At six-foot-eight, 235 pounds, it’s not hard for Adam Klapka to stick out.
Anywhere.
But it’s not just his frame that has the 22-year-old Calgary Flames hopeful turning heads.
In Penticton, B.C., he was heralded by coach Darryl Sutter as the best of all Flames prospects at rookie camp.
In the team’s first scrimmage, he put a sweet move on a defenceman before roofing the game’s prettiest goal.
In his first pre-season game he had his first fight, and on Tuesday night in Seattle he turned on the jets to outrace veteran Vince Dunn to create one of the team’s few Grade A scoring chances in a 3-0 loss to a veteran-laden bunch of Kraken.
Signed to a two-year deal fresh out of the top league in the Czech Republic, Klapka is a year or two away from being able to challenge for an NHL look.
But it’s easy to get excited about the package he brings.
“Darryl is right, he stood out (in Penticton), not only for his size but what caught our eye is his ability to hang onto the puck and make some plays, and he has a rocket of a shot,” said assistant coach Kirk Muller.
“The combination, let’s be honest, if you’ve got a big winger like that who can hang onto the puck, and make plays and go to the net (and) is willing to go to the hard areas … he’s raw, he’s got a lot to learn about the North American game. But there’s stuff there that gets you excited.”
Even more so after chatting with the affable youngster who can’t believe the dream he’s living.
“When I flew to Vancouver (for Sunday’s split squad game) it was something – when I came to the airport and saw the plane I was like, ‘wow, what am I doing here?’” beamed the chiseled Czech, who somehow dropped 10 pounds over the last four months while skating in Calgary.
“It’s nice to be here and see where you can play and give you the motivation to work hard.”
Not surprisingly a fan of Zdeno Chara, his game matches the Flames’ style.
“I should play straight, hit the guys, be in front of the net and be aggressive, protect teammates,” said the right-shot winger.
“My size is perfect for my situation.”
That size earned him an invite to fight Canucks tough guy Vincent Arseneau on Sunday night, which fortunately didn’t go too badly for the gentle giant.
“I wasn’t expecting, but he asked me if I want to go and I am not a guy who says no because I feel a little bit bad when I say no,” chuckled Klapka.
“I did a couple mistakes I have to work on. It was my first fight here, so I hope there is going to be some other fights.
“In Europe, people are a little bit scared of fighting and when you fight in Europe you get suspended for the rest of the game. No one wants to fight in the Czech, and especially with me because I’m so big against other guys.
“It’s part of my game but I have to be more smart about when I can fight and when I can’t.”
Wranglers fans are sure to enjoy watching Klapka develop in the AHL.
OPENING NIGHT SURPRISE?
If the season were to start tomorrow, the biggest surprise on the opening night roster would likely be Nicolas Meloche.
Yes, you read that right.
In the absence of Oliver Kylington, due to personal reasons, the 25-year-old defenceman has been slotted from Day 1 of camp to play on the right side of third-pairing anchor Nikita Zadorov.
The second-round draft pick of the Colorado Avalanche was signed by the Flames as a free agent on the first day of free agency this summer for $950,000 on a one-way deal.
Simply put, the Flames see him as their next Erik Gudbranson.
“With Gudbranson leaving I could maybe take his chair, maybe not this year, but obviously fill his shoes on the penalty kill and being a tough, physical defenceman,” said Meloche, who played 50 games for San Jose last season.
“For me, that’s the goal I’m aiming for, playing those minutes and playing the way he did last year. He was amazing, and hard to play against last year.”
At six-foot-three, 211 pounds he is almost as big as Gudbranson, who was popular with fans and teammates for his toughness and ability to shut down the opposition.
“When we talked on the phone this summer, (the coaches) said, ‘we could see you taking that role (Gudbranson) played,” said Meloche, who led all Flames with almost three minutes of penalty kill time Tuesday.
“They gave me some film of him for the summer and I watched it closely. I see myself as being capable of doing the same thing.”
On Tuesday he looked solid alongside Connor Mackey, who many originally figured might have been slotted sixth or seventh on the depth chart this year.
Alas, Meloche seems to have an early track on Kylington’s spot.
