Flames' Kerins developing into a true NHL prospect

The path to becoming a legitimate prospect for the Calgary Flames has been anything but easy for Rory Kerins.

The Calgary Wranglers forward has often been overlooked, despite producing at every level he has played. He fell to the fourth round of his OHL draft before being selected by the Soo Greyhounds, though he was able to find the positive out of that situation, referring to being drafted by the Greyhounds as the “best thing that could have ever happened to me.”

In Kerins’ NHL draft year, he scored 30 goals in 64 games with the Greyhounds and was hoping to be selected early. Instead, he fell to the sixth round, where the Flames selected him at 174th overall. The odds of becoming an NHL prospect aren’t great for players taken that late in the draft, but Kerins kept a positive attitude.

After already facing plenty of adversity, Kerins was hit with another major blow, as what would have been his 18-year-old season in the OHL was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While he was able to spend the year with the Stockton Heat, he suited up for just four games. Even still, he was able to find positives out of a difficult situation.

“That was a really tough year,” Kerins told Daily Hive. “In the Soo, we had a really good team. We were going to host the Memorial Cup that year. We had a good squad, so it was a tough year to sit out. I came here and was with the AHL team for pretty much the full year. I think I learned a lot, and it definitely helped me the following year.”

Heading into the 2022-23 campaign, Kerins was considered one of the Flames’ more intriguing prospects after scoring 43 goals and 118 points with the Greyhounds the season prior. It seemed he was a lock to play with the Calgary Wranglers, which made it extremely shocking when it was sent down to the ECHL’s Rapid City Rush just six games into the season.

“It was definitely tough to swallow,” Kerins said. “Obviously I wanted to be [with the Wranglers]. I have a lot of buddies here, so that was tough. Personally, I think there’s a lot of times where you doubt yourself, but I was very lucky to have a good support system. All my friends back home, family, they always believed in me and that never wavered.”

The support shown from his friends and family, along with his own self-belief and overall skill, has helped him re-establish himself as a legitimate NHL prospect this season. The 21-year-old has been one of the Wranglers’ more impressive forwards thus far, scoring four goals and nine points through 12 games.

“I think I’ve just gotten a bit of an opportunity and taken it,” said Kerins. “I feel like I was ready for that this year. I’ve gotten opportunities in the past and maybe just wasn’t ready, but this year I felt different. I’m still trying to learn, still a young player.”

Kerins indeed is still a very young player, making his start to the season all the more exciting. After seeing his value drop immensely with what transpired in 2022-23, he is once again being looked at as an exciting prospect for the Flames. Given how hard he has worked to get to this point, there is plenty of reason to believe he will achieve his ultimate goal of playing in the NHL.

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