Samuel Honzek belongs to the greatest talents of the strongest year in the history of Slovak hockey. This was also confirmed in the last draft, where the Calgary Flames chose him from the fifteenth place. He had a successful camp, but he was injured.
The Flames management let him rehabilitate with the NHL team, which also helped the young man mentally. He got himself together and had a great start to the season in the WHL. The Vancouver Giants named him captain. The nineteen-year-old striker would like to transfer his rising form to the junior national team.
Slafkovský and Nemec are great, but we can succeed in the junior championship even without them
You jumped into the WHL with a bang with five points in three games, like you weren’t even coming back from an injury?
“I thank the people who put me together. I had an injury for the second time, when I also took a break last year after the junior championship. Being able to still be with the Calgary Flames during my rehab helped a lot. I also went to games with the team and was around NHL players. Then they sent me to the junior club two weeks before the Vancouver Giants games.’
Did you also spend time with Adam Ružiček and Martin Pospíšil?
“Especially, I often stayed with Martin, we also went to dinners, and with the Czech goalkeeper Dan Vladař. It was great.”
Then did you enjoy first-hand Pospíšil’s great entry into the NHL, which started with a goal from the first shot?
“Yes, I was very happy for him. We were together during training camp and after I got hurt and he was called up by the first team. I could see the games from the stands with hockey players who did not play or were injured. We were right above the ice, so I had a great view.”
The management of the Calgary Flames showed faith in your abilities, when you were with the team the whole time, you could already have a chance in the NHL next year, what do you say?
“I will honestly say that I want to show myself in the best possible light already at the Junior World Championship and hope that it could work out in the new year for a game in the NHL. It is my goal, but it will depend on several things. I’m happy for the trust they put in me and how they helped me after my injury.”
Is there a possibility that you would have already played at least in the farm AHL this season?
“There is a great chance. I don’t know whether to play right away, maybe just train. We’ll see how it develops after the championship and also with the Vancouver Giants in the WHL.”
Try to reveal what all you had to go through during recovery?
“Fortunately, they didn’t have to operate on me, even though it was in the game, because it was not known how much the lower abdominal muscle was torn from the pelvic bone. I had a problem running, we had to be very careful when I started with a more dynamic movement. They did an MRI twice because there was a lot of blood at first. After ten days it started to heal on its own, which helped.’
How did it happen to you?
“I would say it was an unfortunate move on my part, it wasn’t even after contact with the player. I lost my leg, stress played its part, it was also a little my fault.”
You dominated the NHL combine with strong legs, did you have to chase that back?
“Fortunately, I was able to do some of the moves and didn’t have to start from the beginning. It wasn’t like last year, when my opponent cut my calf muscle with a skate. Even in matches, I immediately felt better, stronger on my legs. The skills coach at the Calgary Flames helped me a lot.”
Looking at your performances in the three games of the new season, have you picked up where you left off last season, what do you say?
“Yes, we can say it anyway. I only have five games before I leave for the junior championship camp. The season just started for me. I want to take full advantage of this to quickly get into the best possible shape and match pace. Let me help the national team as much as possible.”
What does it mean to you to become the first European captain in the history of the Vancouver Giants?
“It means a lot to me, the guys from last year’s squad helped me a lot. I am grateful for that. It was determined by the coach, but the cabin agreed to it.’
Did you improve your English significantly after that?
“You can say it like that, I can boast that in the second year in Canada I mastered everything and I have no problem.”
Weren’t you going to watch the Vancouver Canucks game against the New Jersey Devils, where Šimon Nemec started?
“No, I can’t do much. I register that Šimon made a great debut in the NHL, but I didn’t even know that they were playing in Vancouver right away. We had training and I’m chasing gifts for my parents, Christmas fever is coming, as my departure to Slovakia is approaching. Meanwhile, I’m dealing with school, I’m graduating this year. I have a lot.’
Let’s move on to the Junior World Championship. The first one you were on didn’t work out very well for the team, last year you were unfortunately injured by an American opponent, maybe you have even more motivation?
“Yes, the championship in Edmonton didn’t work out for us as a whole team, when we didn’t even advance to the playoffs, I only played one and a half games last year, now I have the last chance. I’m going all in. I feel that we can succeed, after all, it is a similar team to when we succeeded in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup years ago, where we were second. I believe we can do it.”
Do you feel that there will be more pressure on you personally to score goals?
“I expect it, it will be up to me how I deal with it. I had a long break, I have maybe the most energy of the whole team, I have to use it.”
Several of you are doing well in the overseas juniors, Filip Mešár, Dalibor Dvorský, Martin Mišiak are scoring, do you expect the team to have the highest quality in attack?
“I think it will be. We have many good offensive players like Dalibor, Filip, Martin and others. I’m glad to see them, we haven’t been together since the draft. We are a great team.”
You will probably enjoy being at home in Slovakia?
“I’m looking forward to it, we’ll be with the family a little bit. Let’s have an early Christmas. Then it’s good that we’ll be in Sweden a week before the World Cup, we can learn everything earlier and we’ll be ready.”
The final did not fall, but the chance of Juraj Slafkovský starting with Šimon Nemec is slim, can the team succeed even without the two of them?
“Obviously if they came they would be great reinforcements and we would use it in every way. However, I think that even without them, we have many great leaders who want to fight for the national team. Juro and Šimon are great players, but we can succeed even without them.”
Your generation of 2004 is said to be the strongest in the history of Slovak hockey, so it would be even more desirable to end your junior career with a medal, how do you perceive it?
“The pressure will definitely be there, but it’s only good to push us forward. We have a strong team. We can use everything to our advantage. It is an honor to be a part of the year 2004 in Slovakia, Juro Slafkovský started it in the NHL and we can continue it with the boys. I believe in the success of our other years as well.”
2023-12-08 08:00:00
#INTERVIEW #Samuel #Honzek #taste #NHL #Year #Sport.sk
