When the Calgary Flames announced their 2024–25 opening night roster, there weren’t any big shocks. Most people knew that with certain waiver news, 2023 first-round pick Sam Honzek had made the NHL roster.
After a season of injuries and most of the fanbase already turning their back on Honzek, this was the last thing many expected of him. With the outlook of the Flames season being quite grim, this was enough to shine a bright spot for the interim.
The one thing that many may not have noticed with the roster announcement is that Honzek’s jersey number has changed from #42 to #29, signalling a potentially larger role to come.
A recent trend with numbers
The number 29 was previously worn by Dillon Dube, but we all know that number was not going to be re-taken anytime soon. Giving the number to Honzek is actually a much bigger deal, as the number 29 is far more indicative of a full-time NHLer than 42.
Now numbers are just numbers, but it’s a sign of confidence from the franchise to reward the player with that prior to the season starting. The franchise did the same thing for Matt Coronato last season when he changed his number to 27 after making the full-time roster.
For some players—like Connor Zary and Martin Pospisil—their original training camp numbers have been retained even though they have made the NHL full-time. It’s not always a required right of passage, but it’s a strong tip of the cap.
The number change doesn’t mean that Honzek is going to stay with the Flames the entire season, but it does show that the Flames view him in higher regard than just a nine-game audition. It also provides Honzek with more confidence that he has earned his spot on the NHL lineup, and most likely has a position in the lineup for the future as well.
All that being said, it’s clear that for the young players in the organization if you show up and perform at an NHL level—you’re going to be rewarded.
