In advance of Thursday’s home game against the San Jose Sharks, the Calgary Flames have made another roster move. After placing Justin Kirkland on waivers and returning Daniil Miromanov to the American Hockey League on Wednesday, the Flames have called up leading scorer Rory Kerins from the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers on Thursday morning.

Kerins was a healthy scratch for the Wranglers in Wednesday night’s game against the Ontario Reign.

The 23-year-old Kerins is a left shot forward who’s played a mixture of centre and left wing at the pro level. A product of Ontario, he played his junior hockey with the Ontario Hockey League’s Soo Greyhounds. He was a sixth-round pick by the Flames in the 2020 NHL Draft.

If we’re being honest, Kerins was not a prospect of note after the first two years of his entry-level deal. He spent 2022-23 primarily in the ECHL and while he was a full-time AHLer in 2023-24, he was inconsistent enough that he was a regular healthy scratch during the stretch drive and playoffs. He seemed like a long-shot to get a qualifying offer. He really turned it around in 2024-25, though, posting 61 points in 63 games, leading the Wranglers in scoring and earning a five-game NHL call-up that saw him post four assists.

Now in his fourth pro season, Kerins is a really efficient offensive producer. He’s not really a play-driver, but he knows where to be on the ice to generate goals and points, and he does his best work below the circles and between the dots in the offensive zone. If you put him with someone who can drive play, he can be a really valuable finisher.

This is his second recall of his NHL career. We’ll see if he ends up back in the AHL, or if he can do enough to cement himself in the Flames plans.

The Flames are back in action on Thursday night when they host the Sharks.

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