Radim Zohorna has endured quite the well-traveled NHL journey to this juncture, his third opportunity in Pittsburgh.
The Czech-born forward signed with the Penguins in April of 2020 and promptly skated in his first NHL game with the club less than a year later. But after skating in 25 games spread across two campaigns with the Penguins, Zohorna was put on waivers and promptly claimed by the Calgary Flames at the beginning of last season.
Zohorna was then dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs around last year’s trade deadline before finding his way back to the Penguins this offseason. The Penguins’ first call-up of the season from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Zohorna is simply glad to be back — and for his sake, hopefully for good.
“It doesn’t matter if you come first or second,” Zohorna said. “I just want to stay here and be here all the time.”
Should Zohorna keep playing as he did in his season debut, he may very well get his wish. In addition to helping generate a number of scoring chances for the Penguins in Saturday’s 4-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues, Zohorna netted his first goal of the year while skating on the third line.
It marked the first time a member of the bottom six has scored five games into the Penguins’ 2-3-0 start to the season. During previous stints with the Penguins, the 6-foot-6 Zohorna has flashed his scoring touch, like when notching two goals and as many assists in eight games during his first season.
His large frame has also allowed him to stand out as a penalty killer. During Monday’s practice in Cranberry, Zohorna skated on the second power play, representative of his multifaceted skill set.
Now 27 years old, Zohorna has demonstrated that his strong training camp — which was almost enough to push him to an opening-night roster spot — is more than just evidence of progress, but that he can also be a bona fide NHL player. Zohorna credited changes to his offseason conditioning regimen the last two summers as key to his improved two-way game, as well as garnering more experience both at the NHL and AHL levels.
“I feel like this might be the best shape I’ve ever been,” Zohorna said. “I feel great, and I had some experience from a tough last year. So, I feel good.”
Coach Mike Sullivan believes the game has also slowed down for Zohorna, who has 36 NHL games under his belt as of Monday afternoon. It’s hardly an uncommon obstacle for players to overcome, as Sullivan has observed in his years of coaching: most need to learn how to quickly process what’s transpiring on the ice.
With more ice time, which Zohorna has been the recipient of a good amount of with various teams over the last few years, his processing has improved, and so too has his play-making ability.
“I think because of that, he has more poise with the puck. He sees plays in a more timely fashion on both sides, either offensively or defensively,” Sullivan said. “We think he's got a pretty good two-way game.
“He certainly brought an offensive dimension to Lars Eller’s line the other night. I thought that line had one of their better games to this point. I think [Zohorna] was a big part of it.”
It’d be to Zohorna’s benefit to repeat such performances on the third line, a task that’s proven fleeting during the early stages of his NHL career.
Consistency will be critical to whether Zohorna can stick in Pittsburgh for an elongated period of time. Otherwise, the team could turn things over to another Baby Pens depth forward, just as they did when demoting Jansen Harkins to make room for Zohorna.
At least publicly, for the time being, Zohorna has the support of his coach about the strides he’s taken in his play.
“I think his game has improved since he's been a Penguin,” Sullivan said. “I know we lost him there for a period of time last year, but we were thrilled to get him back this year.”
The Penguins would be similarly ecstatic if Zohorna can help linemates Eller and Drew O’Connor generate more offense. The soft-spoken Zohorna doesn’t seem to feel too much pressure about fulfilling that task, what with his familiarity of being a fringe player and the relatively new element of speed that he brings to the table.
For Zohorna, after bouncing around North America in his bid to crack a regular role on an NHL team and accruing ample experience along the way, the path to staying with the Penguins long-term is quite simple.
“Play the same way like I played in camp.”
Andrew Destin: adestin@post-gazette.com and Twitter @AndrewDestin1
First Published: October 24, 2023, 9:30 a.m.
Updated: October 24, 2023, 2:32 p.m.