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After taking a major step offensively following his rookie season, one that saw him jump from nine goals to 30, Soo Greyhounds forward Rory Kerins used the 2021-22 Ontario Hockey League season to showcase himself even further.
On the heels of spending time in pro hockey last season, Kerins returned to the Greyhounds this season and became one of the league’s elite all-around players.
With that though, Kerins said he’s remained focused on winning this season in the midst of a career year offensively that saw him score 43 goals and 118 points in 67 games.
“Just becoming a better player overall has helped out a lot,” Kerins said. “My pro experience last year helped out. I’m just gradually getting better as a player. I’m playing with some good players on my line and playing on a good team. I don’t really worry too much about the points. There’s a lot that goes into (being successful).”
Kerins spent time throughout the season on a line with Cole MacKay and Tye Kartye, a trio the also spent plenty of time together on the top power play unit for the Greyhounds.
“Me and Cole had a line with (Joe) Carroll a couple years ago and had a good feeling with each other,” Kerins said. “Me and Karts played together earlier in the year when Dickinson was still here and got some chemistry there. I’ve played with them separate times for stretches in the season and we came together, and it’s been good. They’re two good players and we click really well and know where each other is going to be on the ice.”
With COVID-19 forcing the cancellation of the 2020-21 OHL season, Kerins spent time with the American Hockey League’s Stockton Heat, the top affiliate of the NHL’s Calgary Flames.
The season saw him get into four pro games as well.
For the Greyhounds, the 2021-22 season brought with it challenges for the third year forward.
“He’s brought a 200-foot game,” Greyhounds coach John Dean said. “We’ve challenged him to bring even more of a 200-foot game because we really want to see him excel at the next level. When you have talent like his, sometimes you can get away with some calculated risk. He’s very smart in that aspect.”
“He’s very underrated defensively,” Dean added. “He’s always in good spots. We start him in the defensive zone quite a bit. He gets tough starts. He’s always playing against number one lines. He plays heavy minutes on the penalty kill. He does everything. He runs out power play.”
Kerins also said he has seen plenty of improvements in his game this season.
“My speed is a lot better, I’m a little harder on pucks,” Kerins said of what’s developed in his game this season. “I’m playing the game the right way and learning my game as a player in what to do on and off the ice. There’s a lot that goes into it and a lot of things that you learn as you get older, and it’s been working.”
As one of the go-to players on the Greyhounds roster this season, Dean called Kerins’ leadership “phenomenal.”
“He’s been very vocal. He’s brought some habits to the group at the beginning of the year where he showed the first-year players and returning guys what was expected of a Soo Greyhound and what that looks like day-to-day,” Dean said.
“What’s really fun about Rory is, we’ll have our moments, but he really embraces exchanges and constructive criticism,” Dean also said. “He really good in the fact that he might not always agree, but we’ll talk it out and more often than not, we’ll come to a spot where that works for both of us. That’s fun to coach.”
A sixth round pick of the Flames in the 2020 NHL draft, Kerins signed his entry level contract with the team at the beginning of March.
“It was a really cool couple of days,” Kerins said of signing. “You look back on your minor hockey and your career so far. It was good to hear from everyone with a lot of support.”