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Adam Ruzicka Left Off the Calgary Flames 31-Man Roster: Still, It’s All Good

When Adam Ruzicka was among the 35 players called by the Calgary Flames to become part of the team’s Phase 3 resumption of the 2019-20 season, he was surprised but pleased. As the 21-year-old Slovak noted, “I was surprised I was included among those guys, so I was really happy to get invited to camp and battle for a spot.”

Ruzicka hasn’t yet made his NHL debut, nor did he eventually make it onto the Flames 31-man postseason roster. Still, he worked hard to make the best of the opportunity he was given by Flames general manager Brad Treliving and head coach Geoff Ward. Now, as a result of being part of the training camp, the organization knows more about the young forward. That can’t hurt Ruzicka’s development as a player.

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The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Ruzicka worked hard to make the most of the opportunity he was offered during these unusual circumstances. He was the Flames’ fourth-round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft and spent his first professional season with the organization’s AHL affiliate Stockton Heat where the center scored 10 goals and 17 assists in his 54 games there.

Ruzicka Took Good Advantage of His Chances

It was a great camp for the young center, which coach Ward sees as a precursor for the future. He went on and on about Ruzicka: “It was an opportunity for us to get to work with him, more than we ever have, as a staff. We found him to be very, very coachable.”

Ward added more, “We liked what he did in terms of continuing to develop his defensive play as a young player. He has a really good brain. He has offensive skills. So we felt like he fit in the scrimmages really, really well. For him, getting prepared for next camp, he knows exactly now the way we play. He knows what’s expected, in terms of him as a player, when he shows up here. He knows at what pace we expect the game to occur at. All those things are going to make him better.”

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For Flames fans looking ahead toward next season already, Ruzicka will be a player to watch during the team’s 2020-21 training camp.

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