CHL on TSN: 1-on-1 with Greyhounds’ Rory Kerins

 

The CHL on TSN returns Friday as the OHL’s Western Conference leading Soo Greyhounds head south to take on the Guelph Storm, with puck drop set for 7:30 p.m. Eastern.

Among the reasons for success this season in the Soo comes courtesy of Caledon, Ont., product Rory Kerins whose outstanding play sees him sitting second in league scoring with 58 points. Ahead of Friday’s contest, the CHL sat down with Kerins to discuss the season so far in the Soo, being drafted by the Calgary Flames, what he learned playing in the minor pros last year, and what fans can expect in the TSN tilt:

CHL: This being your fourth season with the Greyhounds and almost surpassing your point totals from the 2019-20 season, how do you think you have grown as a player over the last few seasons?

Rory Kerins: Even though I didn’t play (in the OHL) last year, I feel like I have improved a lot, playing in the AHL for a little bit and learning from the pros. I feel like I have improved that way. I have always continuously just gotten better through learning and skills and going to the gym. I think that it is just all coming together.

CHL: What was it like getting a taste of the pros in Stockton last season?

RK: It was pretty cool. I was there pretty much for the whole season and got into a couple of games. I learn the way of life there. I learned a lot from all of the older guys there. I have kind of interpreted that into my season this year.

CHL: What was the message from the Flames at the end of this year’s training camp?

RK: I think they just want to see me improve. The AHL team was in Calgary all year last year, so they saw me there. They just want to see me play with a bit more pace and play more of a pro style. The Flames knew that I learned that from being there and learning the pro game, so they want to see me implement it.

Rory Kerins (@kerinssy23), certified point guard 👀🏀

The @NHLFlames prospect earns his third point of the afternoon, finding @StLouisBlues product Tanner Dickinson (@TannerHKY97) as the Hounds continue to display their dominance as the #1 ranked power-play 📽️ pic.twitter.com/Hhjzx7UiX8

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) January 16, 2022

CHL: What are your conversations with the Flames like throughout the season?

RK: I talk to the development staff every couple of weeks or every week just checking in. It’s a good communication line with the development guys in Calgary. They help me a lot throughout the year, just talking about where you are mentally, on the ice, and in the gym. They’re always checking in and making sure everything goes well.

CHL: What are some personal goals that you set for yourself for this year?

RK: I haven’t thought about that too much. Coming into this year, like all the guys on my team, we focused on winning. I think for myself, coming into the season, I just said that I’m going to do whatever I can to help these young guys come along and teach them how to win. I feel like I have done a good job of that. I just always want to improve and continuously get better each year and, thankfully, I think that I am doing that. I want to keep doing that. I do not want to get too high or too low on my performance right now. I am just trying to stay level-headed and keep grinding.

CHL: Your performance this season has been great. You’re right near the top of the league for points. What makes this Greyhounds team special with players like you, Tye Kartye, Cole MacKay, and Tanner Dickinson to be successful so far this year?

RK: As I said before, we came into this year wanting to win and the OHL year before, when we put that bid in for the Memorial Cup and had a really good team. That kind of got stripped away from us a little bit. We wanted to prove to ourselves that we are still a winning team. That kind of mindset has really resonated this year throughout the whole group. We have great players and great ‘top dogs’ on our team and the young guys really have learned a lot from all of us. I think that they’re coming along really well too. It’s been a great year for all of us and we’re just trying to continue that.

Power play magic 🪄

With less than 10 seconds left in the second, @OHLHoundPower’s Ryan O’Rourke (@rorourke8) connects with Rory Kerins (@kerinssy23) for the power play goal! It’s Kerins’ 20th of the year🎥 pic.twitter.com/zOrQdSogn4

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) January 16, 2022

CHL: Coach Dean joined the team in the same season that you came in as a rookie. How has his coaching style changed or evolved with you along these four seasons?

RK: It has changed a lot. I think with any coach, he was new to the league and this was his first job as a head coach. You can see the progression of learning and learning from past mistakes, and what works and what doesn’t. He definitely has not changed too much, but he has changed his philosophies and how he approaches things like daily work ethic and little things that can make the difference throughout the season. Those couple of things have changed a lot for the better and now he is a great coach. I love playing for him and everyone else does too.

