ADAM RAŠKA - HARD WORK AND LUCK
Lizz Child
Aug 2, 2023
When asked for a one or two-word description of the 2022-23 season, Barracuda forward Adam Raška replied, “Not enough.”
The season was not enough for him and not enough for the team.
"We didn’t make the playoffs. We felt like we should be there and we should play, but it didn’t happen. It’s not enough.”
Though the San Jose Barracuda missed the American Hockey League playoffs for a second consecutive season, Raška has taken it as even more motivation with his competitive nature driving him. Explaining that, while the regular season is fun and it’s about playing the game, he loves playoffs because it’s something beautiful.
"[It's an] adventure. It’s just different and I love that. Missing it two years in a row is really disappointing. It’s not enough.”
The most frustration Raška feels stems from believing that he didn’t do as much as he knows he is capable of on the ice. With four goals and seven assists in his 54 games with the Barracuda last season, he had a bit of a regression from his rookie year and is looking to be more of an impact on the scoresheet in his third season in San Jose.
Of course, Raška knows that in order to make a bigger impact in every game he first has to earn even more trust from the coaching staff in San Jose. While he got the call that pulled him up to the NHL with the Sharks at the end of last season, the Czech forward says he didn’t have his best showing throughout the season with the Barracuda so the call surprised him.
"I didn’t play great. I played alright. If you want to play in the NHL, you’ve got to play great games. Yeah, sometimes you have a [bad] game but you still need to perform more and more. I was just average every game and that’s the reason I was surprised, but I was glad and it was a great experience.”
The feeling that he didn’t reach his potential throughout the year is something he is working to avoid this season. Commenting that he was angry with himself after last season, watch for a revived Raška to return to The Reef this fall.
"I’m doing everything in my power to do what I can during the summer and all season. If it’s enough maybe one season I’ll break through and it will be different.”
Raška is currently back home in Prague with on-ice and off-ice workouts 2-3 times a day, hungry for the playoffs already and focused on improving his finish and offensive touch. Areas that he says coaching staff and management have mentioned they are watching for the 21-year-old to strengthen.
"I am really trying and doing my best, and I hope they know that because if I didn’t do that, then I would never play in North America. The only thing that got me there is true hard work and a little bit of luck.”
Get to know Adam Raska
We heard you are a puzzler throughout the season. Did you do a puzzle last year?
AR: Yeah, but I didn’t finish it. I made around half, but it was 2,000 pieces.
You kind of became an icon between being the player who picked to have Die Young on the warm-ups playlist and the pre-game electric berry lemonades. What are you going to do this season?
AR: I’m just going to try something new. I would stay with Kesha’s Die Young because I never saw anything like it from other teams in the AHL. When you have the two thumps, the fans were banging on the glass and it was just incredible. The guys, in the beginning, were saying, “It’s so bad,” but in the middle of the season, they saw the fans banging [on the glass] and all the guys were seeing it and they were like, “Oh, alright Rask, you were right. Great song.”
I am going to change the drink and see what color it is and I am going to buy a suit with it. I was wearing a lot of blue last year, that’s why I got the blue lemonade. It goes with the suit. Now, I’m going to get something else, but I don’t know what yet.
What teammate from last season would be the best actor?
AR: Cheech. Cicek. Nicky. Nicky Cicek would be the best.
Worst actor
AR: The worst one would be Johnny. Luke Johnson.
If you could pick your own goal song, what would it be?
AR: I’ve got a new song that I’ve been singing all summer. It’s English and it’s kind of a weird song, but I love it. Or this other one.
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Big Stunna by Khantrast Junoflo
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SAINT-MAXIMIM by Mick C
What is your favorite emoji to use?
AR: The mind-blown one (🤯) is because every day is something new and your mind is blown.
If you were a fruit, what fruit would you be and why?
AR: Blueberry. I just feel like a blueberry.
Message to the fans as we head into the new season:
AR: We’re going to make the playoffs after a three-year break and after that, we’re going to go as far as we can go. If you’re going to come, we might actually win the thing.