There are still a couple of prospects we have yet to cover that the Calgary Flames might look at drafting at 16th overall. One of those players is Slovakian forward, Samuel Honzek. Honzek’s name didn’t really show up on draft lists until this season. A big part of that is likely his choice to come to North America and play in the WHL this year.
2023 NHL Draft Update: Samuel Honzek was selected 16th overall by the Calgary Flames.
Who is Samuel Honzek?
| Player | Position | Handedness | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel Honzek | C | Left | 6’4″/ 193cm | 185lbs / 83.9kg |
Honzek’s on-ice production
| Year | Draft Relative | League | Team | GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | D-5 | Slovakia U16 | HK Dukla Trencin U16 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 2018–19 | D-4 | Slovakia U16 | HK Dukla Trencin U16 | 33 | 17 | 28 | 45 |
| 2019–20 | D-3 | Slovakia U16 | HK Dukla Trencin U16 | 13 | 15 | 11 | 26 |
| Slovakia U18 | HK Dukla Trencin U18 | 36 | 16 | 18 | 34 | ||
| Slovakia U16 | International-Jr | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2020–21 | D-2 | Slovakia U20 | HK Ducla Trencin U20 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Slovakia | HK Ducla Trencin | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Slovakia2 | HK Spartak Dubnica | 8 | 4 | 1 | 5 | ||
| Slovakia2 | Team Slovakia U18 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2021–22 | D-1 | Slovakia U20 | HK Ducla Trencin U20 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 7 |
| Slovakia | HK Ducla Trencin | 49 | 10 | 4 | 14 | ||
| WJC-18 D1A | Slovakia U18 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 6 | ||
| WJC-20 | Slovakia U20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | D+0 | WHL | Vancouver Giants | 43 | 23 | 33 | 56 |
| WJC-20 | Slovakia U20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Samuel Honzek’s production can be tracked all the way to his D-5 season. That year was by far his worst production of any. Moving on to the next, Honzek took huge steps forward. In the same league, on the same team, Honzek went from three points in 17 games to 45 in 33. A positive climb of 42 points in only 16 more games.
He then started the following year on the U16 team where he had a points per game rate of 2.0 with 26 points in 13 games. A mix of his impressive play and him turning 16 saw him get promoted to the U18 league where he continued to produce with 34 points in 36 games. He also played two games and got a singular goal in a U16 International tournament.
In the 2020–21 season, Honzek played on four different teams with the global pandemic likely being a factor. He advanced to the U20 team and then to the actual HK Ducla Trencin team. In those nine combined games, he only put up two points. At some point in that season, he was also loaned to HK Spartak Dubnica where he only played eight games—scoring four goals.
His D-1 year was his last season playing Slovakia. Honzek started off on the U20 team scoring seven points in five games and then played the rest of the season with HK Ducla Trencin. In 49 games, He had 10 goals and 14 points. That same season he played in both the U18 and U20 Word Juniors.
Honzek joined the team that drafted him 10th overall in the WHL import draft, the Vancouver Giants. Honzek had a strong year with Vancouver scoring 23 goals and 56 points in 43 games. At Christmastime, He was invited to the Slovakian U20 World Juniours team where he played two games before suffering a leg injury. Honzek and the Giants made the playoffs only to be swept by the Kamloops Blazers. In those four games, Honzek had four points.
Honzek’s strengths
Offensive game
Honzek has quite a few offensive traits that he does well. To start, Honzek uses his size very effectively when dealing with offence. He uses his frame to defend the puck from attacking defenders and can usually create some sort of offensive opportunity with it. Driving the net often becomes an option for him due to his size. He likes to get into the dirtier areas of the ice such as screening the goalie or cleaning up a rebound.
Honzek also has a very solid shot. His wrist shot particularly sticks out and uses it effectively in multiple different situations. It blends well with his size as when he’s driving the net, he has the skill to either shoot it short side or far side.
For a guy his height, you wouldn’t expect his skating to be as good as it is. Honzek uses his long stride to separate from defenders and create scoring chances. That long stride also helps on the rush allowing him to get open and be an option. The first few strides he gets have power to them allowing him to explode. When he reaches his top speed, he is one of the fastest players on the ice.
His edgework might be even better than his speed. He’s able to make quick cuts which make him dangerous on the ice. Those quick cuts can lead to sudden drives to the net adding to that danger. Honzek’s edges make it difficult for opponents to shake him off when’s hunting for the puck.
Honzek’s areas of improvement
Consistency
Without a doubt, Honzek has some skills, like the ones I’ve already highlighted, but most of those skills among others are still raw and lack some consistency. His shot does seem to always have some great accuracy, but it’s some very basic accuracy. He doesn’t try for tougher placed shots such as top corners or the goalie’s five-hole making him predictable.
Alongside lacking pizazz, Honzek’s shot will sometimes seem to lack hardness and power taking away the danger of his shot. His edgework also needs to be more consistent. Sometimes it appears he’s forgotten about his agility and will skate straight line style causing him to be a player to not watch.
His passing has yet to be mentioned—he’s a good passer, he’s simple and it’s decent enough to get the job done, but his style of passing can cause him to be inconsistent. He plays perimeter hockey, making him a perimeter passer. This perimeter passing causes him not to attempt to set up in the deadly zones such as the slot or in front of the net. Honzek also makes quick passes which often lead to turnovers or low-quality chances.
Honzek’s comparables
When drawing a comparison between Honzek and an NHLer, the two players that come to mind are Jamie Benn and Sam Bennett. All three of these guys aren’t the flashiest players but they have the tools to be effective and get on the point streak. For now, Benn and Bennett are definitely way more physical than Honzek, but that could change with time.
Fit with the Flames
The Flames’ centre pool is not the strongest after Connor Zary and taking Honzek would strengthen that pool. Honzek will likely be a middle-six centre at the worst and he’d be a useful one at that. His toolset currently sparks me of a player that’s in a supporting role on a championship team, but if enough time is given he could be something better.
His fit with the Flames would all come down to how much time do they want to give him. If they want him to make an impact in two to three years, it would probably be best to avoid taking him, but if they are down to give him some solid time to develop, his skills could grow and there’s a decent chance he could be a top-line guy.
Summary
Samuel Honzek is a solid prospect who should play NHL games in at least a middle-six role. His combination of size, speed, and willingness to go to the dirty areas will attract almost every team. It’d be best to give him time to develop to fix his inconsistency and freshen out his raw skills. Doing so could make him a top-six guy or even a top-line player.
He is projected to go anywhere from 10th to 30th overall. I think he will likely go in the 20–25 range, but if a team really likes him, he could go earlier and around the Flames’ spot.
Risk: 2/5
Reward: 4/5
Projection: Top-six power forward
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