'The Sky's The Limit'

Adam Klapka spent the weekend watching a Czech countryman perform at the top of his game.

And on the heels of signing a new, one-year contract with the Flames, the hulking winger is eager to show what he can do on the ice this fall.

Amid a summer of on- and off-ice training, the 23-year-old took in some Olympic action over the weekend in Paris, witnessing one of his home nation’s three gold-medal wins this past Saturday, when Josef Dostal finished atop the pack in the men’s 1000m single kayak.

“It was pretty awesome,” Klapka shared when reached by phone Monday. “Our guy - Czech guy - won the gold medal, (that) was nice and it was really cool to see how the Olympics work.”

But make no mistake, the summer has been about more than fun and games for Klapka. After appearing in six NHL contests with Calgary last season - and scoring his first NHL goal in the Flames’ season finale - he’s feeling good about his game, and is eager to earn more opportunity at the NHL level in 2024-25.

“You know all the kids in Czech, they dream about scoring in the NHL,” he recalled of his first-period marker on Apr. 18 against the Sharks. “I was the lucky one, I could score my first NHL goal. My confidence is much better, it showed me I can be (at) the NHL level, I can compete.”

At 6-foot-8, he’s an imposing figure on the ice, but Klapka has also shown a penchant for putting up points, too.

His 46 points last season led the Calgary Wranglers, while his 21 goals were tied for the team lead.

This summer, though, Klapka has had a focus on building strength and speed, and having a taste of NHL pace has proven to be good motivation.

"I did a lot of speed, a lot of stuff on one leg to get my stability and get my legs and core stronger,” he said. “That was off the ice, on the ice I worked on my skills, my skating.

“I think the sky is the limit. You can be better every day, every year when you’re playing in North American hockey.”

Klapka plays with an edge, and has spent time this summer to refining some of the more physical aspects of his game, too.

The size certainly comes in handy.

“I think if you’re big, you can’t be nice,” he said. “You have to play hard, you have to be physical, that was my role in the team in the games that I played.

“I work on it, I’m trying to get better every day.”

Come training camp in September, Klapka will be ready to put his best skate forward.

He’s cognizant of the opportunity in front of him, and taking last season’s taste of NHL life as a guide for his path forward.

“You dream about this chance from when you start playing hockey,” he said. “I was really happy when the opportunity came, it gave me so much confidence over the last year.

“I can’t wait for the season to start.”