Sam Honzek at centre? Calgary Flames could see sneak-peek during world championship
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Sam Honzek sees this as an audition — and in more ways than one.
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He hopes, with a stellar showing at the world championship tournament, that he can start to build his case to be a full-timer with the Calgary Flames next season.
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The 20-year-old forward also is aiming, in his first appearance with Slovakia's senior national team, to showcase why he should be on the roster to represent his country at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
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'There's going to be lots of eyes on the tournament, so it's going to be really, really good for me,' Honzek said. 'I think this can open up lots of eyes and kind of set me up for the future, for next season.'
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Could the next couple of weeks alter exactly where Honzek, who was a first-round draft pick in 2023, fits on the Flames' future depth chart?
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It's a good question.
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'I talked to the GM of the Slovak national team and he said I might have to play centre,' Honzek revealed after his exit interview with the AHL's Calgary Wranglers. 'So that is going to be definitely a big challenge for me, but I think I can handle it.'
Wouldn't that be a welcome wrinkle for the Flames?
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It's well-documented that the organization is short on centres, especially in the 25-and-under age range that they are targeting to form the nucleus for an eventual contender.
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Their top two pivots — leading scorer Nazem Kadri and captain Mikael Backlund — already are in their mid-30s and there are not any sure-things in the prospect pipeline.
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Could Honzek, a potential power-forward presence at 6-foot-4 and 195 pounds, be part of the solution at this crucial position? Most envision him as a long-term left winger, but he played a fair bit of both as a rookie in the minors and skates well enough to handle the extra responsibilities up the middle.
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Remember, when the Flames opened training camp this past fall with Martin Pospisil at centre, part of the rationale from head coach Ryan Huska was that he had received positive reports about his performance as Slovakia's 1C at the world championship.
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Huska is serving this spring as an assistant on Canada's bench staff, so he'll have a see-for-himself opportunity with Honzek. He was on the flank for a tuneup against France, but any shifts at pivot will offer a valuable sneak-peek for the staff at the Saddledome.
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Vancouver Sun
6 hours ago
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Davis: Stanley Cup final series took an unexpected turn for broadcaster Chris Cuthbert
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If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'It's a lot of fun, but you're catching me on the least fun part after last night's tough game,' Cuthbert said Tuesday from 'sticky-hot' southern Florida. 'I mean, the first two felt like we were on our way to one of the greatest Stanley Cup finals ever and we still might get there, but it took a detour in Game 3 for sure.' What happened? 'Maybe the Florida Panthers happened because we've seen that movie,' said Cuthbert, recalling the preliminary victories that moved the Panthers into their third straight Stanley Cup final. 'They did it to Tampa. They did it to Toronto in Game 5 and even worse in Game 7. And I didn't cover it, but it seemed like the first three games against Carolina were pretty similar, too. 'The Panthers are an extremely good team that can make you look bad. They made the Oilers look bad last night.' 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'But I was sitting in my apartment above a Chinese food restaurant in Yorkton, where I was living when I worked at CJGX, and I remember watching the 1980 Miracle on Ice and thinking, 'Man, that would be cool to call a game like that.' 'So, yeah, 2010 happened. But I think the dream of calling the Stanley Cup was probably even before I got to Yorkton because I was doing play-by-play when we were playing road hockey as kids. I went to bed with the transistor radio under my pillow, listening to Foster Hewitt or Dan Kelly or any number of those play-by-play guys back then because you could get all those signals on the radio.' Always well-researched, Cuthbert reads, watches and listens to numerous media reports about hockey and football. They help keep him in touch with the NHL and the CFL, so he's conversant in both sports. 'I still get all the (newspaper) clips and I go through them,' said Cuthbert. 'I probably see less of the CFL now but I do like to punch in and try to catch up. 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The Regina Leader-Post has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe. With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.
