WORCESTER—On occasion, the calendar dictates the conversation.
So it was this week when Railers forward Anthony Callin, with St. Patrick’s Day being celebrated, was asked about his heritage. After all, Calllin does not sound as Irish as “O’Connor,” but it is pretty close.
It turns out that the Callins of Wisconsin are not Irish, English or even Scottish.
“Our family is from the Isle of Man,” Callin said. “We’re Manx.”
It might be a good idea for Railers GM-coach Jordan Smotherman to visit the Isle of Man on a scouting trip, although it is in the middle of the Irish Sea and not easy to get to. If Smotherman can find more players like the Callin brothers, Anthony and Drew, it would be worth the swim.
Anthony, 25, is the younger brother. He is in his first full season with Worcester, still a rookie, and a serious candidate for consideration as the Railers’ Most Valuable Player.
Drew Callin, 28, is one of the Railers’ great success stories. He was an unheralded amateur signed by GM-coach David Cunniff out of Bentley University in 2019. Drew Callin eventually signed an AHL contract with Springfield and is in his third season as one of the Thunderbirds most important players.
He opened the 2021-22 season in Worcester on a team captained by Smotherman, then moved up to Springfield. The fact that Smotherman and Drew Callin were connected had more than a little to do with Anthony winding up here.
“That was probably about 98 percent of it,” Smotherman said. “My continued friendship with Drew, as well as his time here in Worcester, were big factors. When I reached out to Anthony at this point last season I knew he had some other good options.
“I think he wanted to follow in Drew’s footsteps and had heard some very good things about our organization.”
Anthony Callin graduated from Clarkson, which has sent many players into professional hockey, so he had some options. Worcester was at the top of the list thanks to the family connection.
“It was definitely a factor,” he said. “I think something like that helps going anywhere new. I talked with (Drew) about the area and he had nothing but good things to say. He did not have (Smotherman) as a coach, but as a captain and that’s pretty close.
“Drew loved it here and he’s still pretty much in the area, which helped make it an easy transition.”
The Callin boys have never played on the same team, or against each other, except in summer hockey. They are able to get together a few times each hockey season and their parents came out here for the holidays.
Smotherman expects that Anthony Callin will follow his brother up to the American Hockey League at some point and probably sooner rather than later.
“I absolutely believe that,” the coach said. “It shocks me that we’ve actually been able to hold onto him for a full year. There has been some interest generated and he definitely has that ability.
“His consistency is massive and that’s what you want. That’s one of the toughest things at this level to find. Everybody is talented. Everybody skates well. It’s the guys who can do it every shift, every night, that really stand out above the rest.”
Anthony Callin thinks that he and his brother are similar players. Maybe it is growing up together. Maybe it is just genetics.
“[Drew] was always bigger than me and I like to claim I was a little bit faster, but don’t know if that’s true,” Anthony Callin said.
Considering how fluid rosters are in pro hockey, someday the Callins could find themselves on opposite sides of the faceoff dot. In that case, who would their parents cheer for?
“That’s a tough question,” Anthony Callin said. “I’d like to think it would be me, but what I think would happen is that our parents would just be sitting there watching and having the time of their lives, just excited to see us out there together.”
Callin has spent the season among the Railer scoring leaders and his production has been heavy on assists. Being unselfish is one of life’s greater virtues but hockey is not biblical. Smotherman wouldn’t mind the rookie thinking more about himself.
“We’d like him to shoot the puck a little bit more at times,” the coach said. “He could probably have five or ten more in that goals column if he shot the puck a bit more.”
That outlook is a bit of a switch, Callin said.
“I have found myself being more of a passer than a shooter this year which, to be honest, is different than past years when I always prided myself on being a shooter. I think that we have a lot of good players on our team and guys defend well in the pro game.
“This is just adapting to that.”
Anthony Callin graduated from Clarkson with a degree in innovation and entrepreneurship, then got his MBA. Those are great initials. Callin is hoping he can add AHL to that resume in not too long.
Bill Ballou covered the Red Sox for the Worcester Telegram from 1997 through 2018. He has covered pro hockey in Worcester since 1994 and currently does a weekly column for the Worcester Red Sox. Ballou can be reached at vetgoalie@aol.com
