Llewellyn comes home to aid in win

NORTH BAY — It was one wild day for Darby Llewellyn.

The 20-year-old forward finished NHL camp, had a professional contract dangled in front of him, made a mad dash across the border to rejoin his Kitchener Rangers teammates and set up the game-winning goal in Friday’s 6-3 win in North Bay.

“It has been pretty hectic,” said Llewellyn, who finished with two helpers.

The overage winger spent the past week at Columbus Blue Jackets training camp and was released from his tryout deal Thursday. But the NHL club was so impressed that it offered him a 25-game contract with its American Hockey League affiliate the Cleveland Monsters.

Llewellyn was flattered but, in the end, opted to stick with the Rangers.

“They have a very talented team there (in Cleveland),” he said. “I didn’t think I was going to get much playing time. They are the defending Calder Cup champions and I thought the right play was for me to come back and start making my mark for an NHL contract.”

So the longest active serving Rangers is back for a victory lap.

And he wasted little time making an impact.

Llewellyn set up Riley Damiani’s game winner in the second period as the Blueshirts rallied from a two-goal deficit and went on to score five unanswered goals.

Rookie Eric Guest potted his first career Ontario Hockey League goal as part of the three tally second that also saw Nick McHugh convert on a breakaway.

Jacob Cascagnette, Jake Henderson and Connor Bunnaman — fresh from Philadelphia Flyers training camp — also scored for the Rangers.

Head coach Jay McKee slapped an ‘A’ on Llewellyn’s sweater and slotted him on a line with Damiani and German centre Cedric Schiemenz.

The Battalion jumped out to a 3-1 lead on markers by Steve Harland, Brady Lyle and Maurizio Colella but had trouble containing Kitchener’s speed as the game wore on.

Dawson Carty made 22 saves to remain perfect at 2-0.

Llewellyn was set to fly from Columbus to Toronto at 5 a.m. Friday but his flight was cancelled. The Rangers scurried to get the fifth-year player on another plane and picked him up on the way to North Bay.

“I was really thrilled with the way I played (in Columbus) and I’m pretty sure they were too and I want to continue to build on that with the Rangers,” he said.

“I’m coming back here and I want to earn an NHL contract and I think the best way I can do it is to keep my head forward. I’m coming back to an incredible team and an incredible group of guys. I think we can do something special this year.”

Overage defenceman Frank Hora was also at Blue Jackets’ camp and has since accepted a professional try out with the Monsters while fellow rearguards Connor Hall and Doug Blaisdell are still sidelined with upper body injuries.