Adam Ruzicka Signs With KHL’s Spartak Moscow

Center Adam Ružička has signed with Spartak Moscow of Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League, the team announced today on X. He joins the club on a one-year deal after having his contract terminated by the Coyotes in February after he posted a video of himself on his Instagram story showing him next to an unidentified white powdered substance, believed to be cocaine.

Ružička, 25, looked like he was on his way to becoming an NHL regular with the Flames after posting 20 points in just 44 games in the 2022-23 season. Unfortunately, the 6’4″, 215-lb pivot couldn’t keep up the momentum this year, limited to three goals and nine points in 39 games before landing on waivers in January. The Coyotes claimed him, but an illness and work visa issues limited him to three appearances, going without a point and averaging just 8:17 per game, before the contract termination.

He wasn’t a highly-touted prospect, going 109th overall to Calgary in 2017, but he did have spectacular showings with the AHL’s Stockton Heat that got him into an extended NHL tryout three years after turning pro. The Slovak pivot put up 32 goals and 36 assists for 68 points in 98 games with Stockton over three campaigns there, including 11 goals and 20 points in just 16 games in his final minor-league stint in 2021-22. There’s a good amount of offensive skill in his game, but a surprising lack of physicality and aggression, given his frame, has limited his effectiveness defensively. This year, he had a 45.4 CF% and 39.5 xGF% at even strength across 42 games with the Coyotes and Flames.

Ružička is set to be a top-six force for Spartak, given his previous offensive effectiveness in minor-league and limited NHL roles. He joins a club with longtime NHLers Alex Kovalev and Alexei Zhamnov on its coaching staff. Their top forward, former Canucks and Sharks winger Nikolay Goldobin, tied for second in the KHL in scoring last season with 37 goals and 78 points in 67 games.