SAN DIEGO – As it turns out, Kevin Roy needed Northeastern University just as much as Northeastern University needed Kevin Roy.

Roy used his time in Hockey East with the Huskies to raise his profile as one of the most exciting young prospects in the game before he turned pro with the Ducks organization, which took him 97th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft.

“I trusted the coaching staff there and their program back when they weren’t really what they are right now,” Roy told FloHockey.

“I’m glad I was a part of that early process to get that to the point where they are right now and how relevant they are with winning Beanpots and Hockey East championships and so on. I was happy that my class and the classmates I came in with were a big part of that turnaround for that program, and top players can go there and show their talent.”

After a long stretch as an also-ran, Northeastern rose to prominence with Roy as their driving force; he posted 65 goals, 85 assists and 150 total points in 130 NCAA games, led the Huskies to three appearances in the Beanpot Final (very memorably scoring a hat trick in the opening game of the 2013 event as a freshman) and even their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in seven seasons as a senior in 2016.

Perhaps he didn’t realize it at the time, but that also all helped him get prepared for a pro career.

“College hockey, more and more guys are ready to jump into the NHL and the AHL and make a difference and be able to jump in the lineup and be comfortable,” he said. “Staying in school and getting that degree to fall back on—injuries do happen, and you never know—it prepares you to be physically ready to jump in right away, but you do have that to fall back on and you’re not worried about what you can do after hockey.”

Still just 25 years old, Roy is likely a long time away from having to worry about such things. After a full season with the American Hockey League’s San Diego Gulls in 2016-17, he made his National Hockey League debut with the Ducks the following year, potting six goals and an assist in 25 contests at the game’s highest level.

Former captain Kevin Roy (@Roy_K15) has been called up by the @AnaheimDucks! #GoNU

Read: https://t.co/LGwn9fepW1

Mood: ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/EMMTsuEVfj

— Northeastern MHKY (@GoNUmhockey) November 8, 2017

He seemed poised for an extended stay in the NHL this season, but a wrist injury he suffered in training camp has kept him out of action until he posted two assists in his Feb. 16 return with the Gulls.

“I’ll tell you what, he’s just worked unbelievably hard,” Gulls head coach Dallas Eakins told FloHockey.

“I’m hard-pressed in my years of coaching to see a guy that’s been out that long be that fit when he’s come back. His mindset was that he was going to get better, not just be ready to play. He wanted to be fitter when he came back. His commitment through this long process with this injury, and the rehab part of it, he really took that four months to get fitter. When you have that, you’re going to be able to produce and be a part of it right away. 

“What you see a lot of times when a guy is out that long, they struggle or they’re vanilla and just blend in, or they’re behind. And we’ll all just look the other way and go, ‘Well, he’s been out a long time.’ Kevin’s just taken it to another level. He’s a dynamic kid, and probably the most skilled guy that we’ve had here in the last couple of years. I just think he’s going to get better as his timing picks up.”

Roy echoed similar sentiments.

Although he wouldn’t go into detail as to exactly how the injury occurred—he described it as “one of those fluke things”—he says with the possible exception of continuing to get his legs underneath him, it’s business as usual in his return.

“It was a serious injury, but you move on from there and do the stuff you’re supposed to so you can get back,” Roy said. “I thought it would be a couple weeks, but it ended up being much longer. That’s part of the game, you just have to learn from it and get better. I feel great. Guys are 50 games ahead of me by now, but you just read the game and nothing’s really changed. I was able to work out, [ride the] bike a lot and stay in shape. That helped me a lot with getting back. There’s that little touch you get through the year that I’ve got to get right now, and I’ve got to get that, but I’m right there and excited to move forward here."

As for the Huskies, they’ve had to move forward without Roy, but have managed just fine with an improved chance of recruiting players in the highly competitive Boston area thanks in part to what Roy was able to do for a program that he says he still follows closely; he thoroughly enjoyed seeing them pull off back-to-back Beanpot titles with their recent win this month.

“There’s that school pride, you’ve been there and you helped that program turn around and get to where they are now,” he said. “It’s exciting, and it’s exciting to see what they can do moving forward.”

After missing over four months, Roy seemingly hasn’t missed a step in moving forward himself.

“You wouldn’t even know that he’s been out,” Eakins said. “Not only did the doctors and our rehab crew do a great job with him, but he was committed to doing everything he had to do. There’s nothing in his game right now where you’d ever even sense where he was injured.”

Roy remains hopeful that an opportunity with the Ducks, who find themselves seven points out of the last wildcard spot in the Western Conference entering Saturday’s slate of games, can become a reality before the end of the season. But he remains frustrated that he missed out on a possible chance to cement his status as an NHL regular out of the preseason.

“It was pretty tough,” he said. “It was bad timing, because there was opportunity, and I think I was right there. But, you can’t control that stuff. You stick to what you can control, and that’s how you take care of your recovery and your body to get back to the level you were so you can get that opportunity again.”

Don’t bet against him, says Eakins.

“That’s the goal, as is the goal for every guy in that dressing room,” he said. “We want them all to go play there. When I think about what he’s done, and his mindset with being injured and his commitment to his career, I think anybody that’s doubting that young man or betting money against him is going to lose a whole bunch of money. I think he’s got his mind dead set on trying to get some games in this year, and if he can’t, I think he’ll be right at the front of the line in training camp come next year.”

Mike Ashmore has 17 years of experience covering professional and college sports. You can follow him on all social media channels at @mashmore98.