Flames sign high-octane prospect Rory Kerins to contract
Rory Kerins is officially a member of the Calgary Flames.
The Flames prospect put pen to paper on Tuesday, officially inking his three-year, entry-level contract with Calgary.
The signing seems like a no-brainer from both sides.
Kerins, who has led the Ontario Hockey League in scoring at times this season, has 84 points (33 goals, 51 assists) in just 50 games this season with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
.@kerinssy23 = ✍️
The #Flames have signed forward Rory Kerins to an entry-level contract! https://t.co/BPpFZs9Luw
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) March 1, 2022
“I think the biggest thing is the confidence that he’s playing with,” Ray Edwards, director of player development with the Flames, told Daily Hive last month. “He has the ability to slow the game down and make plays because he has that confidence. There’s no play that he can’t make. He’s not afraid to make any play. And his execution is at a very high rate. He’s at a point where he’s playing with the highest confidence, and obviously, the production drives that. It’s the chicken and the egg.
“But it’s no question he’s playing at a level that’s very, very impressive.”
The 6-foot centre was originally selected in the sixth round (No. 174) of the 2020 NHL Draft.
He serves as an assistant captain with the Greyhounds and was invited to Hockey Canada’s World Juniors summer showcase camp in Calgary last summer.
🚨 Congratulations to @kerinssy23 on signing with the @NHLFlames 🔥 earlier today.
➡️ https://t.co/xssJTP2apE pic.twitter.com/6UaYz6TreL— Soo Greyhounds (@OHLHoundPower) March 1, 2022
“I do think the invite to the camp in Calgary in the summer was a real nice shot in the arm for him, to prove to him — and we knew it — but that’s saying ‘you’re one of the best players in the country at this age level,’” Edwards said.
“He didn’t make that team. I think now he’s going to show these people. He’s going to show them that ‘they made a mistake not bringing me to that.’ So now he’s showing people, ‘hey, I can be one of the best players in this league and in this country.’”