Andrew Cristall wasted zero time filling up a WHL scoresheet in his first game back to junior. After being one of the Washington Capitals’ final cuts at Training Camp, Cristall was returned to the Kelowna Rockets on Monday and dressed for his first game on Friday night.
The 19-year-old winger racked up five points (1g, 4a) in his first two periods back with the team in their 9-4 win over the Portland Winterhawks. Cristall has seven career games in the WHL with at least five points, setting his single-game high last season with a seven-point effort against the Kamloops Blazers.
Cristall, named one of Kelowna’s alternate captains on Wednesday, was an instant boost to a Rockets team that had won just one of their first six games. He instantly jumped back on the club’s first line, forming a dangerous trio with Tij Iginla, the sixth overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, and team captain Max Graham.
Just 4:51 into the first period, Cristall played provider for Iginla’s second goal of the season. After making a sharp cut to free himself from a Portland defender, Cristall found Iginla backdoor for a snipe from the left faceoff circle.
Cristall played assist man again to Iginla just 5:33 later in the first frame. The 2023 second-round pick took a drop pass from Utah HC’s top prospect, swung wide, and dropped a nifty backhand feed to Iginla for a net-front finish.
Iginla finished off a hat trick in the game after playing catch with Cristall on a 2-on-1 with 5:41 remaining in the second period. The assist was Cristall’s fourth point of the night after he put away his first goal of the year earlier in the matchup. He would add another assist on a goal scored by Graham at the end of the second frame to give him his five total points.
Iginla and Graham had combined for just one point (1g) in three games before Cristall arrived back to the team on Friday night. When the final horn blew at the end of the win, Kelowna’s top line finished with a combined plus-minus of plus-17 and 10 points (5g, 5a).
Cristall is back with the Rockets looking to improve on his huge 2023-24 campaign, during which he tallied 111 points (40 goals, 71 assists) in 62 games. His 1.79 points-per-game average ranked fifth best in the WHL last year, and he’s out to an early lead in that category this season.
One of Cristall’s main goals is to make it onto Team Canada at the U20 2025 World Junior Championship after being snubbed by the team last year. With his brilliant camp in Washington, where he tied for the team lead in preseason points, and performances like his first for the Rockets this season, he should be leading the pack for a spot.
Cristall and Kelowna will next play the Prince Albert Raiders on October 14. Cristall played against the Raiders just once last season, recording an assist in a 4-3 win.
