Kevin Rooney (ice hockey)
Kevin Rooney | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 21, 1993 Canton, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey player |
| Known for | Ice hockey center in the NHL |
Kevin Rooney (born May 21, 1993) is an American ice hockey center currently an unrestricted free agent. His latest professional engagement was with the Calgary Flames in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Growing up in Canton, Massachusetts, Rooney achieved state championship victories at two separate high schools: capturing a Division 2 title with the Canton High School Bulldogs and winning the 2012 NEPSAC Martin/Earl tournament representing Berkshire School. Although he was not selected in the NHL Entry Draft, he competed for four seasons at Providence College from 2012 to 2016 before beginning his professional career with the Albany Devils of the American Hockey League.
Personal life
Kevin Rooney was born in Canton, Massachusetts, to parents Dave and Dawn Rooney. His family has deep connections to hockey; his father Dave and uncle Steve—who won a Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens—both played at Canton High School, as did his brother Bryan. Additionally, his cousins Joe and Chris participated in NCAA collegiate hockey.
Playing career
Rooney’s hockey journey started alongside his brother Bryan at Canton High School within the Hockomock League. As a sophomore, he secured the 2010 Division 2 State championship for Canton by scoring an empty-net goal. He later transferred to Berkshire School, where he played both hockey and baseball, repeating his junior year before graduating. In his senior season, Rooney contributed to Berkshire’s overtime victory in the 2012 NEPSAC Martin/Earl tournament and earned MVP honors in the Large School playoffs. Before completing high school, he committed to Providence College.
Collegiate
Although undrafted by any NHL team, Rooney joined the Providence College Friars as a walk-on freshman competing in the Hockey East conference from 2012 through 2016 while pursuing a finance degree. Initially positioned as a fourth-line winger, he appeared in 29 games during his freshman year and recorded his first collegiate goal during the 2014 Hockey East Semifinals. He concluded that season with one goal and three assists.
An injury delayed his start to the 2013–14 season, but upon return, he took on the role of fourth-line center. His efforts helped Providence advance to the Hockey East Semifinals, finishing with three goals and four assists. Following this season, he participated as a free agent in the New York Rangers Development Camp.
In his junior year (2014–15), Rooney developed into a defensive forward alternating between third- and fourth-line center duties. He contributed seven goals and eight assists, aiding Providence’s qualification for the 2015 NCAA tournament. During the Frozen Four, he assisted on a pivotal goal in Providence’s 4–1 victory over Omaha, which propelled them to their first National Championship game since 1985. Rooney played an integral part in shutting down Boston University’s leading line during the championship match, helping secure Providence’s inaugural title. For his efforts, he earned the Unsung Hero Award from his team and was selected for Hockey East's All-Academic Team.
In his senior campaign (2015–16), Rooney served as co-captain alongside Tom Parisi, recording four goals and six assists across 38 games.
New Jersey Devils organization
On March 29, 2016, Rooney inked an amateur try-out contract with the Albany Devils of the American Hockey League (AHL), opting for the Devils due to their well-established system. He participated in seven regular season contests, contributing three assists, and subsequently secured a one-year contract extension with Albany on July 5.[1]
Rooney opened the 2016–17 AHL season impressively, netting five goals across 19 games. By February 2017, he had appeared in 57 games—the most among Albany players and all AHL rookies—accumulating 10 goals and seven assists. On February 27, he signed a one-year entry-level deal with the parent franchise, the New Jersey Devils. Rooney made his NHL debut on March 2 against the Washington Capitals, logging 9:48 minutes on ice. After brief NHL appearances totaling four games, he was advised to enhance his strength and speed. He concluded the AHL season with a total of 13 goals and eight assists, amounting to 21 points. During the 2017 Calder Cup playoffs, Rooney scored once over four games before Albany was eliminated in a first-round sweep.[2]
On July 26, 2017, Rooney agreed to a one-year, two-way contract valued at $650,000 at the NHL level. Following training camp, he was initially assigned to the AHL but was recalled within a day as a potential fill-in for injured team members. Rooney participated in one preseason NHL game before returning to Binghamton. He recorded nine goals and nine assists over 41 AHL games prior to a January 2018 NHL recall during which he saw limited ice time before heading back to the AHL. He wrapped up that campaign with 14 goals and 20 assists in 71 games. In the course of the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs, Rooney was among seven Binghamton players summoned to support New Jersey.[3]
On August 13, 2018, Rooney signed a two-year contract extension: the first year as a two-way deal and the second as a one-way NHL contract worth $700,000. Beginning the 2018–19 season in the AHL, he was recalled on October 20 and appeared in four NHL games before returning to Binghamton. There, he was appointed team captain on November 20. After participating in 34 AHL contests—registering one goal and sixteen assists—Rooney was recalled again in January 2019. Four days later, he scored his inaugural NHL goal during an 8–5 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. Rooney stayed with New Jersey for the remainder of the season in a depth capacity on the third and fourth lines, finishing with six goals and four assists across 41 games.[4]
Rooney earned a spot on the Devils’ opening roster for the 2019–20 NHL season. Despite optimism fueled by new additions like Jack Hughes and P. K. Subban, the team struggled early with an 0–4-2 record. Rooney’s presence in the lineup was irregular due to a hand injury sustained on November 13 that sidelined him for seven contests. After coaching changes—head coach John Hynes and GM Ray Shero were dismissed amid poor performance—the team showed improvement following the All-Star break. Interim coach Alain Nasreddine emphasized Rooney’s effective partnership with John Hayden on the fourth line as instrumental during a six-game stretch without regulation losses; Rooney notched four points and tied for second place on the squad with a +4 plus-minus rating. When play was halted because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rooney had appeared in a career-high 49 NHL games, compiling four goals and five assists.[5]
New York Rangers
Following four seasons with the Devils, Rooney committed to a two-year deal worth $1.5 million with the New York Rangers on October 9, 2020.