RUZICKA ON THE WING
With the addition of centres Nazem Kadri and Kevin Rooney, many have wondered where Adam Ruzicka might fit in as a centre in the organization.
Turns out he might not fit there at all, which is why the six-foot-four, 220-pound, 23-year-old made his debut on the left wing on a solid line with Connor Zary and Sonny Milano on Tuesday.
If he is able to make that transition, it could certainly open up some doors for the youngster, who broke through last season with five goals and 10 points in 28 games.
“I can play whatever — centre, wing, I don’t really care, it doesn’t matter to me,” he chuckled Tuesday morning.
“If I’m going to make the NHL, I’ll (even) play in goal.”
SEATTLE NOTES
The man who did play net, Daniel Vladar, was perhaps the best player on the ice for the Flames’ young squad Tuesday, stopping 32 of the 34 shots he faced before the club surrendered an empty netter. It was a solid encore performance for the backup, who stopped all 15 he faced in the opening pre-season game … The Flames went 0-for-6 on the power play, with Zary leading all Flames with 7:05 of ice time on the man advantage. The Flames’ first rounder looked comfortable alongside PTO hopeful Milano, who also saw over seven minutes on the PP, recording three shots … The Flames host Edmonton on Wednesday.
CALGARY – The Calgary Flames have re-signed defenceman Ilya Solovyov and centre Cole Schwindt, the NHL club announced Wednesday.
Solovyov signed a two-year deal which is a two-way contract in year one and a one-way deal in year two and carries an average annual value of US$775,000 at the NHL level.
Schwindt signed a one-year, two-way contract with an average annual value of $800,000 at the NHL level.
The 24-year-old Solovyov, from Mogilev, Belarus, made his NHL debut last season and had three assists in 10 games for the Flames. He also had five goals and 10 assists in 51 games with the American Hockey League’s Calgary Wranglers and added one goal in six Calder Cup playoff games.
Schwindt, from Kitchener, Ont., made his Flames debut last season and appeared in four games with the club.
The 23-year-old also had 14 goals and 22 assists in 66 regular-season games with the Wranglers and added a team-leading four goals, including one game-winning goal, in the playoffs.
Schwindt was selected by Florida in the third round, 81st overall, at the 2019 NHL draft. He came to Calgary in July 2022 along with forward Jonathan Huberdeau and defenceman MacKenzie Weegar in the trade that sent star forward Matthew Tkachuk to the Panthers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.
KING CITY, Ont. – Oman scored 10 runs in the final over to edge Nepal by one wicket with just one ball remaining in ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 play Wednesday.
Kaleemullah, the No. 11 batsman who goes by one name, hit a four with the penultimate ball as Oman finished at 223 for nine. Nepal had scored 220 for nine in its 50 overs.
Kaleemullah and No. 9 batsman Shakeel Ahmed each scored five in the final over off Sompal Kami. They finished with six and 17 runs, respectively.
Opener Latinder Singh led Oman with 41 runs.
Nepal’s Gulsan Jha was named man of the match after scoring 53 runs and recording a career-best five-wicket haul. The 18-year-old slammed five sixes and three-fours in his 35-ball knock, scoring 23 runs in the 46th over alone when he hit six, six, four, two, four and one off Aqib Ilyas.
Captain Rohit Paudel led Nepal with 60 runs.
The 19th-ranked Canadians, who opened the triangular series Monday with a 103-run win over No. 17 Nepal, face No. 16 Oman on Friday, Nepal on Sunday and Oman again on Sept. 26. All the games are at the Maple Leaf Cricket Ground.
The eight World League 2 teams each play 36 one-day internationals spread across nine triangular series through December 2026. The top four sides will go through to a World Cup qualifier that will decide the last four berths in the expanded 14-team Cricket World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Canada (5-4) stands second in the World League 2 table. The 14th-ranked Dutch top the table at 6-2.
Oman (2-2 with one no-result) stands sixth, ahead of Nepal (1-5).
Canada won all four matches in its opening tri-series in February-March, sweeping No. 11 Scotland and the 20th-ranked host Emirates. But the Canadians lost four in a row to the 18th-ranked U.S. and host Netherlands in August.
