Adam Ružička

Adam Ružička (born 11 May 1999) is a Slovak professional ice hockey player who is currently under contract with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He has previously played for the Calgary Flames and Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL), and Spartak Moscow of the KHL.

Growing up in Slovakia, Ružička trained at various hockey schools before joining the Pardubice U20 team. While with the U20 team, Ružička accumulated 30 points through 30 games, before representing Slovakia at the IIHF World U18 Championship. His offensive abilities earned him attention from the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and he was eventually drafted 14th overall by the Slovan Bratislava in the KHL Junior Draft. However, Ružička chose to move to North America and play with the Sarnia Sting and Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). After being taken in the 2017 NHL entry draft 109th overall by the Calgary Flames, he developed within their system, playing in the American Hockey League (AHL) for the Stockton Heat.

Early life Ružička was born on 11 May 1999, in Bratislava, Slovakia, to parents Iveta and Eduard. His father initially wished to enrol him in tennis but his mother persuaded him to choose ice hockey instead. Growing up, he played the position of centre and favoured Czech native Jaromír Jágr of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Playing career Growing up in Slovakia, Ružička trained at various hockey schools including Svišťov run by Adriana Hostůovecká. before joining the Pardubice U20 team. While with the U20 team, Ružička accumulated 30 points through 30 games, before representing Slovakia at the IIHF World U18 Championship. In order to continue playing hockey, Ružička and his mother lived in Pardubice for two years and he trained with an English tutor to improve his language skills. The Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) also selected Ružička in the second round of the 2016 CHL Import Draft. He eventually chose to move to North America due to the disadvantage he experienced as a foreign player in the Czech Republic. He was also chosen to represent Team Cherry at the 2017 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game as a 2017 NHL entry draft eligible player. In January 2017, Ružička was ranked 27th among all eligible North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau (CSS). Ružička continued to improve as the season continued and scored 12 goals and 10 assists through the first 32 games of the season. Following this, he stated that he was still adapting to the Canadian style of hockey and hoped to improve during the remainder of the season.

Ružička finished fourth on the Sting in 2016–17 with 25 goals and 21 assists for 46 points through 61 games. The CSS also ranked Ružička as the 37th-best North American skater eligible for the 2017 draft in their final rankings. Likewise, he was ranked 48th overall by the International Scouting Services and 59th overall by Future Considerations. Prior to the draft, hockey pundit Bob McKenzie placed Ružička 77th on his draft board.

The Calgary Flames selected Ružička in the fourth round, 109th overall, of the 2017 draft. Following the draft, Flames' scout Fred Parker praised his skills but acknowledged that he still struggled to figure out the North American game. He subsequently participated in the Flames' NHL Rookie Camp before returning to the Sting for the 2017–18 OHL season. During the 2017–18 season, he posted 36 goals and 72 points in 63 games, before being traded to the Sudbury Wolves during the 2018–19 season in exchange for three draft picks.

Ružička finished strong with the Wolves, tallying 24 goals and 41 points in 30 games to conclude the regular season. He also contributed 10 points in eight playoff games with Sudbury. On 12 April 2019, following the conclusion of the Wolves' season, Ružička signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Flames.

Professional Ružička spent his entire first professional season with the Calgary Flames' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Stockton Heat, and posted 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists) in 54 games. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Heat played the 2020–21 season in Calgary as part of a newly formed Canadian Division. Stockton ultimately finished with an 11–17–2 record after losing 17 of its final 20 games. As a 21-year-old AHL sophomore, Ružička led the Heat with 11 goals and 21 points in 28 games. The Flames recalled Ružička from Stockton on 12 April 2021, but returned him to the AHL five days later without playing any NHL games. He set a Heat franchise record by recording four consecutive three-point games during the season. Ružička made his NHL debut on 16 May 2021 in a 6–5 overtime win over the Vancouver Canucks. He finished the season with three games played, registering one assist.

During the 2021–22 season Ružička split time between Calgary and Stockton, playing 28 games for the Flames, registering five goals and ten points, while playing 16 games for the Heat, scoring 11 goals and 20 points. He scored his first NHL goal on Adin Hill in a 5–3 loss to the San Jose Sharks on 7 December 2021. On 21 September 2022, Ružička signed a two-year extension keeping him in Calgary.

Ružička began the 2023–24 season with the Flames playing on the second line and was briefly playing at a point-a-game pace. However, his performance declined and he was replaced by rookies Connor Zary and Martin Pospíšil. He played in 30 games, scoring three goals and six assists, but was a healthy scratch in his final game with the Flames. He was placed on waivers on 24 January 2024.

On 25 January 2024, Ružička was claimed off of waivers by the Arizona Coyotes. On 23 February 2024, the Coyotes placed Ružička on unconditional waivers with the intention to terminate his contract, after Ružička posted a video of himself on Instagram with a white powder resembling cocaine.

On 29 May 2024, Ružička was signed to a one-year contract by Spartak Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), playing alongside his brother-in-law.

After a successful debut season in the KHL, Ružička was re-signed to a two-year contract extension beginning from the 2025–26 season on 21 August 2025.

Upon completion of his second season with Spartak, Ružička was released from his contract and his playing rights were traded to Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg in exchange for financial compensation. On 12 August 2026, he was signed to a one-year deal with Avtomobilist for the 2026–27 season.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2016–17 Sarnia Sting OHL 61 25 21 46 30 4 0 2 2 0 2017–18 Sarnia Sting OHL 63 36 36 72 40 12 0 3 3 6 2018–19 Sarnia Sting OHL 35 11 26 37 22 — — — — — 2018–19 Sudbury Wolves OHL 30 24 17 41 14 8 3 7 10 4 2019–20 Stockton Heat AHL 54 10 17 27 12 — — — — 2020–21 Stockton Heat AHL 28 11 10 21 10 — — — — — 2020–21 Calgary Flames NHL 3 0 1 1 4 — — — — — 2021–22 Stockton Heat AHL 16 11 9 20 2 2 0 0 0 0 2021–22 Calgary Flames NHL 28 5 5 10 8 — — — — — 2022–23 Calgary Flames NHL 44 6 14 20 8 — — — — — 2023–24 Calgary Flames NHL 39 3 6 9 6 — — — — — 2023–24 Arizona Coyotes NHL 3 0 0 0 6 — — — — — 2024–25 Spartak Moscow KHL 65 26 19 45 35 12 7 5 12 6 2025–26 Spartak Moscow KHL 51 16 24 40 18 — — — — —NHL totals 117 14 26 40 32 — — — — —KHL totals 116 42 43 85 53 12 7 5 12 6

International

Awards and honours Award Year RefOHL OHL Second All-Rookie Team 2017