Ottawa Citizen
6 hours ago
- Ottawa Citizen
Davis: Stanley Cup final series took an unexpected turn for broadcaster Chris Cuthbert
Chris Cuthbert is also disappointed with the NHL's Edmonton Oilers. Article content He's not cheering for or against the Oilers, but as the play-by-play announcer on Sportsnet's Stanley Cup telecasts Cuthbert had enjoyed the dramatic, back-to-back overtime contests that opened the series and was hoping Game 3 would continue producing legendary showdowns between Edmonton and the Florida Panthers. Article content Article content Article content Instead the third game was an ugly, lopsided affair that reigning-champion Florida won 6-1 on Monday to take a 2-1 lead in the NHL's best-of-seven title series. Game 4 is slated for Thursday night in Sunrise, Fla. Cuthbert will call the game alongside analyst Craig Simpson, drawing audiences that typically exceed four million Canadian viewers per game, not including streaming numbers. Article content Article content 'It's a lot of fun, but you're catching me on the least fun part after last night's tough game,' Cuthbert said Tuesday from 'sticky-hot' southern Florida. 'I mean, the first two felt like we were on our way to one of the greatest Stanley Cup finals ever and we still might get there, but it took a detour in Game 3 for sure.' Article content 'Maybe the Florida Panthers happened because we've seen that movie,' said Cuthbert, recalling the preliminary victories that moved the Panthers into their third straight Stanley Cup final. 'They did it to Tampa. They did it to Toronto in Game 5 and even worse in Game 7. And I didn't cover it, but it seemed like the first three games against Carolina were pretty similar, too. Article content Article content 'The Panthers are an extremely good team that can make you look bad. They made the Oilers look bad last night.' Article content Article content After spending 15 years as TSN's leading broadcaster for CFL games, Cuthbert moved to Sportsnet in 2020 and became the primary play-by-play voice of Hockey Night in Canada. He began broadcasting university football games at Queen's University in the 1970s before getting hired at a Yorkton radio station, CJGX, where he did play-by-play for the Saskatchewan Amateur Junior Hockey League's Terriers. Article content 'You can add that (future NHLers) Chris Chelios, Al MacInnis, Dave Tippett and Ken Daneyko were in the SAJHL that year, so I was in good company,' said Cuthbert. Article content That's also where he started dreaming about getting to where he is now, from hearing Al Michaels' iconic 'Do you believe in miracles' during the U.S. hockey team's victory over Russia in the 1980 Winter Olympics to calling his own 'Golden goal' moment while describing Sidney Crosby's game-winner for Canada in the 2010 Games.
Calgary Herald
6 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
Davis: Stanley Cup final series took an unexpected turn for broadcaster Chris Cuthbert
Chris Cuthbert is also disappointed with the NHL's Edmonton Oilers. Article content He's not cheering for or against the Oilers, but as the play-by-play announcer on Sportsnet's Stanley Cup telecasts Cuthbert had enjoyed the dramatic, back-to-back overtime contests that opened the series and was hoping Game 3 would continue producing legendary showdowns between Edmonton and the Florida Panthers. Article content Article content Article content Instead the third game was an ugly, lopsided affair that reigning-champion Florida won 6-1 on Monday to take a 2-1 lead in the NHL's best-of-seven title series. Game 4 is slated for Thursday night in Sunrise, Fla. Cuthbert will call the game alongside analyst Craig Simpson, drawing audiences that typically exceed four million Canadian viewers per game, not including streaming numbers. Article content Article content 'It's a lot of fun, but you're catching me on the least fun part after last night's tough game,' Cuthbert said Tuesday from 'sticky-hot' southern Florida. 'I mean, the first two felt like we were on our way to one of the greatest Stanley Cup finals ever and we still might get there, but it took a detour in Game 3 for sure.' Article content 'Maybe the Florida Panthers happened because we've seen that movie,' said Cuthbert, recalling the preliminary victories that moved the Panthers into their third straight Stanley Cup final. 'They did it to Tampa. They did it to Toronto in Game 5 and even worse in Game 7. And I didn't cover it, but it seemed like the first three games against Carolina were pretty similar, too. Article content Article content 'The Panthers are an extremely good team that can make you look bad. They made the Oilers look bad last night.' Article content Article content After spending 15 years as TSN's leading broadcaster for CFL games, Cuthbert moved to Sportsnet in 2020 and became the primary play-by-play voice of Hockey Night in Canada. He began broadcasting university football games at Queen's University in the 1970s before getting hired at a Yorkton radio station, CJGX, where he did play-by-play for the Saskatchewan Amateur Junior Hockey League's Terriers. Article content 'You can add that (future NHLers) Chris Chelios, Al MacInnis, Dave Tippett and Ken Daneyko were in the SAJHL that year, so I was in good company,' said Cuthbert. Article content That's also where he started dreaming about getting to where he is now, from hearing Al Michaels' iconic 'Do you believe in miracles' during the U.S. hockey team's victory over Russia in the 1980 Winter Olympics to calling his own 'Golden goal' moment while describing Sidney Crosby's game-winner for Canada in the 2010 Games.
