Who doesn’t love a big winger with a scoring touch?
Adam Klapka played two seasons with the United States Hockey League’s Tri-City Storm, scoring 15 goals and 25 points in 57 games. The right wing returned to his native Czechia for the 2021-22 season, scoring six goals and 18 points with HC Bílí Tygři Liberec, turning that into a professional deal with the Calgary Flames in May 2022.
The 6’8”, 235 lb forward impressed in training camp and was one of the last players cut from the roster, being placed on the Calgary Wranglers of the American Hockey League. That season, he scored 13 goals and 25 points in 60 games, along with 80 penalty minutes. It was much of the same for Klapka in 2023-24, earning 65 games in the AHL with 21 goals and 46 points, but playing six games with the Flames where he scored his first NHL goal.
Heading into the 2024-25 season, Klapka was ranked as our 15th-best Flames prospect. On top of the scoring, the right winger is a physical presence on the ice, dropping the gloves, and stapling the opposition into the boards. According to our very own Paige Stewart, Klapka isn’t afraid to go to the crease and he benefited from his brief tenure with the NHL team.
Before the season began, the Flames and Klapka agreed to a one-year, two-way contract. He’s played 12 NHL games this season, scoring his second career goal and dropping the gloves with Miles Wood after laying out Nathan MacKinnon with a huge hit.
Klapka has spent the majority of his season in the AHL with the Wranglers though, scoring 13 goals and 25 points in 31 games. Over a 72-game season, he’s on pace for 30 goals and 58 points, both totals would be a career-high. Unfortunately, he’s been out of the lineup for 18 games, meaning he’s on pace for 22 goals (still a career-high) and 43 points.
The large Czechian right winger has clearly figured out the AHL level but has to capitalize on his next chance at the NHL level. If he figures it all out, he can be a physical force in the bottom six with a scoring touch, a type of player all playoff teams would love to have.
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