Former Calgary Flames winger Adam Ruzicka will be on the open market once again. His contract with Spartak Moscow of Russia’s KHL, which was set to run through the 2026-27 season, has been terminated by the club per Russian news source Championat. A club press release said the decision was made due to a breach of contract.
Ruzicka joined Spartak Moscow for the 2024-25 season after failing to find his footing with the NHL’s Flames or Arizona Coyotes. He led Spartak with 26 goals in his first season, en route to 45 points in 65 games. That scoring continued through the KHL playoffs, again leading Spartak with seven goals and tying for the team lead with 12 points in 12 games. He quickly slotted in as a pillar of the Spartak offense and stuck in that role into this season. Ruzicka currently ranks second on the team in scoring with 16 goals and 40 points in 51 games. That pace would have put him on track to exceed last year’s scoring by six points.
Instead, Spartak will part ways with one of their top forwards. Ruzicka has been in the midst of a rare scoring drought as of late, with no points in his last five games dating back to early February. His role in the lineup shrank as a result of the cold spell, with a bump to the third line and second power-play unit.
The Slovakia-native will now search for a better fit elsewhere. He played three seasons in the OHL before moving to the AHL in 2019. Since then, Ruzicka has appeared in 117 NHL games and 98 AHL games, with 40 and 68 points, respectively.
The 26-year-old also joined Team Slovakia at the 2026 Winter Olympics, where he racked up five points in six games. That performance has some speculating if there might be renewed NHL interest this summer. Ruzicka has represented Slovakia at all levels of international play and could now find his way back to the country in search of a new team. He grew up through the HC Pardubice pipeline, appearing with the organization’s U16, U18, and U20 clubs before moving to Canada in 2016.
See, Rosie, one too many jaywalking tickets and this is what happens. “That’ll learn ya, durn ya!” 😀