Adam Ružička

Adam Ružička (born 11 May 1999) is a Slovak professional ice hockey centre for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Adam Ružička
Born (1999-05-11) 11 May 1999
Bratislava, Slovakia
Height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight 220 lb (100 kg; 15 st 10 lb)
Position Centre
Shoots Left
NHL team Calgary Flames
NHL Draft 109th overall, 2017
Calgary Flames
Playing career 2019–present

Growing up in Slovakia, Ružička trained at various hockey schools before joining the HC Pardubice U20 team. While with the U20 team, Ružička accumulated 30 points through 30 games, before representing Slovakia at the IIHF World U18 Championship. His offensive abilities earned him attention from the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and he was eventually drafted 14th overall by the HC Slovan Bratislava in the KHL Junior Draft. However, Ružička chose to move to North America and play with the Sarnia Sting and Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).

Early life

Ružička was born on 11 May 1999, in Bratislava, Slovakia,[1] to parents Iveta and Eduard. His father initially wished to enrol him in tennis but his mother persuaded him to choose ice hockey instead.[2] Growing up, he played the position of centre and favoured Czech native Jaromír Jágr of the Pittsburgh Penguins.[3]

Playing career

Growing up in Slovakia, Ružička trained at various hockey schools including Svišťov run by Adriana Hostůovecká.[2] He began playing organized hockey on various youth teams of Slovan Bratislava[4] before joining the HC Pardubice U20 team. While with the U20 team, Ružička accumulated 30 points through 30 games, before representing Slovakia at the IIHF World U18 Championship.[5] In order to continue playing hockey, Ružička and his mother lived in Pardubice for two years and he trained with an English tutor to improve his language skills.[2] His offensive abilities earned him attention from the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and he was eventually drafted 14th overall by the HC Slovan Bratislava in the KHL Junior Draft.[6] The Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) also selected Ružička in the second round of the 2016 CHL Import Draft.[7] He eventually chose to move to North America due to the disadvantage he experienced as a foreign player in the Czech Republic.[2]

Major junior

Ružička moved to North America and joined the Sting for the 2016–17 season. By December 2016, he ranked among the top five rookies in the CHL after tallying 12 goals and 22 points in Sarnia.[6] During the month of December, Ružička recorded a career-high four points in a 5-4 win over the Guelph Storm and earned Player of the Week honors for the week ending 11 December 2016.[8] He was also chosen to represent Team Cherry at the 2017 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game as a 2017 NHL Entry Draft eligible player.[9] In January 2017, Ružička was ranked 27th among all eligible North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau (CSS).[10] Ružička continued to improve as the season continued and scored 12 goals and 10 assists through the first 32 games of the season. Following this, he stated that he was still adapting to the Canadian style of hockey and hoped to improve during the remainder of the season.[4] In March, he was named the OHL Rookie of the Month of February after he led all rookies with 12 points to help the Sting qualify for the Western Conference playoffs.[11]

Ružička finished fourth on the Sting in 2016–17 with 25 goals and 21 assists for 46 points through 61 games.[1] Ružička's season earned him a spot on the end-of-season OHL Second All-Rookie Team and earned him some consideration as a prospect eligible for the NHL Entry Draft.[12] The CSS also ranked Ružička as the 37th-best North American skater eligible for the 2017 draft in their final rankings.[13] Likewise, he was ranked 48th overall by the International Scouting Services and 59th overall by Future Considerations.[14] Prior to the draft, hockey pundit Bob McKenzie placed Ružička 77th on his draft board.[15]

The Calgary Flames eventually selected Ružička in the fourth round, 109th overall, of the 2017 draft. Following the draft, Flames' scout Fred Parker praised his skills but acknowledged that he still struggled to figure out the North American game.[16] He subsequently participated in the Flames' NHL Rookie Camp[17] before returning to the Sting for the 2017–18 OHL season.[18] During the 2017–18 season, he posted 36 goals and 72 points in 63 games, before being traded to the Sudbury Wolves during the 2018–19 season in exchange for three draft picks.[19]

Ružička finished strong with the Wolves, tallying 24 goals and 41 points in 30 games to conclude the regular season. He also contributed 10 points in eight playoff games with Sudbury. On 12 April 2019, following the conclusion of the Wolves' season, Ružička signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Flames.[20]

