Former Calgary Flames forward Adam Ruzicka will be spending the 2024-25 season in the KHL.
This morning, Spartak Moscow announced that they had signed a one-year deal with Ruzicka. He’ll join a team that finished with a 40-20-8 record last season and features plenty of former NHLers, including Ilya Kovalchuk, Nikolay Goldobin, Shane Prince, and Alexander Burmistrov.
⚡️Новичком ХК «Спартак» Москва стал словацкий центрфорвард Адам Ружичка (194 см, 98 кг), с игроком подписан однолетний контракт. pic.twitter.com/8WCQvgKs64
— Spartak Moscow (@spartak_hc) May 29, 2024
Ruzicka was part of the Flames organization for eight years after being selected by them in the fourth round of the 2017 NHL Draft. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound forward showed some flashes that he could become a full-time NHLer, especially during the 2022-23 season, where he started the year off with 20 points through his first 25 games. His inconsistency, however, became extremely frustrating for both the organization and its fan base.
After struggling through the first half of the 2023-24 season, the Flames wound up placing Ruzicka on waivers. He was picked up by the Arizona Coyotes but played in only three games.
In late February, Ruzicka uploaded a video of himself in front of a plate that appeared to have a white powdery substance on it. He deleted the video a short time later, but the damage was already done, and his contract was terminated soon afterward.
Given his inconsistent play through 117 career NHL games, paired with the regrettable moment in late February, it comes as no surprise to see Ruzicka decide to head overseas. At just 25 years old, there remains a possibility he could get another crack at the NHL if he is able to improve on the ice and make better decisions off of it.
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