Earlier in the week, the Calgary Flames lost forward Conor Zary to a lower-body injury after a knee-on-knee hit.
The team was scheduled to play on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Kings, but that contest was postponed, giving the Flames plenty of time to assess the injury and alter the lineup.
The Flames called up AHL All-Star Rory Kerins from the Calgary Wranglers on Friday morning. He leads the team, scoring 21 goals and 34 points in 34 games.
Not only is Kerins leading the Wranglers, but he’s the AHL’s top goal scorer and ranks second in points.
The 22-year-old was initially drafted by the Flames in the sixth round (174th overall) of the 2020 Draft and was recently named an AHL All-Star for the first time in his career.
While skating in the OHL with the Soo Greyhounds, Kerins produced at more than a point-per-game pace (1.06), scoring 200 points in 188 games. He scored 82 goals and had 118 assists.
Since joining the Flames organization in 2020-21, he’s scored 38 goals and 68 points in 98 games for a 0.69 points-per-game average.
During Kerins’ first NHL practice on Friday, he was skating in Mikael Backlund’s spot as the captain had a maintenance day off. The Flames host the Kings at the Saddledome on Saturday night, the first opportunity for Kerins to make his NHL debut.
Related: Flames Reportedly Get Surprising News On Zary Injury
Related: Top Two Wranglers Players Selected To AHL All-Star Classic
