Flames CHL Prospects: 2023-24 season

[Heavy Jack]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

Numbers are pedestrian for sure, but more concerning to me was that he wasn't playing centre anymore in the highlights I saw. Can anyone confirm?

It does look like he’s been playing LW recently, here’s a snap of a lineup for their upcoming game from the team’s instagram page



Last few lineups posted have him on the wing as well, interestingly enough the one from 5 days ago has the tagline ‘If it ain’t broke don’t fix it’

[Funkhouser]

Very early, but Honzek is definitely not kicking down the door.
Time will tell.

[Hockey-and_stuff]

He still has time to be a big 25 goal winger, but that window to being an elite forward is definitely shrinking.

Sent from my Pixel 7 Pro using Tapatalk

[1qqaaz]

I think Lipinski should get some credit. He's the same size (and 20 lbs heavier) than Honzek, and he has nearly the same production. Also a bit younger.

[8sPOT]

Maybe that Giants team isn't very good?

Honzek's point per game ratio would have him leading the team in scoring by 10 points if he played the 52 games rather than the 19.

He almost certainly will still put on around 15-20 pounds too so that should help as he gets into the pro ranks.

[Roof-Daddy]

The Giants are on a roll lately, best stretch of the season. 8-0-1 I think, and they are actually beating Portland 2-1 in the third as I type this.

Unfortunately this streak doesn't seem to be driven by Honzek or Lipinski.

Hopefully Honzek turns into something, but for a guy who turned 19 in November, he should be dominating the WHL as a 1st round pick in my opinion. Hopefully the Flames didn't flub another 1st rounder.

[Wastedyouth]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

The Giants are on a roll lately, best stretch of the season. 8-0-1 I think, and they are actually beating Portland 2-1 in the third as I type this.

Unfortunately this streak doesn't seem to be driven by Honzek or Lipinski.

Hopefully Honzek turns into something, but for a guy who turned 19 in November, he should be dominating the WHL as a 1st round pick in my opinion. Hopefully the Flames didn't flub another 1st rounder.

Core muscle injuries can slow down even seasoned professional athletes.

Give him some time.

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by Wastedyouth

Core muscle injuries can slow down even seasoned professional athletes.

Give him some time.

Certainly not giving up on him yet. Hopefully we see more production and dominance soon.

[Sandman]

Feb.16th:

Vancouver beats Portland, 3-1. Lipinski gets an assist, +1, and was 13/19 on faceoffs. 52gp/15g/31a/46pts,-6, 51 PIM.

No points again for Honzek. 20gp/8g/13a/21pts,+6, 10 PIM.

Brzustewicz gets a goal, and an assist, but was -3 in a 6-5 OT win over Mississauga. 53gp/10g/65a/75pts,+24, 18 PIM, 6th in OHL scoring.

Morin gets no points, but was +2 in a 5-2 win over Gatineau. 42gp/9g/27a/36pts,+5, 23 PIM, 7th in scoring for D.

Bell gets a goal, and was +1 in a 6-3 victory over Spokane. 45gp/21g/22a/43pts,-13, 34 PIM.

[InternationalVillager]

I know Vancouver is a not great team but Honzek is a concern. I think it’s a write-off season for him due to injury. Anyone know what he had?

[AustinL_NHL]

Most concerning thing for me with Honzek is his shot volume.

18 shots in his first 3 games (5 shots per game) and 33 shots in his first 8 games (4.125 shots per game), but only 19 shots total in his last 12 games (1.58 shots per game).

[Sandman]

Maybe he's playing with an injury....

[Sandman]

Feb.17th:

Bell had 2 assists, -1, and a game-high 5 shots, in a 6-4 loss to Spokane. 46gp/22g/23a/45pts,-12, 34 PIM.

Vancouver loses 8-3 to Portland in a penalty-filled affair. Lipinski had no points, and was -4. 53gp/15g/31a/46pts,-8, 53 PIM.

Honzek had an assist, and was -1. 21gp/8g/13a/21pts,+6, 10 PIM.

[Naitix]

Honzek is/was playing with a bubble for a while. I can se him being concerned with getting injured again

[boogerz]

The Giants turned over their entire coaching staff between last season to now. It's pretty tough to miss half the season and then step into what's essentially an entirely new team without skipping a beat.

[Sandman]

Feb.18th:

Brzustewicz was 3rd star in a 6-1 win over Sudbury, with a goal, an assist, and +5 (!). 54gp/11g/66a/77pts,+29, 18 PIM, 4th in OHL scoring.

Morin had an assist, and was -1 in a 8-2 win over Halifax. 43gp/9g/28a/37pts,+4, 23 PIM, tied for 5th in D scoring.

[Samonadreau]

That Brewsky stat line is absolutely insane for a Dman.

(I dont know what his nickname is)

[1qqaaz]

Originally Posted by HighLifeMan

It's a 14 game sample size after a long term injury on a terrible team. Point per game averages fluctuate drastically over such small sample sizes.

Jacob Julien also has teammates with 1.82, 1.60, and 1.34 points per game averages. Sam Honzek leads the Giants while being the only player over a point a game. Not at all comparable. The Giant's rank 20th out of 22 teams in scoring in the WHL.

Nate Danielson almost made the Redwings out of camp, and has had a very pedestrian year in the WHL.

It's ok to give these kids time.

I don't know man, things seem to be trending in the wrong direction as the sample size gets larger.

It does seem to be the worst D+1 season for a Flames first round pick in nearly 20 years.

I would like to have more information on Honzek's linemates and minutes so we can see the context of what's going on.

[Sandman]

Feb.19th:

Vancouver beats Spokane, 6-3. Lipinski had a goal, and went 18/30 in the faceoff circle. 54gp/16g/31a/47pts,-10, 53 PIM.

Honzek had 2 assists. 22gp/8g/16a/24pts,+6, 10 PIM.

Bel had a goal, and an assist, and was +1 in a 3-2 loss to Kelowna. 47gp/23g/25a/48pts,-12, 34 PIM.

Brzustewicz had an assist in a 6-2 win over the Petes. 55gp/11g/67a/78ts,+29, 18 PIM. Tied for 5th in OHL scoring.

Morin had 3 assists, but was -1 in a 5-4 OT loss to Halifax. 44gp/9g/31a/40pts,+3, 27 PIM, 5th in D scoring.

[HitterD]

Originally Posted by 1qqaaz

I don't know man, things seem to be trending in the wrong direction as the sample size gets larger.

It does seem to be the worst D+1 season for a Flames first round pick in nearly 20 years.

I would like to have more information on Honzek's linemates and minutes so we can see the context of what's going on.

Trending in the wrong direction for sure but personally i caution putting too much emphasis on production in Junior after getting drafted as the focus now becomes how to develop the player into a pro, rather than a junior scoring dynamo (we've seen may of those over the years as well and many havent translated to NHL).

With bigger centers like Honzek, who still needs to fill out significantly as well, things just don't seem to as linear. Ryan Getzlaf came to mind immediately when looking at Honzek. Big frame, needs to fill out, and Getzlaf after being a mid 1st round pick (in a historically great draft though) still regressed significantly in his D+2 season with only 54 points in 51 games.

Not comparing Honzek to Getzlaf in the slightest, but the point im making is that Honzek's development is going to favour learning to play a pro-style game in Junior rather than racking up a bunch of points. And as mentioned the injury didnt help matters either