Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Features Writer
Every AHL-prospect-turned-NHL-regular needs that breakthrough, something that really grabs the attention of the decision-makers behind the bench and in the front office.
Be it scoring, defensive reliability, special-teams play, leadership or some other element, a player must stand out. Do something. Get noticed.
That is even more true for a sixth-round draft pick. Late-rounders already start facing obstacles. Too small, perhaps. Or too slow. Skating that is not up to the caliber of the pro game.
Something, perhaps more than one thing, is holding that player back.
Calgary Wranglers third-year forward Rory Kerins is getting noticed.
The thing about draft status is that as much as it can be an early obstacle, it can also quickly be brushed aside when a player’s performance takes over. Kerins was taken by the Calgary Flames with the 174th overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft. Kerins is also second in the AHL in goals. Piling up 10 goals in 14 games will rapidly open all kinds of opportunities and attention for a prospect, regardless of draft status. So will tying for fourth in AHL scoring on a first-place team challenging for the top overall spot in the league.
Dustin Wolf showed that being a late-round draft pick need not be an impediment to advancing through the Calgary system. He was a seventh-round choice in 2019; three standout AHL seasons later, he is in the NHL and pushing hard for the Flames’ number-one job in net.
Those early career headwinds are real, though. Kerins had a 30-goal campaign with Sault Ste. Marie of the Ontario Hockey League in 2019-20. But like so many players his age, the 2020-21 pandemic season provided an additional obstacle for Kerins. The OHL did not play, and he was only able to get into four contests with the Flames’ former AHL affiliate in Stockton.
Then it was back to the OHL in 2021-22, when he finished second in scoring with 118 points (43 goals, 75 assists) in 67 games. But even then, Kerins started his pro career in the ECHL, picking up 17 goals in 38 games with Calgary’s affiliate in Rapid City in 2022-23.
Last season he established himself as a regular with the Wranglers and put together a respectable season that included 32 points (16 goals, 16 assists) in 54 games.
“I think last year just was probably a bit of a stepping stone,” Kerins said. “I learned a lot last year about just being a pro and just honestly knowing about the league and how it works and what to expect. It was good learning and pushed me this year.”
But Kerins has brought something else altogether this season. He opened with a pair of opening-night goals Oct. 11 against Abbotsford. A hat trick in his third game of the season followed. Another pair of goals two nights later at Henderson, and the rest of the AHL quickly took notice.
Of course, getting noticed has to be done the right way. No matter how great the scoring numbers might look, building out an NHL-level two-way game is a must. Head coaches across the AHL demand that, as do NHL front offices.
And while it takes a lot more than scoring ability to become an NHL regular, it certainly never hurts to appear among the league leaders. Nor does a team’s fast start. Kerins is willing to shoot the puck, too, tying for eighth in the league with 40 shots on goal. With head coach Trent Cull using him at center, his natural position, he has had a chance to play alongside the likes of Dryden Hunt, Jakob Pelletier and Martin Frk. And playing up the middle allows Kerins, a left-handed shot, to use his vision and smarts. He has good touch and a shot, and he can play a direct game that allows his line to play to each member’s strengths.
“I just feel like it’s natural for me,” Kerins said of playing center.
He also has found that this past summer’s work really started to pay off in terms of building strength, something that comes at different points from one player to the next.
The Wranglers just completed an eight-game homestand at 6-2-0-0. Now comes a stout test: starting tonight at San Jose, they will be on the road for seven consecutive games. This weekend has a pair of match-ups with the resurgent Barracuda before trips to San Diego, Henderson and Manitoba.
Most encouraging for the Wranglers is that there could still be more to unlock in this team. They’re 16th in the AHL on the power play, for example. If that part of their game takes off, this is a team that could do considerable damage this season.
One point of emphasis among Cull’s players, Kerins said, was to “own the puck.”
“I think we’ve still got some room to grow.”
On the American Hockey League beat for two decades, TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams also currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for his outstanding coverage of the league in 2016.