FOXBOROUGH – Two games into Kevin Rooney’s NHL career, he took his place in the center of the faceoff circle on the ice at TD Garden against David Krejci.
The moment seemed all too surreal for the Canton native, who signed an entry-level contract with the Devils in 2017. He made his debut against the Washington Capitals in March of 2017, then traveled home to Boston.
“It was cool, really cool,” Rooney said. “It was a whirlwind. I signed my first contract, they called me up the next day, and it was a crazy sequence of events. I think I left 50 passes (at TD Garden). It was just so cool, being out on the ice against the guys I watched growing up.”
Rooney, an undrafted player from Providence College, had previously spent 71 games with the Albany Devils and had 13 goals and eight assists.
When he returned to the AHL last season, Albany had moved to Binghamton and Rooney had earned himself the alternate captain’s patch. He responded with a better season than his first -- 14 goals and 20 assists -- which has him poised to make a positive impression when training camp begins in September.
For the sixth consecutive year, Rooney has returned home to Canton, and regularly skates in the Foxboro Pro League. He enjoys being home in the summer where he’s in close proximity to his friends and family.
At Providence, Rooney carved a role for himself as one of the team’s most gifted defensive grinders and captained the 2014-15 team that won the Frozen Four.
In Albany, and now Binghamton, he’s been tasked with expanding the offensive portion of his game, something he was able to do in his second pro season.
“At Providence, I was a defensive forward, and had to produce a little bit more and I did that this year,” Rooney said recently before a Foxboro Pro League game. “Going into next year, it's kind of the same thing -- just have to keep building the offensive side of my game and turn some heads in training camp.”
Rooney was one of eight Devils restricted free agents to be tendered a qualifying offer, though he has not yet signed.
Presuming he returns to Binghamton next season, he’s expected to compete for the role as the team’s captain. New coach Mark Dennehy is taking over after coaching Wheeling, the Penguins’ ECHL affiliate.
While Rooney is focused on expanding his offensive game, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound center has earned his way as a grinding, physical forward who takes great pride in killing penalties. He had four short-handed goals for the AHL Devils last season, three more than anybody else on the team, which earned him a share of the league lead.
“Just building off of last year,” Rooney said when asked about his goals. “(Improving) my quickness. I’ve got good open-ice speed, I skate really well. But just quickness within the corners and finding ways to produce more, then hopefully go to training camp and show them that I have that offensive side. I think I’ve nailed down the defensive side and penalty killing. Hopefully, after two years now, I can make that next step.”
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