Adam Ružička eyes NHL comeback after successful KHL season
After the rather debatable selection of his exit from the
NHL
in early 2024, it could soon be possible for Slovak forward Adam Ružička to return to North America. The 26-year-old spent the previous season in Russia with Spartak Moscow, allegedly awaiting a concrete NHL offer.
While his team wants to retain him, Ružička holds hopes of an NHL comeback-which may be his ambition-plus needing to compete in the Winter Olympics for Slovakia.
Adam Ružička rebuilds his career with Spartak Moscow
After a brief unsatisfactory stint with the Coyotes, Adam Ružička found new life in the KHL. With Spartak Moscow, the forward racked up 45 points in 65 regular-season games and added 12 more in 12 playoff appearances. Finishing in third place in the West and making it to the second round of the playoffs was quite a good run for Ružička, who seemed to flourish in his new environment.
Arizona's exit still looms over Adam Ružička's NHL hopes
After being released by Arizona in February 2024, his NHL trajectory took a downward curve. Only weeks after joining the Coyotes off waivers from Calgary, the forward was let go in the wake of a social media controversy concerning a now-deleted video. Putting him under scrutiny, Ružička quickly redirected his focus, taking his KHL performance as an indicator of his maturity and consistency. That said, NHL front offices may still hold a wary view, and no specific franchise has yet been publicly tied to him.
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Olympic dreams may affect Adam Ružička's next step
Adam Ruzicka 3-1 Goal vs Washington Capitals | December 3, 2022
If Adam Ružička returns to the NHL, it may be part of a strategy that also takes his Olympic ambitions into consideration. His icing for the Slovak senior team during the 2022 Olympic qualifiers is still his sole major international experience. Since at least a minority do not consider KHL players for inclusion in the national side, Ružička could view an NHL comeback as the easier route toward selection for the Olympics.
Interestingly, his brother-in-law, Michal Čajkovský, a former teammate at Spartak, is also currently a free agent and may factor into Ružička's next choice.
Also Read:
Alex Ovechkin begins a new journey off the ice with Yandex‑backed documentary project
Adam Ružička stands at a very important juncture in his life: behind him are astonishing KHL statistics, and in front of him are the Olympics, his NHL hopes still very much alive. It remains to be seen whether or not some NHL club is ready to give the Slovak wing a shot, but one thing is for sure: Ružička is eager to open a brand new chapter in his career.
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If you take everything, it was quite clear that it (succeeding there) was not written in my destiny,' Nikhat brushed off with a laugh. For someone known for her bindaas, steely exterior, it was a rare glimpse behind the armour. The Olympics had clearly left their mark — and not just physically. File | China's Wu Yu being declared winner in the women's 50kg Round of 16 boxing match against India's Nikhat Zareen at the 2024 Summer Olympics, in Paris, France, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. | Photo Credit: PTI 'As soon as I came back from Paris, I ate everything at home. I ate everything that I do not usually eat. I gained seven kgs as soon as I came back, within one month. I know that's very unhealthy, but what can I do? That time, my mindset was like that. I didn't care about anything. I didn't want to talk to anyone. I didn't want to go anywhere,' she explained. It was Bella, the golden retriever she and her sister had adopted, and a timely escape from routine that helped her find her footing again. 'I sat and thought that this was not going to help me. It would only spoil me. I needed to get out of that zone. I do not want to overthink and stay in the shadow of disappointment. I didn't want to be in that disappointment phase. I want to move on and come back stronger. I'm in that phase of life. So, I decided to go on a trip to Kashmir, which really helped me to come back.' ALSO READ | Dwight Muhammad Qawi, boxer who went from prison to champion, dies at 72 The comeback began with conviction — but too much, too fast. In pushing herself harder, she picked up a meniscus injury and spent nearly four months recovering. Her return came at the Elite Women's Boxing Tournament in Hyderabad last month, with one goal: re-enter the elite national camp. The two-time World Champion and home favourite made it to the final in the 51kg category but had to withdraw before her bout with Jyoti due to a minor injury. Nikhat is not trading ambition for ease. But she's not letting boxing monopolise her life either. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement 'Sometimes I feel like meri kismat hi kharaab hai (I'm just unlucky). Maybe no one is as unlucky as I am.' But despite the setbacks, Nikhat isn't someone who stays down for long. Every obstacle, she says, is fuel. 'These challenges break me, but they also make me stronger. Each obstacle makes me stronger and hungrier to achieve my goals. It's an interesting journey going on in my life right now. I am enjoying whatever life is throwing my way. I always tell myself, 'Nikhat, you are stronger. You are stronger than ever. You can handle this.' Always.' Much of her recent progress, she says, is thanks to Sunny, a coach from the Sports Authority of India with whom she began working this year. 'I spoke to the federation and TOPS about needing a coach and finally decided to work under Sunny. I was training in ASI Pune for five months under him, and he has helped me regain my fitness levels. He has played a major role after the Paris Olympics in helping me get back into the national team.' ALSO READ | BFI panel bars personal coaches for National campers Present perfect At 29, Nikhat has only one Olympics under her belt — but the lessons have been profound. Chief among them: live in the moment, both inside and outside the ring. 'I know what I want in my life. At the same time, I just don't want to be blindly focused on that because when you don't get that, then you're totally shattered. That is what happened in Paris. Every time in my mind, there was only the thought of winning a medal. I left everything for it. I didn't eat junk food for so long. I didn't focus on eating sweets because I followed a strict diet. But what happened in Paris? I got broken. Literally broken.' 'I'm pushing myself every day, telling myself that whatever has happened in the past is in the past. Let's see what the future holds for me. Paris has taught me to focus on the present. I don't care what the future holds for me, what it brings in my life.' Two major events now dominate her calendar: the World Boxing Championships and the Boxing World Cup. The 2028 Olympics are on the horizon, but she's careful not to get consumed by it. 'I just don't want to put pressure on myself like, 'Oh, what will happen in the World Championship? What will happen in LA?' No, I just want to live in the present and give my 100% in training and just enjoy my workouts, enjoy the game. I don't want to ruin my present thinking about the future. I just want to enjoy my training, enjoy my life.' ALSO READ | Former world champion Julio César Chávez Jr arrested by ICE, faces deportation She's not trading ambition for ease. But she's not letting boxing monopolise her life either. 'Being an athlete, you have to be focused and disciplined. But at the same time, I have my life also. I know that once I leave boxing, when I look back, I'll regret that didn't do this and that. At the same time, I also want to live to the fullest. I want to do everything. I want to win a medal, I want to work hard, and I want to enjoy life. Because you only live once.' Nikhat has now made it to the Indian team heading to Liverpool, England, for the World Boxing Championships in September. It will be her first international bout since the heartbreak in Paris. 'I'm working hard again. I am seeing this as the start of my Olympic cycle. So I'll keep pushing myself. This is my first competition after the Paris Olympics, and I'll have butterflies in my stomach when I go there. But once I enter the ring, my mind will be set only on winning that match and the competition.' Nikhat stormed into public view as a teenager, carving a path through the youth ranks, braving the politics of challenging Mary Kom, and refusing to wilt under pressure. She's still doing exactly that. 'I'm still that Nikhat Zareen who has that hunger to achieve and make the country proud. I'm happy that I'm finally back in the national team. Now the focus is on winning the medal.'.
