team, the Wranglers, scoring eight goals and 21 points in 52 games in the 2024-25 season. He has also played five games with the Flames, coming up with no points.
This will be his first time playing for Slovakia’s senior men’s team as he’s skated for his nation before in a U-18 World Championships, one Hlinka Gretzky Cup and three World Junior Championships.
The 2023 first-round pick isn’t the only Flames player headed to Sweden and Denmark, as teammates Mikael Backlund (Sweden), MacKenzie Weegar (Canada), Rasmus Andersson (also Sweden) and Dan Vladar (Czechia) will also be representing their nations during the annual tournament, although rookie defenseman Zayne Parekh is expected to join Canada for its pre-tournament games.