'Continue To Prove Myself'

FORT LAUDERDALE — He’s carved out a role as a penalty-kill specialist, and now Kevin Rooney will get to continue doing so in a Flames sweater for another season.

The 30-year-old forward put pen to paper on a one-year contract extension with the club Friday, extending a stay in Calgary that began in the summer of 2022.

“Since I got to Calgary two years ago, my wife and I have loved it,” Rooney said Friday. “(We’ve been) treated like first-class since we got here.

“Super-excited to continue to prove myself with the organization, the coaches and my teammates.”

Since returning from injury, Rooney’s been - in a word - reliable.

He’s above 50% in the face-off circle, and in his own zone, he gets in the way of shots.

Perhaps more impressive is his work rate.

According to NHL Edge, the league’s advanced stats engine, Rooney skates 17.15 km per 60 minutes of ice time, an eye-popping total that ranks him in the 99th percentile league-wide.

Simply put, he’s willing to do just about anything to earn the confidence of head coach Ryan Huska and his staff.

“Definitely thankful for the opportunity from the coaching staff to kind of step in and fill those PK shoes when we lost Lindy there, been really excited about the opportunity to take a lot of pride in killing penalties and being that shutdown guy,” Rooney said. “I think there’s also room for growth in my game offensively, that’s something I’m going to continue to work on with the skills coaches in the organization.”

But it hasn’t always been easy for Rooney in Wild Rose Country.

A 51-game stint in the AHL last season, coupled with a pre-season ailment last fall that caused him to miss the first three months of the season would both stand as major blows to any athlete’s psyche.

But for Rooney, those hardships make the new contract more meaningful; it’s a token of faith - and trust - that his presence in the lineup will continue to pay positive dividends.

“It means a lot,” he said. “As far as the way the organization’s treated me, it’s been first-class; (I’m) super-thankful that they’re giving me an opportunity here to continue to show myself over the next 20 games, and then next season as well.

“Very thankful, and looking forward to continuing to prove myself.”