Calgary Flames call up forward Adam Klapka from the AHL’s Wranglers

Listed at 6’8″ and 235 pounds, the 23-year-old Klapka is a right shot winger who’s in his second year of North American pro hockey after signing with the Flames in May 2022. In a season and a half with the Wranglers, Klapka has played 93 games, scored 23 goals and posted 46 points. It’s his first-ever call up to the NHL.

Klapka’s adapted quite quickly and effectively to the AHL game, which isn’t all that surprising when you consider he spent the period between 2018-19 and 2021-22 bouncing around different levels of hockey:

• He split 2018-19 between Czech junior hockey and their second-tier pro league.
• He spent most of 2019-20 in second-tier Czech pro, but also spent a chunk of time in the USHL.
• He spent 2020-21 entirely in the USHL.
• He spent 2021-22 split between the Czech top pro league and its second tier.

He spent the first chunk of the 2022-23 season learning and adapting. Since Jan. 1, 2023, Klapka has scored 20 goals and 38 points over 74 games.

He’s big. He can use his size well. He can move surprisingly well for a guy his size. And he’s figured out positioning and how to use his teammates effectively quite quickly at the AHL level. Klapka’s one of the most fascinating players in the Flames’ system, and now he potentially gets a chance to show what he can do.

Pending Walker Duehr’s waiver status becoming clear at noon MT, the Flames now have 23 players on their NHL roster: three goaltenders, six defencemen and 14 forwards. Presumably, we’ll see more roster shuffling later on Thursday after Duehr’s fate is determined.

The Flames are back in action on Thursday when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs.