Moments after Kevin Rooney cleared waivers, the Calgary Flames announced a recall of another minor league forward. This time it’s Radim Zohorna coming up, with Rooney assigned to the AHL to make room.
Zohorna, 26, follows linemate Matthew Phillips to the NHL, who was recalled yesterday after an incredible start to the year. While the 6’6″ Zorhorna hasn’t been quite as effective, his 16 points in 20 games with the Calgary Wranglers were also impressive enough to earn a chance with the Flames. Claimed off waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins in October, the Flames managed to sneak him through a few days later when teams were finishing their final roster cuts. That was rather surprising, given the big Czech’s encouraging performance with Pittsburgh last season, which resulted in six points during his 17 NHL games.
Head coach Darryl Sutter has always employed size on his fourth line, and while Phillips is the opposite of that, Zohorna can more than make up for his 5’7″ teammate. The more diminutive of the two was skating with Milan Lucic and Trevor Lewis today, but it remains to be seen whether Sutter will insert Zohorna into that group should they continue to struggle.
Lucic has yet to score a single goal this season and is averaging just over ten minutes a game, while Rooney had just one point in 17 appearances. With a back-to-back situation (and three road games in four nights) starting this evening against the Columbus Blue Jackets, there may be a chance to move pieces in and out, trying different combinations.
Zohorna is big but that doesn’t mean he is physical.