Canada which debuted in the T20 World Cup this summer in the U.S. and West Indies, is looking to get back to the showcase 50-over Cricket World Cup for the first time since 2011 after failing to qualify for the last three editions. The Canadian men also played in the 1979, 2003 and 2007 tournaments, exiting after the group stage in all four tournament appearances.
The Canadian men regained their one-day international status for the first time in almost a decade by finishing in the top four of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier Playoff in April 2023 in Bermuda.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024
PENTICTON, B.C. – Rick Tocchet has already warned his Vancouver Canucks players — the looming NHL season won’t be easy.
The team made strides last year, the head coach said Wednesday ahead of training camp. The bar has been raised for this year’s campaign.
“To get to the next plateau, there are higher expectations and it’s going to be hard. We know that,” Tocchet said in Penticton, B.C., where the team will open its camp on Thursday.
“So that’s the next level. It starts day one (on Thursday). My thing is don’t waste a rep out there.”
The Canucks finished atop the Pacific Division with a 50-23-9 record last season, then ousted the Nashville Predators from the playoffs in a gritty, six-game first-round series. Vancouver then fell to the Edmonton Oilers in a seven-game second-round set.
Last fall, Jim Rutherford, the Canucks president of hockey operations, said everything would have to go right for the team to make a playoff push. That doesn’t change this season, he said, despite last year’s success.
“The challenges will be greater, certainly. But I believe the team that we started with last year, we have just as good a team to start the season this year and probably better,” he said.
“As long as the team builds off what they did last year, stick to what the coaches tell them, stick to the system, stick together in good times and bad times, this team has a chance to do pretty well.”
Some key players will be missing as Vancouver’s training camp begins, however.
Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin announced Wednesday that star goalie Thatcher Demko will not be on the ice when the team begins it’s pre-season preparation.
Allvin did not disclose the reason for Demko’s absence, but said the 28-year-old American has been making progress.
“He’s been in working extremely hard and he seems to be in a great mindset,” the GM said.
Demko missed several weeks of the regular season and much of Vancouver’s playoff run last spring with a knee injury.
The six-foot-four, 192-pound goalie has a career 213-116-81 regular-season record with a .912 save percentage, a 2.79 goals-against average and eight shutouts across seven seasons with the Canucks.
Allvin also announced that veteran centre Teddy Blueger and defensive prospect Cole McWard will also miss the start of training camp after each had “minor lower-body surgery.”
Vancouver previously announced winger Dakota Joshua won’t be present for the start of camp as he recovers from surgery for testicular cancer.
Tocchet said he’ll have no problem filling the holes, and plans to switch his lines up a lot in Penticton.
“Nothing’s set in stone,” he said. “I think it’s important that you have different puzzles at different times.”
The coach added that he expects standout centre Elias Pettersson to begin on a line with Canucks newcomer Jake DeBrusk.
Vancouver inked DeBrusk, a former Boston Bruins forward, to a seven-year, US$38.5 million deal when the NHL’s free agent market opened on July 1.
The glare on Pettersson is expected to be bright once again as he enters the first year of a new eight-year, $92.8 million contract. The 25-year-old Swede struggled at times last season and put 89 points (34 goals, 55 assists) in 82 games.
Rutherford said he was impressed with how Pettersson looked when he returned to Vancouver ahead of camp.
“He seems to be a guy that’s more relaxed and more comfortable. And for obvious reasons,” said the president of hockey ops. “This is a guy that I believe has worked really hard this summer. He’s done everything he can to play as a top-line player. … The expectation for him is to be one of the top players on our team.”
A number of Canucks hit milestones last season, including Quinn Hughes, who led all NHL defencemen in scoring with 92 points and won the Norris Trophy as the league’s top blue liner.
Several players could once again have career-best years for Vancouver, Tocchet said, but they’ll need to be consistent and not allow frustration to creep in when things go wrong.
“You’ve just got to drive yourself every day when you have a great year,” the coach said. “You’ve got to keep creating that environment where they can achieve those goals, whatever they are. And the main goal is winning. That’s really what it comes down to.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.
