Calgary Flames Prospect Countdown: No. 10

The Calgary Flames have plenty of work to do in order to turn this squad from a middling, ageing team into a young, up and coming squad that could be a destination for free agents, and while getting more draft picks would no doubt help that, they desperately need to have their current prospects work out. The prospect pool certainly isn’t one of the deepest in the league, and they don’t have many elite names, but the talent could be there if developed correctly, they could form a very nice core in the years to come.

One name that may not be on the radar of many fans is 21-year old forward Rory Kerins, who took a step back a season ago when he joined the ECHL’s Rapid City Rush, but in 35 games, he showed why the Flames may be so high on him, tallying 17 goals and 20 assists, before playing 6 games for the Wranglers to end the season.

He’s unfortunately been through plenty of injury adversity, but has stated he is stronger both mentally and physically for it, and after impressing at the recent Flames Development Camp, there’s a belief that he can be a key top-six player for the Wranglers in 2023-24. Standing at 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, he’s certainly become reliant on his skill and speed, but he isn’t afraid to get physical and block shots when needed, leading to him becoming regarded as a genuine two-way forward, and with the vision and skill need to be a great passer, he could no doubt become a key piece for the Flames one day.

Ultimately, this is someone that due to injury has been overlooked quite a bit within the Flames organization, but with Matthew Phillips, Walker Duehr, Jakob Pelletier and likely Connor Zary making the jump, he now has a top spot open for him with the Wranglers, and if he can find good consistency with his linemates, he may make just enough noise this year to move way up this list in the very near future.