With linemates Honzek and Coronato, the sixth-round pick has a golden chance to turn heads at the Young Stars tournament
Rory Kerins has a great opportunity during the Calgary Flames prospects camp and Young Stars tournament.
And he knows it.
Kerins was flanked by the team’s biggest headliners during Thursday’s practice, the lone session in the Stampede City before the players headed to Penticton, B.C., to face hopefuls for the Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets.
On one side was Matt Coronato, the 2021 first-round pick expected to start the season with the Flames. On the other side was Samuel Honzek, this year’s first-round pick.
“Definitely a positive and something you want to take advantage of, for sure,” Kerins said after the skate at WinSport.
Kerins, the 21-year-old 2020 sixth-round pick, is heading into his second professional season expecting to make a big jump. Last season, the junior scoring star was unable to claim a spot on the AHL Calgary Wranglers, so he spent the bulk of the campaign with the ECHL’s Rapid City Rush, where he notched 17 goals and 37 points in 38 games. Between finding himself well down the ladder in the pro ranks and suffering a pair of substantial injuries, the 2022-23 campaign was filled with plenty of tough lessons.
It made for a difficult days, however, Kerins believes he’s a stronger person and player because of it.
“To be honest, I’m really happy that happened to me,” he said. “It brought me back down to earth in some way and made me more humble and more hungry. I’m very happy I went through it and know it’ll help me in the long way.”
Kerins is definitely an intriguing prospect, a strong skater who has shown offensive touch in the past. During his final junior campaign, he finished second in the OHL with 118 points (43 goals and 75 assists) for the Soo Greyhounds. Kerins, whose goal is to be a full-time player on the Wranglers, has spent the off-season looking how to translate his scoring success in junior and the ECHL to the next level. He collected one goal and one assist over a half-dozen AHL clashes last season.
Areas he focused were puck retrieval and playmaking.
“I watched a lot of video of my game in the Soo and last year (in Rapid City) compared to my AHL games and I held on to pucks and made plays because I was confident with the puck,” he said. “That’s something this summer I’ve worked to gain back and excited to show.”
The first test will be in Penticton, with the Flames facing the Canucks Friday night (8:30 p.m. MT).
ICE CHIPS: Defenseman Jeremie Poirier is listed on the roster for the tournament but is not expected to play. Poirier, who was named to the AHL’s all-rookie team last season, had knee surgery shortly after the Wranglers were eliminated. He didn’t practice with the other prospects on Thursday, but took to the ice by himself afterwards … Trent Cull was hired as Wranglers head coach after the summer prospects camp, so the practice was his first chance to see many players who will be on his squad. He opted to not watch video of the team’s prospects in anticipation of this year’s camp. “That’s the last thing I wanted to do. I want this to be a fresh impression for everybody,” he said.