Rooney began the 2021–22 campaign impressively, achieving his first multi-goal performance on November 24, 2021, in a match against the New York Islanders, reaching five goals early in the season. He then posted another multi-point outing on December 7, placing him third on the Rangers’ goal-scoring list with six goals. Nevertheless, he went scoreless until January 8 against the Anaheim Ducks, where he contributed two assists. Rooney did not find the net again until February 24, when he scored his seventh goal facing the Washington Capitals. Subsequently, he did not register any points until April 27 in another game against the Capitals.
Marking his 200th NHL appearance on March 2, Rooney was soon after designated as 'week-to-week' on injured reserve, sidelining him for 15 games. He returned on April 9 to assist the Rangers in clinching a berth in the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs. During the first-round series versus the Pittsburgh Penguins, Rooney was one of nine Rangers players making their playoff debut in Game 1. He earned his initial two postseason assists as New York triumphed over Pittsburgh in a seven-game series.
Calgary Flames organization
On July 13, 2022, after entering free agency from the Rangers, Rooney inked a two-year contract valued at $2.6 million with the Calgary Flames. He participated in 17 games for Calgary, tallying one point before being sent down to their AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers. Rooney quickly made his presence felt with the Wranglers by assisting in his season opener against the San Diego Gulls and scoring his first goal during teammate Brett Sutter’s milestone 1,000th AHL game on December 21. He concluded the 2022–23 season with five goals and twelve assists (17 points) across 51 games, playing a role in the Wranglers securing the Kilpatrick Trophy as regular season champions of the AHL. Often, Rooney was part of a veteran forward line alongside Sutter and Clark Bishop. During the offseason of 2023, he underwent shoulder surgery and was anticipated to face an extended recovery period.
On March 8, 2024, Rooney agreed to a one-year contract extension with Calgary worth $1.3 million.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2008–09 | Canton High School | HSMA | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Canton High School | HSMA | — | 35 | 20 | 55 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Berkshire School | HS-Prep | 25 | 12 | 14 | 26 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Berkshire School | HS-Prep | 30 | 14 | 12 | 26 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Providence College | HE | 29 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Providence College | HE | 36 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Providence College | HE | 41 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 12 | |||||||
|
Providence College |
HE |
38 |
6 |
4 |
10 |
20 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— | |||
|
7 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— | |||||
|
Albany Devils |
AHL |
71 |
13 |
8 |
21 |
39 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 | |||
|
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— | |||||
|
AHL |
71 |
14 |
20 |
34 |
63 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— | ||||
|
New Jersey Devils |
NHL |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— | |||
|
Binghamton Devils |
AHL |
38 |
1 |
16 |
17 |
26 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— | |||
|
New Jersey Devils |
NHL |
41 |
6 |
4 |
10 |
15 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— | |||
|
New Jersey Devils |
NHL |
49 |
4 |
5 |
9 |
20 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— | |||
|
NHL |
54 |
8 |
6 |
14 |
54 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— | ||||
|
New York Rangers |
NHL |
61 |
6 |
6 |
12 |
18 |
15 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
10 | |||
|
NHL
17
—
| ||||||||||||||
|
AHL
51
5
12
17
28
9
0
3
3
6
-
|
Calgary Wranglers
AHL
4
1
1
—
| |||||||||||||
|
Calgary Flames
NHL
33
3
1
4
2
—
| ||||||||||||||
|
Calgary Flames
NHL
70
5
5
10
14
—
| ||||||||||||||
| NHL totals
|
330
|
32
|
28
|
60
|
134
|
15
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
10
| ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Outcome | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | United States | WC | Template:Bronze3 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| Senior career totals | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||||