What is going to the return of Samuel Honzek imply for the Vancouver Giants?

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When Samuel Honzek returns to the Vancouver Giants’ lineup, crucial factor he’ll carry is presence.

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The 19-year-old winger is again practising with the Giants this week. He’s but to make his season debut with Vancouver as a consequence of an stomach harm he obtained in an Oct. 4 pre-season sport with the Calgary Flames, the group that picked him within the first spherical, No. 16 general, in June’s NHL Draft.

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Honzek didn’t make the journey with the Giants on Wednesday for a highway sport in opposition to the Spokane Chiefs. Subsequent up for Vancouver is a Friday go to to the Kamloops Blazers and a Saturday dwelling sport in opposition to the Tri-Metropolis People, adopted then by a Dec. 1 dwelling sport with the Kelowna Rockets.

Honzek shall be Vancouver’s high offensive menace when he’s enjoying once more. He’s adept all around the ice; he’ll be part of Vancouver’s penalty kill in addition to the facility play and he’ll be on the market within the remaining minute defending a one-goal lead, whereas additionally being referred to as on when Vancouver’s attempting to beat a one-goal deficit.

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Greater than something, although, Honzek will carry one other seasoned voice to a younger Vancouver group that’s seemingly had hassle discovering its identification to this point this season. The Giants carried an 8-12-2-0 mark into Wednesday’s sport with the Chiefs, and consistency has been a bugaboo.

Honzek’s prepping for a 3rd world junior event with the Slovaks. He was enjoying within the males’s professional league in Slovakia earlier than becoming a member of the Giants final 12 months. He remained in Calgary getting therapy from Flames medical employees up till final week, so he obtained an prolonged view at how the sport’s high degree works.

“He helps everybody settle down and take a breath,” Giants ahead Ty Halaburda, 18, mentioned of getting Honzek again within the fold.

Goaltender Matthew Hutchison, 17, added: “He’s one other man who’s obtained an unreal work ethic. He’s one other good man to be taught from. You take note of how he works on the ice and off the ice. He’s actually a professional already.”

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Honzek says that he’s trying ahead particularly to enjoying in entrance of the Giants devoted once more on the Langley Occasions Centre.

“It’s going to prove. Hopefully they’ll see me quickly,” he mentioned.

Honzek is slated to go away the Giants for the Slovaks’ world junior camp on Dec. 10. After Wednesday, Vancouver has seven video games till then. What number of of these Honzek may play is anybody’s guess. It wouldn’t be shocking to see Vancouver be particularly cautious with him early on and probably give him the second sport off of back-to-back contests.

He’ll miss a minimum of seven Vancouver video games on the world juniors, that are in Sweden.

Honzek was damage finally 12 months’s world juniors, getting the again of his leg stepped on by an American opponent. He missed 20 Giants video games because of that. He completed with 23 objectives and 56 factors 43 common season video games with Vancouver after which added one aim and 4 factors in 4 video games within the first-round playoff loss to the Kamloops Blazers.

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“I’m near 100 per cent. I’m not fairly there but,” the 6-foot-4, 195-pound Honzek mentioned after observe earlier this week.

“I wish to assist the group win right here. I wish to take what I realized from the NHL and assist the opposite guys right here put together for the draft and be an excellent chief.”

He believes that the younger Giants “can have that fireplace in us and be actually efficient in opposition to different groups.”

“On paper, we’re a very good group however we have to show it on the ice,” he continued. “We’re a very expert group. We have to show it and present that we are able to play in opposition to one of the best groups within the WHL.”

Golf equipment within the league can solely carry two Europeans on their lively roster. Vancouver has two in 17-year-old Czech ahead Adam Titlbach, who was an import draft decide final summer season, and 17-year-old Czech ahead Patrik Kral, who Vancouver picked up off waivers from the Moose Jaw Warriors in October when it grew to become obvious that Honzek was going to be sidelined a number of weeks.

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As soon as Honzek returns to sport motion, Vancouver can have two weeks to resolve which two of the three euros they’re preserving. Titlbach and Kral, who was additionally picked in final summer season’s import draft, are each commerce eligible after Dec. 1. They will solely be waived earlier than that date. Honzek is commerce eligible instantly as a result of he performed within the league final 12 months.

Going into Wednesday, Titlbach had 4 objectives and 7 factors in 22 video games. Kral had one aim and two factors in 17 video games with Vancouver.

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@SteveEwen

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