CHL: What style of game does he have you guys playing and what are your strongest attributes in playing that style?

RK: We are a really fast team with a lot of skilled players. The Greyhounds draft a lot of guys with speed, skill, and hockey smarts. We play an aggressive game. We like to play an aggressive, half-ice game that helps us stay on top of teams a lot by not giving a lot of space. Along with that, we are a hardworking team. This is probably the hardest-working team that I’ve been with during my time with the Greyhounds. I think that is something not to overlook.

CHL: The Greyhounds GM, Kyle Raftis, made some moves to shore up the backend, getting Jack Thompson and early in the season getting Tucker Tynan to solidify the crease, plus Keegan McMullen who is another physical piece for your team. What does it say to the team when your GM makes some big swings like that?

RK: I think the whole year we need to prove to Kyle and ownership that this is a team that can’t be taken lightly. We want to make a push for this thing. We put ourselves in a position for Kyle to make some moves, which is great and was something that we were striving for at the start of the year. We achieved that goal and it is great when your GM and owner have that belief in the team. It is an amazing feeling and we want to do our best for them.

Make it 5⃣0⃣ points for the @NHLFlames prospect!

Rory Kerins (@kerinssy23) becomes the fourth player in the #OHL to hit the 50-point plateau as this wrister has the @OHLHoundPower up 3-2 after 40 minutes in Sudbury 🎥 pic.twitter.com/Ty16I3y4sz

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) January 2, 2022

CHL: What does Thompson bring to the team?

RK: He brings so much. He is our only right-handed defenceman and is another guy along with Ryan O’Rourke who can play a boatload of minutes and be steady back there. He’s a great skater and has a great offensive game. Our ‘D’ loves to play an offensive game and we like to get up in the rush with our ‘D’ core. He is another defenceman who fits perfectly into our system, and is a great leader and human as well. We got a good one with Jack.

CHL: How exciting is it to know that people from coast to coast can tune in to watch the Greyhounds on TSN?

RK: It is cool, especially for the young guys to have a televised game like this. (Televised games) are always really cool. It’s special to be part of and a lot of eyes are on you. It’s a great opportunity for guys too. It is going to be fun and we’re playing a great team in Guelph as well.

CHL: As someone who has played in televised games before, what message do you give to the younger guys about preparation and not getting too excited?

RK: It’s business as usual. You can’t take it as a bigger game or less of a game. I think that’s probably the biggest thing that you have to deal with, as well as the extra two TV timeouts per period, but that also means extra rest. It will be good.

Rory Kerins (@kerinssy23) sends @OHLHoundPower into the break with an OT win 🔴⚪️@NHLFlames prospect scores his 14th of the season with just 16 seconds to spare 🎥 pic.twitter.com/juus2mHqZf

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) December 18, 2021

CHL: Soo, Guelph, and London are the top teams in the OHL’s Western Conference. This is your sixth time playing Guelph this season. What do you have to do on Friday to make sure that you come out on the right side with a win?

RK: We had some great games against them all year. We played against them a lot in the first half of the year, so we know them well. They are a structured team and we have to be that as well. We have to match that and their compete level. We are two teams that have a lot of skill up front and a great defence, so it is going to be a great game. I do not expect anything less.

CHL: Are you keying in on anybody or is it difficult to do with Guelph being a younger team?

RK: Our team has a lot of respect for Guelph, to be honest. They have (top players) up front and some good defencemen, but I think they also have a lot of sneaky good guys on their team. I think we have to play like it’s any other game. I think that is how it is in this league.

CHL: Why should fans tune it to watch this Greyhounds vs. Storm game?

RK: I think for the Greyhounds, we play such a cool style of hockey, a puck-possession game. We have a lot of skill up front with guys like Tye Kartye who leads the league in goal scoring, and then players like Cole MacKay, Tanner Dickinson, Ryan O’Rourke, and Jack Thompson. We have a lot of top-end guys on our team, and the same goes for Guelph. Our games against Guelph this year have been really good. It’s great hockey to watch, so anyone should be tuning in for sure.