Professional

Ružička spent his entire first professional season with the Flames' American Hockey League affiliate, the Stockton Heat, and posted 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists) in 54 games.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Heat played the 2020–21 season in Calgary as part of a newly formed Canadian Division. Stockton ultimately finished with an 11–17–2 record after losing 17 of its final 20 games. As a 21-year-old AHL sophomore, Ružička led the Heat with 11 goals and 21 points in 28 games. The Flames recalled Ružička from Stockton on 12 April 2021, but returned him to the AHL five days later without playing any NHL games.[21]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
2016–17 Sarnia Sting OHL 6125214630 40220
2017–18 Sarnia Sting OHL 6336367240 120336
2018–19 Sarnia Sting OHL 3511263722 —————
2018–19 Sudbury Wolves OHL 3024174114 837104
2019–20 Stockton Heat AHL 5410172712 ————
2020–21 Stockton Heat AHL 2811102110 —————
2020–21 Calgary Flames NHL 30114 —————
2021–22 Stockton Heat AHL 16119202 20000
2021–22 Calgary Flames NHL 2855108 —————
2022–23 Calgary Flames NHL 44614208 —————
NHL totals 7511203120 —————

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2014 Slovakia U17 8th 51012
2015 Slovakia IH18 8th 41122
2016 Slovakia U18 5th 52244
2016 Slovakia IH18 7th 42242
2017 Slovakia U18 6th 52356
2017 Slovakia WJC 8th 51012
2018 Slovakia WJC 7th 50222
2019 Slovakia WJC 8th 52134
Junior totals 3811112224

Awards and honours
Award Year Ref
OHL
OHL Second All-Rookie Team 2017 [12]

References
  1. "Adam Ruzicka". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  2. Prokop, Tomáš (27 July 2018). "Adam Ružička - otec chcel mať zo syna tenistu, o hokeji rozhodla mama". Šport.sk (in Slovak). Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  3. Cruickshank, Scott (29 June 2020). "'I'm ready': Flames prospect Adam Ruzicka progressing, earns mini-camp invitation". The Athletic. Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  4. Hudak, Juraj (25 April 2017). "Ruzicka Slovakia's big hope". worldjunior2017.com. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  5. "17-ročný talent Slovenska Adam Ružička bojuje o miestenku v KHL v drese Slovana!". hetrik.sk (in Slovak). 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  6. Roleau, Francois-David (27 December 2016). "Ruzicka: un espoir prometteur" (in French). Le Journal de Montréal. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  7. "Sting Select Imports – Helt & Ruzicka". Sarnia Sting. 28 June 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  8. "Ruzicka named Player of the Week". Sarnia Sting. 12 December 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  9. "Ruzicka Named to Team Cherry for 2017 Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game". Sarnia Sting. 14 December 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  10. "Sting Well Represented in NHL CS Midterm Rankings". Sarnia Sting. 18 January 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  11. "Ruzicka Named OHL Rookie of the Month". Sarnia Sting. 1 March 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  12. "Storm's Ryan Merkley named OHL Rookie of the Year". Ontario Hockey League. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  13. "Sting Featured in Central Scouting Final Rankings". Sarnia Sting. 11 April 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  14. "WHAT SCOUTS SAY - ADAM RUZICKA". National Hockey League. 25 June 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  15. McKenzie, Bob (19 June 2017). "McKenzie's 2017 Draft Ranking: Top 93 and honourable mentions". The Sports Network. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  16. Johnson, George (24 June 2017). "Adam Ruzicka - Fourth-Round Pick". National Hockey League. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  17. "Six Sting Head to NHL Rookie Camps". Sarnia Sting. 6 September 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  18. "2017-18 Sarnia Sting Season Preview". Sarnia Sting. 20 September 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  19. "Import Forward Adam Ruzicka Heads to the Wolves in Exchange for Picks – Sarnia Sting". Sarnia Sting. 9 January 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  20. "FLAMES INK ADAM RUZICKA". Calgary Flames. 12 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  21. "Stockton Heat Transactions". American Hockey League. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
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