Honzek to play for Slovakia at World Championships
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This spring, though, he's going to have the chance to make it memorable for the right reasons.
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Miroslav Satan, the longtime NHLer who now serves as the president of the Slovak national team, announced that the 20-year-old winger will be joining his country's national team for the upcoming IIHF World Hockey Championships.
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Honzek spent the majority of the 2024-25 season with the Calgary Wranglers in the AHL, recording eight goals and adding 13 assists in his first season as a pro. He started the season with an eye-catching training camp that earned him a spot on the Calgary Flames roster, although he played only five NHL games.
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Injuries disrupted his season, though, first when he suffered a head injury while trying to make his mark in the NHL and then again when he fractured his ankle in February. He did return in March, though, but still only managed four goals in 2025.
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The Flames' first-round pick, 16 th overall, in the 2023 NHL Draft is still viewed as one of the higher-ceiling prospects in the organization's system and will surely want to be pushing for more NHL minutes at training camp this fall.
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Some time with the national team can't hurt. The injuries meant he didn't play as much hockey as he otherwise might have this season.
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The Flames will be well-represented at the world championships this year, with MacKenzie Weegar representing Canada, Rasmus Andersson and Mikael Backlund playing for Sweden and Dan Vladar joining the Czechia team. It's expected that Ryan Huska will be formally named to the Canadian coaching staff in the coming days.
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Matt Coronato was going to join the Americans, but the Flames announced Monday that after an MRI last week, the young winger had made the preventative decision to withdraw from the tournament to focus on recovery.
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Toronto Sun
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- Toronto Sun
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Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Apparently, the three-time Olympic gold medallist was just getting started last summer, however. A little more than 10 months after McIntosh dominated throughout the meet at La Defense Arena, she showed she was stronger than ever on the opening night of the Canadian Trials in Victoria, destroying the world record in the 400-metre freestyle. Swimming a devastating final 100 metres on Saturday, McIntosh's time of 3:54.18 chopped more than a full second off the world mark previously held by Ariarne Titmus of Australia, a mark that had stood for two years. 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CTV News
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