'It's An Unbelievable Feeling'

To say the potential is, ahem – massive – would be an understatement.

With how Adam Klapka finished the 2024-25 season on something of a heater – even earning the praise of his head coach and drawing comparisons to another colossal human, in Washington's Aliaksei Protas – it's hard not to be excited about lies ahead.

For him, this feels like the start of something ... bigger.

“Some people would say at the start of the season that I was a fourth-line guy and I'm there to bring energy,” the 6-foot-8, 235-lb. winger said over the phone from Czechia. “Of course, I'm definitely a player that's supposed to bring energy – I'm not going to say I'm not – but at the same time, I can play up in the lineup.

“I can be a second- or third-line guy.

“I can play in those situations, play higher in the lineup, and make plays and score goals, too.

“For me, no matter what line I’m playing on, if I play a simple game, be physical, go hard to the net and do all those (little) things well, I’ll have success.”

And in this racket, the results typically do the talking.

‘Success’ is what transpired in the closing stretch of the campaign, with the 24-year-old getting first-line looks and discovering his offensive touch, potting three goals and adding three helpers over the final nine games when the Flames were pushing for that coveted playoff spot.

“Every time I stepped on the ice, I tried to do my best and tried to do everything I could to help the team win, especially with how close we were to the playoffs,” he said. “It was a big responsibility. But this was the chance that I was waiting for and I was so happy that I had the opportunity to play with Huby and Kads.

“It was an amazing month.”

Six weeks later, he’s home celebrating with family and friends – parlaying that late-season surge into a fresh, two-year pact with the team that believed in him from the start.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” Klapka said of the new contract, which will pay him $1.25 million annually over the next two winters. “It's something that if you asked me two years ago, I would never have believed you if you told me this. I'm so excited and I can't wait for the fall.”

Klapka, who represented his country at the World Championship last month and recently returned from a seven-day holiday in Turkey with his girlfriend, will begin his official off-season training tomorrow.

But first, a celebration with mom and dad is in order.

“We're definitely going to go for a nice dinner here in Prague to a nice restaurant and get some good food, for sure,” he said. “Because without my parents, I wouldn't be here. I want to pay them back a little bit with a nice dinner and celebrate as a family.”

Then, it’s back to work.

Klapka knows that holding up his end of the bargain requires plenty of it moving forward.

While he’s proud of how the season unfolded from a development standpoint – logging 26 points (14G, 12A) in 33 games with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers between NHL call-ups – his first million-dollar deal doesn’t guarantee him anything when it comes to his spot with the big club.

“You have to earn it,” he stresses.

“But when you end a season like that from the player perspective, it was amazing and, for sure, it gives me the confidence for next year. But at the same time, it's not automatic. You have to work hard for your opportunities and I'm not going to change anything from what I did last year to get me to this point. I know I'm going to work hard and be ready for camp.

“My size is helping me a lot, I realize that. I want to use it to my advantage as much as I can. I work on it every practice and every day away from the rink during the summer, tipping pucks and finding loose pucks on the ground.

“I know my game is around the net. So, I want to stay with the same game that I finished the year with.

“If I do that, it will be good for me and the team.”