Flames forward has missed more games due to injury than he played in the first four years of his pro career

Even at his young age, Martin Pospisil is a study in perseverance.

It would be an understatement to say it has been a rough few seasons since the 2018 fourth-round draft turned pro.

More than four years ago, Pospisil — in just his sixth professional game — was knocked unconscious from a punch in a fight with the late Colby Cave. He finally returned to action late in the season. (Cave, who was immediately affected when he saw Pospisil out cold on the ice, reached out via text after the game to check whether the young forward was OK.)

He suffered a horrible injury in the 2020-21 season after being on the receiving end of a knee-on-knee hit.

Last season, he played only 20 games.

Over his career, Pospisil has missed more games due to injury than he actually played, but instead of packing it in, he continued to believe better days lay ahead.

“The last injury, I was out for four months,” Pospisil said. “My goal was to be even better than before, I had a really long summer, great summer, had really good fitness testing and that shows also on the ice. I feel really, really, good.”

A solid start to the season for the AHL Wranglers — three goals and six points in six games — made that faith worth it when Pospisil earned a summons when the Flames headed to Seattle for Saturday’s clash with the Seattle Kraken.

“I was super excited,” he said of receiving the call. “It was a long way to get here, where I am right now.”

Pospisil skated on a line with Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman in Friday’s practice, a strong sign he will make his NHL debut in Seattle — which would make him the third Flames player in a four-game stretch and be a whale of an early birthday present for the product of Zvolen, Slovakia, who turns 24 on Nov. 19.

“When you talk to the guys, (Wranglers coach) Trent (Cull) and the staff, they say he’s been their best player to date,” coach Ryan Huska said. “It gives us an opportunity to get another guy, a little more energy, into the lineup. We’ll see how things go there.”

Pospisil, whose older brother Kristian won a bronze medal with Slovakia at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, does have a tendency to go over the line — he received a game misconduct for a hit to the head of Winnipeg Jets forward Cole Perfetti in the pre-season. However, the Flames hope he can add focused energy to the the lineup.

“This year, I thought he was driving to the net hard in every game he was playing,” Backlund said. “He was taking pucks to the net, using speed and size. He played physical in camp, so that’s what he’s got to bring.”