Kerby Rychel: Two Autographed Cards

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I wrote about a prospect who is currently in his fourth NHL franchise yesterday in Anthony Duclair; Kerby Rychel is in the same boat, now playing for the Calgary Flames' AHL affiliate the Stockton Heat, after stints with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montréal Canadiens and Columbus Blue Jackets organizations.

Unlike Duclair, skating is an area where NHL GMs and coaches are always telling Rychel to improve; his strongest suits are his grit, taste for playing in traffic areas (including in front of the opposition's net), tipping pucks, and traits generally associated with "plug-type" players and bottom-sixers, not first-rounders.

Still, it's not his fault the Blue Jackets selected him 19th overall in 2013, ahead of Anthony Mantha (20th, already 200 games and 60 goals in an NHL career), Andre Burakovsky (23rd, 318 NHL games, 61 goals), Shea Theodore (26th), Ryan Hartman (30th), Robert Hagg (41st), Artturi Lehkonen (55th, 200+ games), Brett Pesce (66th, 278 games and counting), Pavel Buchnevich (75th), Jake Guentzel (77th, closing in on 200 games and a goal shy of 75), Mattias Janmark-Nylen (79th, 224 games, 40 career goals), Duclair (80th, 277 games, over 50 goals), Sven Andrighetto (86th, 205 games, 50 assists), Oliver Bjorkstrand (89th, 187 games), Miles Wood (100th, 193 games), Andrew Copp (104th, 282 games), and Tyler Motte (121st, closing in on 150 games played).

I've heard and read about a lack of compete and work ethic in his case, but surely there was a way to instill those traits in him via positive reinforcement and reward for what he did do well, and accentuating or encouraging a will to become a Dave Andreychuck/Ray Sheppard/Brad Marchand type of "garbage goal" scorer and powerplay menace, and expanding from there.

All's not lost for him yet, at just 24 years of age, and he does have 23 goals in 57 AHL games this season, so surely an NHL team might take a chance on him in the near future, it's just been a rockier path than some expected.

For my part, I always say power forwards need more time to develop, and although he's a little small for one, that's how he plays; he also never reached the 100-point mark in Juniors, so he was always going to have to learn to work hard to deserve his chances.

Speaking of which, here's a card from his OHL days with the Windsor Spitfires:

It's card #T-45 from In The Game's 2013-14 Heroes And Prospects 10th Anniversary set and shows him wearing the Spitfires' white (home) uniform.

There is also card #88 from Upper Deck's 2014-15 Team Canada Juniors/Women set, where he's seen protecting the puck from a Swiss player while wearing Team Canada's red (away) uniform:

He was held pointless in 7 games at the 2014 World Juniors, as Canada finished in fourth place.

He signed both in (fading) black sharpie while playing for the AHL's Toronto Marlies (2016-18).

Kerby Rychel Jersey Card

It's been a rumour-filled three years for Kerby Rychel since being drafted 19th overall in 2013, whether it's his asking for a trade or the Columbus Blue Jackets shopping him around, we'll likely never know the exact truth or the extent thereof, apart from the fact that he was dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs at this year's draft for relatively cheap: Scott Harrington - previously acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Phil Kessel trade - and a fifth-round pick.

Rychel started the 2015-16 season right, posting 20 points in his first 21 games with the AHL's Lake Erie Monsters, earning a call-up with the Jackets, who didn't give him a lot of ice time to show what he could do with the puck; instead, probably stemming from Rychel's attitude upon being sent to the minors by original coach Todd Richards mixed in with new coach John Tortorella's will to make him learn to play defensively, he got very few offensive zone starts and often played less than 12 minutes per game.

Upon returning to the Monsters, others (particularly T.J. Tynan and Sonny Milano) had taken his place as the offensive producers for head coach Jared Bednar, and his point production suffered: just 1 goal and 7 points in his last 16 regular-season games, and six points in 17 playoff games for the Calder Cup champions.

So here's to a new start for Rychel; unfortunately, it's with the Leafs, whom I only wish ill to. And here's what Rychel looked like in Columbus' blue (home) uniform, on card #FT-KR from Upper Deck's 2014-15 Ice set and Fresh Threads sub-set:

It contains a matching event-worn jersey swatch from a rookie photo shoot.

Kerby Rychel Autograph Card

There are many thing I don't get about Kerby Rychel; I hadn't followed his Juniors career closely, but I thought he may have been chosen a tad early when the Columbus Blue Jackets picked him with the 19th-overall pick at the 2013 draft, ahead of Anthony Mantha (20th), Zachary Fucale (36th), Eric Comrie (59th), Anthony Duclair (80th), Sven Andrighetto (86th), Jordan Subban (115th), and Kristers Gudlevskis (124th); NHL Central Scouting had classified him as the 17th North American skater, which sometimes means a second-round position.

His showing at the 2014 World Juniors (no points in 7 games for Team Canada in a fourth-place finish) was underwhelming, to say the least, but he did make the Memorial Cup All-Star Team later that year.

But once the Jackets had me convinced he was a blue-chip power forward prospect, I just couldn't believe the number of trade rumours he was a part of for the last couple of seasons, as though the fans who were supposed to be excited about him didn't want him at all.

Most smart fans will accept two types of players getting traded: those not pulling their weight, or those who disrupt team spirit (usually by holding out on what should be easy contract negotiations, à la Ryan Johansen), but the best prospect at forward? That seemed bizarre.

And yet, he's still around, and about to travel with the rest of Columbus' rookies to Traverse City for the Detroit Red Wings' annual rookie tournament, to help the Jackets defend their title, after which he'll proceed to the team's NHL training camp and try to make the opening night roster.

I'm curious to see how it pans out for the kid who turns 21 on October 7th, but with two 40-goal seasons in the OHL, he'll be given all the right opportunities by GM Jarmo Kekäläinen. Here he is sporting the Windsor Spitfires' white uniform, with card #A-KR from In The Game's 2013-14 Heroes And Prospects set, featuring a black-sharpie on-sticker autograph:

One thing's for sure, former NHLer (and Stanley Cup winner with the 1996 Colorado Avalanche) Warren Rychel's son does have impeccable taste in music: