MONCTON, N.B. — One of the best offensive players in franchise history is rejoining the Moncton Wildcats.
The Wildcats have confirmed that right-winger Jeremy McKenna will be in the lineup when they play their next home game against the Cape Breton Eagles on Wednesday at 7 p.m.at the Avenir Centre. He finished fifth in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League scoring last season with 97 points, including 45 goals, in 68 games.
The Calgary Flames invited him to NHL training camp as a free agent and he signed a one-year contract with their farm club, the Stockton Heat of the AHL. Stockton reassigned him to the ECHL and he decided he would rather return to Moncton.
"He obviously brings a lot to our team both in terms of his experience and scoring ability," said Moncton head coach and director of hockey operations John Torchetti. "He's a proven natural goal scorer. I thought he was a really big catalyst in our playoffs last season in the first round against Baie-Comeau.
"I think he really showed in that series what his true game is going to be. It's just a matter of building on that and showing consistency and continuing to work on some details of his game. He's already proven himself on the offensive side of the game. Now, he can focus on rounding out his game by taking care of the other details."
McKenna, 20, was a fifth-round pick in the 2015 QMJHL draft and he's entering his fourth season in the league. He has 200 points, including 97 goals, in 202 career games. That puts him ninth in career points and fifth in career goals in Moncton franchise history.
The Summerside native attended Calgary's development camp this summer, then the rookie camp and NHL camp. He was then reassigned to Stockton in the AHL, but didn't crack the club's roster. The main things he needs to work on in order to have a professional career are his skating and defensive play.
"Every player doesn't realize how much skating is involved in the NHL now," said Torchetti. "The speed of the game is greater than it was in the past. If you're not an elite skater, you have to be very good in the other parts of the game such as wall play, making simple plays, the neutral zone and forecheck. I'm looking forward to helping him continue his development."
McKenna will play on a line with Mika Cyr and Elliot Desnoyers. They played together last season.
"They've shown they have good chemistry," said Torchetti. "I've spoken to McKenna and he's excited to come back here. It's all about growing as a player and he understands that. He's a pretty smart kid. He just loves the game and he wants to be a pro."
- By Neil Hodge, Moncton Times & Transcript
