Kevin Rooney becoming the Flames’ go-to guy when shorthanded

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When the Calgary Flames have any individual despatched to the sin bin, they appear to Kevin Rooney.

No one on the roster has spent extra time killing penalties because the all-star break, actually. In the event you common out shorthanded time on ice per recreation performed, Rooney is the Flames’ most closely relied-upon participant once they’re down a person.

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If that’s not an indication that Rooney has made himself an important a part of the group, we’re unsure what’s.

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“I feel he seems like there’s somewhat worth there that we see in him, so he’s feeling valued,” defined Flames head coach Ryan Huska. “One factor Kevin did is he did a extremely good job of being mentally robust.

“He modified his entire summer season … He needed to come back again and make an impression and once you get harm in camp, it’s not a simple factor to undergo. He did a extremely good job of sticking with it after which he got here again he was prepared with the work he put into it and he’s finished a fantastic job in that position that we’re asking him to do.”

As Huska alluded to, Rooney’s been on fairly the journey over the previous 12 months and a half.

Final season, he spent a lot of the 12 months with the Calgary Wranglers. He performed 17 video games with the Flames, however was despatched right down to the AHL and spent 51 video games there.

For a man who had performed 15 playoff video games with an excellent New York Rangers group in 2021-22, that couldn’t have been straightforward.

However there have been no complaints in regards to the work Rooney put in whereas he was with the Wranglers, and he responded by switching up his summer season coaching routine. As an alternative of going again dwelling to Boston, he relocated his household to Los Angeles.

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His father-in-law, Jeff Turcotte, is without doubt one of the most distinguished hockey coaches in southern California and was in a position to join Rooney with the folks he wanted to enhance his recreation.

“As soon as I went down there, I knew what I needed to work on on the ice, so it was straightforward to inform whoever I used to be working with what that was,” Rooney defined. “It was lots of touches, holding on to pucks, my photographs, however roughly simply being with the puck and being snug with it.

“The season earlier than, I felt like I used to be all the time simply attempting to do away with it and provides it to another person. I feel I’ve taken strides this 12 months, however I feel there’s much more to be given there.”

Rooney had additionally provide you with a plan with the Flames power and conditioning workers to take his health to the following stage and he returned to Calgary for coaching camp in nice form and able to contribute from Day 1.

Then, issues took a flip for the more severe.

Rooney suffered a shoulder damage that required surgical procedure in camp. It meant after all of the work he put in over the summer season, he was out till the all-star break.

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However after placing within the work over the three-plus months through which he was sidelined, Rooney has shortly discovered his place. Heading into Thursday night time’s recreation in opposition to the Los Angeles Kings, he’s averaging 2:37 of shorthanded ice time per recreation. No one on the Flames is averaging extra over that stretch or for the complete season.

“Undoubtedly excited,” Rooney mentioned. “I’m grateful for the teaching workers having the assumption in me in these conditions. Now, it’s time for me to be constant.”

The Flames undoubtedly know they will depend on Rooney. He’s a consummate locker room man and Jakob Pelletier has been effusive in his reward of the veteran for the assistance he supplied whereas each had been recovering from surgical procedure within the fall.

And, as Huska described Rooney, he’s “a man that skates, he has measurement and he’s changing into a penalty killer, as effectively.”

He’s additionally stepped up this season in an enormous manner, and lots of that’s because of his resolution to change issues up final summer season.

“It was undoubtedly a reasonably large sacrifice, enjoying in Calgary however being from Boston, not being dwelling through the season,” Rooney mentioned. “Making that call was undoubtedly powerful, particularly on the household, however it was one thing I knew I wanted to do.

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“Calgary invested quite a bit in me, and I needed to reciprocate.”

IN CALGARY

A few the Flames’ most highly-regarded prospects have arrived on the town.

Jaden Lipinski and Samuel Honzek each performed with the Vancouver Giants this season, however noticed their WHL seasons finish this week once they misplaced to the Everett Silvertips within the first spherical of the playoffs.

Lipinksi, chosen within the fourth spherical, 112th general of the 2023 NHL Draft, was assigned to the Wranglers on an beginner tryout.

Honzek, the Flames’ first-round choose, sixteenth general in final 12 months’s draft, has additionally arrived in Calgary however is listed as day-to-day due to an upper-body damage suffered within the WHL playoffs.

daustin@postmedia.com

X: @DannyAustin_9

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