Calgary Flames 2025-26 Report Cards: Adam Klapka – The Hockey Writers – Calgary Flames

It was an ugly season for the Calgary Flames, who finished 29th in the NHL with a 34-39-9 record. There is still a long way to go before the organization can compete for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but there is reason for optimism after many young prospects got comfortable or made their NHL debuts.

With the season in the books, it’s time to take a look at each player who suited up for the Flames this season (excluding Nazem Kadri, Mackenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson, who were traded mid-season) and evaluate their play, compare it to prior seasons, look at younger players’ development and assess what their future could look like in Calgary before giving them a final grade.

We started alphabetically by first name, with rookie Abram Wiebe. Now, we’ll move on to Adam Klapka, who played his first full NHL season.

Klapka’s 2024-25 Season

In 2022, the Flames signed Klapka as an undrafted free agent after a promising professional season with Liberec Bili Tygri HC in the Czech Republic. At 6-foot-8, his size combined with his mobility were the clear standouts in his game, but he also showed flashes of his offensive ability in his first season with the Calgary Wranglers in the American Hockey League (AHL), scoring 21 goals and 46 points in 2022-23.

That led to his NHL debut, and he played six games with the Flames in 2023-24. Last season, he became a regular in the Flames’ lineup by March after short stints with the team in October, November, January and February.

After playing 31 games with the Flames last season, he finished with six goals and 10 points, averaging just over nine minutes per game. His 2.08 points per 60 minutes at five-on-five ranked third on the team, and his 1.25 goals per 60 were the highest among Flames who played more than 10 games.

The production came from averaging the most shots and high-danger chances per 60 minutes for the Flames last season, which indicated he used his size to create havoc in the offensive zone. That is more than what the organization could have hoped for when signing one of the top-10 tallest players to ever play in the NHL (per Elite Prospects).

Klapka’s 2025-26 Season

Klapka’s outstanding rookie season in 2025-26 was in line with what the Flames expected from their undrafted free agent. His per-60-minute numbers were down across the board, averaging just 0.38 goals and 1.21 points, along with 3.23 fewer shots, 2.2 fewer high-danger chances, and 0.32 expected goals per 60 minutes compared to 2024-25 (via Natural Stat Trick).

The decrease in quality chances this season was part of the reason for his drop in production, but, most notably, his finishing numbers fell off a cliff. In 2024-25, he converted on 26.3% of his high-danger shots, which was 6.3% higher than the league average, and finished on 11.% of his medium-danger shots.

This season, his high-danger shot percentage fell 10.3%, to 16%, which was three percent lower than the league average, and he only shot 18% from the medium-danger areas of the ice (via NHL Edge).

While the drop-off in production is significant, I wouldn’t consider it a concern, per se. His finishing numbers last season were borderline elite, and the expectation for that to continue as an undrafted player, who is not exactly known for his goalscoring ability, was probably unreasonable and should be considered more of an outlier, even though we don’t have much data to work with.

Even without offence, Klapka adds a ton of value; his size, physicality, and the edge he plays with can wreck games and draw all opponents’ attention. He may not have the greatest impact at either end of the ice, but there is no denying he works hard and has the occasional night where he can be the difference-maker in a game.

Klapka’s Future Outlook & Final Grade

By the time the 2026-27 season kicks off, Klapka will be 26 years old. With only one year left on his contract, the Flames will have a decision to make. Klapka’s combination of size and speed is unique. He tallied 18 points in mostly fourth-line minutes over 79 games this season, with most shifts starting in the neutral or defensive zone.

The issue could be that Klapka is unlikely to develop into anything beyond a bottom-six, Swiss Army knife-type player whom head coach Ryan Huska can move around the lineup. However, with several young prospects who need roster spots in the coming seasons, it will be hard for the Flames to justify playing Klapka, who doesn’t kill penalties or play on the power play, over higher-ceiling prospects.

I could see him being a sought-after asset at next season’s trade deadline for contending teams looking to add some depth, offence, speed, and physicality, with his contract expiring at the end of 2026-27. It might be wise for the Flames to take advantage of his value at that point.

But for this season, I’ll give Klapka a B-. His 2024-25 campaign set unreasonable expectations for an undrafted rookie, making this season seem somewhat underwhelming. He was not driving plays to create chances for himself the way he did as a rookie, especially with his size and speed.