Kerins Flames split

Rory Kerins has been ready to play for the Calgary Flames his whole life.

The rookie forward showed as much the day he was drafted by the Flames in the sixth round of the 2020 NHL Draft, when he shared a photo of himself as a child wearing Flames gear.

Well, Monday gave him his big chance as Kerins made his NHL debut and he did not disappoint.

The rookie forward made his NHL debut against the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday and scored a point on his first-ever shift, assisting on a Jakob Pelletier goal. He added another assist, again to Pelletier for good measure.

Fans flocked to social media and commented on Kerins' old picture after the big debut.

The only thing more exciting than a big night in the NHL is a big night in the NHL with your family in attendance. Kerins had his parents, brother, sister and girlfriend in the building having made the trip from Canada.

“Yeah, really cool, a moment I’ll never forget, for sure," Kerins said. "I was a bit nervous leading up to today. But I’m in my routine now and feel pretty good... They’re super excited and happy for me.”

And, of course he got a little love from Pelletier for the helpers.

“We played together on the same line for about 25 games (at Calgary of AHL), 30 games," Kerins said about the existing chemistry with Pelletier We were pretty good down there together, and it was a good start for us tonight.”

Safe to say it was a stellar debut a lifetime in the making.

- NHL.com independent correspondent Bruce Miles contributed to this report.