(Image Credit: Steve Dunsmoor)

By Regan Bartel

AHL introduction

From billet to bills: Andrew Cristall learns pro life

Feb 16, 2026 | 6:00 AM

He used to worry about faceoffs, matchups and power-play reps.

Now, Andrew Cristall is also worrying about rent, groceries and what’s actually in the fridge when he gets home from the rink.

For the first time in his hockey life, one of the most dynamic offensive players ever to wear Kelowna Rockets colours is living on his own, learning to survive away from the structure of junior hockey and in one of the hardest leagues in the world.

Cristall, the Rockets’ second all-time leading scorer with 340 points in just 219 games, is in his first professional season with the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League, the primary affiliate of the Washington Capitals, who selected him in the second round, 40th overall, in the 2023 NHL Draft.

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“You’ve got to pay your rent. Keep up with your bills. Cook dinner,” Cristall said with a laugh. “It’s good for me to learn and mature.”

For Rockets fans, the production will always define him first.

Cristall scored 135 goals and added 205 assists during his time in Kelowna, carving his name into franchise history before being dealt to Spokane at last season’s WHL trade deadline — a move that helped load the Rockets with future assets as the organization builds toward hosting the 2026 Memorial Cup.

But the next chapter of his career is being written far from Prospera Place, in a small, historic American hockey town that lives and breathes the game.

Hershey.

“It’s nice, really quaint,” Cristall said. “There’s a lot of spots we like to go eat and hang out. The town supports the team so much. It’s been awesome to be here.”

The Bears are one of the most storied franchises in the American Hockey League, and Cristall has quickly learned what it means to step into a dressing room filled with players chasing livelihoods, not just development curves.

“It’s super historic,” he said. “You hear new things every day about what the organization’s been through. It’s pretty cool to be part of it.”

So far, the transition on the ice has gone better than most first-year pros could hope for.

Through 37 games, Cristall has produced 31 points and currently leads the Bears in scoring — a remarkable early return in a league where offense is harder to create and time disappears almost as soon as the puck touches your stick.

“In junior, I was a guy who put up points and tried to lead the team,” Cristall said. “That was definitely an expectation of mine. But I’m playing with a lot of really good players here. I can’t do it without them.”

Still, the jump from the Western Hockey League to the American Hockey League has been immediate and unforgiving.

“Everything’s elevated,” Cristall explained. “Every single play you make, one little mistake and it can end up in the back of your net. It’s stronger, it’s faster, and the guys are older. A lot of them are feeding their families. This is their job.”

For years, Cristall made junior hockey look easy. At the professional level, nothing comes free.

The AHL is often described by players as the hardest league in the world to play in consistently — a place where NHL draft picks, career professionals and former big-leaguers all compete for the same small number of opportunities.

Cristall understands that now.

“It’s an awesome league, but it’s super hard to play in,” he said. “Everyone’s right there with the NHL. Everyone’s working to get there. There’s guys who have been there who are here now. It’s top-notch for sure.”

Washington drafted Cristall for his vision, his creativity and his ability to create offense in tight spaces. But the version of Cristall the Capitals hope to see in the future is being shaped in much less glamorous areas of the game.

“I think this is a place where I can really develop,” he said. “I’m playing a lot of minutes and getting a lot of one-on-one time with the coaches. I’ve leaned a lot on the veterans here. It’s been a night-and-day difference in how my game feels.”

One area, in particular, has become a daily focus.

“Play on the boards is huge here and in the NHL,” Cristall said. “Getting pucks out of your zone. Being strong in board battles. That’s something I’ve really got to keep getting better at.”

It is the side of pro hockey that never appears on draft-day highlight reels — but often determines whether talented scorers stay in the lineup.

As the season moves toward its final stretch, the obvious question follows a player who is leading his team in scoring as a rookie professional: is an NHL call-up possible?

Cristall tries not to let his mind wander there.

“Every day you wake up, that’s the hope,” he said. “But I’m not really putting too much weight on it. I’m just taking it day by day. Every game is a new chance to show my game and keep getting better.”

Away from the rink, the learning curve has been just as real.

No billet family. No team-provided structure. No post-practice meals waiting at home.

“I had a big luxury with that in Kelowna and even in Spokane,” he said. “Now you’ve got to take care of everything yourself.”

Sometimes that means cooking. Sometimes it means accepting defeat and going out with teammates.

“We’ve got a good group of young guys,” Cristall said. “We go get dinner a lot. Sometimes there’s nothing in the fridge. It’s a good balance.”

For Kelowna, Cristall’s legacy is already secure.

Second all-time in franchise scoring. One of the most dynamic offensive players the organization has ever developed.

“It’s pretty special,” he said. “Kelowna is one of the top organizations in the whole CHL. When I was playing, I didn’t really think about it much. Now that I’ve had time to look back, being up there at all is pretty cool.”

His Rockets career did not end the way many fans imagined. Instead, he was dealt to Spokane at the deadline and dropped into the pressure of a championship run with a new team.

“I’d never been traded before,” Cristall said. “I just wanted to go in and make an impact. We fell short of the goal, but there were a lot of positives I took from that experience.”

Even now, with his life centred around pro hockey and personal responsibility, Cristall still keeps close tabs on Kelowna, especially with the Memorial Cup coming to the city in 2026.

“I’m definitely keeping up,” he said. “I’ve still got buddies on the team. I love seeing what Iggy’s [Tij Iginla] doing. It’s been cool to see how the team has grown and all the new pieces they’ve added. Hopefully, they can do some damage and go win it all.”