Columbus Blue Jackets‘ 1st round pick in the 2013 draft (#19 overall) rookie left wing Kerby Rychel(52) is wasting no time establishing his game in the top league.
He was one of the final cuts to be reassigned from training camp to affiliate Springfield Falcons. probably more to see where/how he was going to fit in with the parent club as he scored on his first ever shift in preseason and looked to stick.
The 6’1″ 215 lbs. forward was maybe a bit slow to start out of the gate with the farm team, but once he got on the scoreboard stayed consistent putting up 6 goals and 7 assists in 22 AHL games.
His efforts earned him the NHL recall everyone knew was coming and after his debut with no points, he got right to work posting three assists in his last pair of contests and has a +3 rating on a team that maybe just starting to string together wins.
There’s little doubt he knows how to connect with the back of the net, as he was a more than a point-per-game player in four seasons of junior hockey in the OHL and won the 2014 Championship with Guelph Storm. He also led the playoffs in assists and points.
At only 20 years old, he is quickly proving he’s a difference maker on the ice, even sticking up for himself in a couple of throw downs and may have seen the last of any bus trips in the minors.
He’s signed through 2017 on a three-year entry level deal.