One of the Calgary Flames’ most promising young players will be representing his country this spring. Forward Sam Honzek, most recently of the American Hockey League’s Calgary Wranglers, will be representing Slovakia at the upcoming IIHF World Championship in May.

Honzek’s trip to the Worlds was first “reported” on social media by Slovak Ice Hockey Federation president Miroslav Satan, and subsequently announced by the Flames on their social media.

The Flames’ first-round selection in 2023, Honzek went pro this past season after spending a couple seasons with the Western Hockey League’s Vancouver Giants. He actually made the Flames roster out of camp, but he didn’t play a ton… and then he got injured. Eventually, he was sent down to the Wranglers in order to gain experience (and a ton of playing time). That’s what’s happened, with Honzek playing a lot of hockey over the past year and getting usage in every game situation for the Flames’ top affiliate.

Largely avoiding injury this season, Honzek ended up playing 59 games overall – the most he’s played in awhile. He had zero points in five NHL games with the Flames, playing exclusively on the wing early in the season while Yegor Sharangovich was injured. He had 21 points in 52 AHL regular season games (and zero points in two AHL playoff games), playing a combination of centre and the wing.

The 20-year-old Honzek will be suiting up for the first time with Slovakia’s senior men’s national team, but he’s played for them in several major junior tournaments: one Under-18 Worlds, one Hlinka Gretzky Cup and three World Juniors. While Honzek’s countryman (and fellow Flames forward) Martin Pospisil isn’t participating in the Worlds due to some lingering injuries, Pospisil has been a senior team fixture over the past few seasons – he helped Slovakia earn a spot in the upcoming Olympics, for example, and he’s probably a safe bet to play at that event for his country. For Honzek, the 2025 Worlds is a great opportunity to get some reps against high-end international talent, and perhaps grab hold of an Olympic roster spot, too.

The IIHF World Championship runs May 9-25 in Stockholm, Sweden and Herning, Denmark.