First-round draft choice already climbing a steep learning curve in his introductory NHL training camp
Being his first NHL training camp, Samuel Honzek knew he was about to face players who were bigger, stronger and faster than anybody he’d gone up against before.
Even with those expectations, the Calgary Flames 2023 first-round pick still received a massive eye-opener in the form of 6-foot-6, 248-lb., Nikita Zadorov.
“I ended up one-on-one with Big Z, and I turned with the puck towards him and just got pounded into the boards,” Honzek said. “He didn’t even use his body, he just used his hands, and I went flying.”
At 6-foot-4, 186-lb., the 18-year-old Honzek is no shrinking violet, but the big lessons are coming fast and furious at the Saddledome.
“I’m feeling great,” said Honzek, the product of Slovakia who was chosen 16th overall this summer. “I feel every day it’s getting better. I’m in a good mindset I can be successful and see myself progressing. I feel more comfortable on the ice.”
Honzek could see pre-season action when the Flames open the exhibition slate at home to the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday followed by a split-squad pair of games against the Seattle Kraken Monday.
Having come off a trio of games during the Young Stars Classic tournament in Penticton, B.C., Honzek believes he has plenty to build upon.
“I didn’t score but I think it was more important to do what the coaches told me,” he said of the clashes against prospects from the Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets. “I think every game I got better. I went to the video coach and he showed me details to work on and I found the game more comfortable and easier. I think those details I need to use if I get a pre-season chance.”
Honzek, who collected 23 goals and 56 points in 43 games last season with the Vancouver Giants, is most likely destined to be returned to the West Coast for the season, and already sees improvement in his game to take it to a new level.
“From the first game in Penticton, I look at myself and I can see there’s a difference,” he said. “I’ve been working on being a professional. It’s good to be around these guys, and I’m talking to them and listening to them.”
