CHL on TSN | 5 Players to Watch – Knights vs. Rangers
The CHL on TSN schedule resumes Friday as the London Knights take to the road to face off against their Southwestern Ontario foe in the Kitchener Rangers.
Winners of all five matchups this season, the Knights sit third in the OHL’s Western Conference with a 25-10-1-0 showing and enter Friday’s contest riding a four-game win streak. Meanwhile, the Rangers have collected 35 points in 38 games this year and continue to challenge for a playoff position.
Tune in Friday at 7:30 p.m. Eastern on TSN as these two rivals reconnect. Here are five players to keep an eye on once the puck drops:
Knights right-wing Luke Evangelista
The Knights captain and 2020 second-round pick of the Nashville Predators is must-see TV as of late with an eight-game point streak where he has found the back of the net 11 times and added 12 assists. A 19-year-old native of Oakville, Ont., Evangelista has been on an offensive tear in his last three games as he has recorded a hat-trick in addition to a two-goal finish, plus six helpers. The dynamic forward is in the midst of his best season and leads the OHL with 34 goals in 32 outings, while his 68 points rank fourth-best league wide. In his five meetings against the Rangers this season, Evangelista has dangled his way to six goals and 10 assists for 16 points, with their last meeting on Saturday underscored by a career-first five-point night.
"Pretty slippery" might be an understatement 😱@PredsNHL prospect Luke Evangelista (@levang22) shows you why he was last week's #OHL Player of the week, scoring a beauty to get the @LondonKnights within a goal in Saginaw 🎥 pic.twitter.com/3ZiHx1xQtM
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) February 10, 2022
Rangers left-wing Mike Petizian
When the Rangers lost their captain and leading scorer Francesco Pinelli with a lower-body injury in mid-January, overage left-wing Mike Petizian stepped up in his absence. Scoring in four of his last five games, that span has seen Petizian record seven goals and three assists. A product of Mississauga, Ont., Petizian is in the midst of a career year as he leads the Rangers in both goals (18) and points (39) coming in 38 appearances. A fifth-round pick from the 2017 OHL Priority Selection, Petizian’s previous career high came during the 2019-20 campaign when he netted 21 goals and 22 assists in 63 contests. A scoring threat whenever he touches the puck, Petizian picked up two points in his last meetup against the Knights.
Some nice work from @OHLRangers offensive architect Mike Petizian, who lit the lamp twice in his 200th career #OHL contest 🎥 pic.twitter.com/DhWFJ5HY9f
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) February 10, 2022
Knights left-wing Antonio Stranges
While his linemate Evangelista is grabbing all of the headlines with his outstanding play, quietly, the Dallas Stars 2020 fourth-round selection is having a breakout season with 12 goals and 27 assists for 39 points in 30 games. The 2002-born Michigan native has been dominant as of late with a three-game point streak where he has found the back of the net three times and added five helpers. Chosen in the second round of the 2018 OHL Priority Selection, Stranges sits a lone point shy of matching his career high of 40 points that came during 2019-20. Against the Rangers this season, Stranges has kept up his torrid pace, collecting points in all five prior matchups, totaling six goals and seven assists highlighted by a pair of two-tally outings.
Second time's a charm for the @DallasStars prospect 🚨
Antonio Stranges (@AntonioStrange7) with the winner in his third straight multi-point effort as the @LondonKnights came back to win in Saginaw on Wednesday 🎥 pic.twitter.com/7zkRiNjkgS
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) February 10, 2022
Rangers defenceman Roman Schmidt
Bringing an explosive touch from the back end, the Tampa Bay Lightning 2021 third-round pick is fourth among OHL blue-liners with 10 goals this season, while also adding 11 assists. An essential contributor to the Rangers’ scheme on the man advantage, Schmidt has lit the lamp five times on the power play. The 18-year-old product of Michigan is skating in his first season with the Rangers.
Roman Schmidt (@RomanSchmidt27) makes no mistake 🎯
The @TBLightning '21 draft pick flexes his powerful shot on a one-timer, as Kitchener looks to even the score against the Storm 📽️ pic.twitter.com/pLCmgrSWzJ
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) January 17, 2022
Knights goaltender Brett Brochu
London has been an OHL powerhouse for more than a decade now and it always starts with their presence between the pipes, where the undrafted Brochu is making his impact like Knights legends in Michael Houser, Steve Mason, and Gene Chiarello. The 19-year-old netminder leads the OHL with 23 wins, while also ranking among the best in the save percentage (.921) and goals-against average (2.47) categories. Brochu has won four contests against the Rangers this season, including a 22-save shutout coming in mid-November. A native of Tilbury, Ont., Brochu’s incredible start to the season saw him earn the chance to compete with Team Canada at the 2022 World Juniors. Among the top OHL goaltenders over the past two seasons, Brochu continues to turn heads among talent evaluators as he ranks 16th among North American goaltenders in NHL Central Scouting’s midterm assessment.
Brochu has earned three straight #OHL Goaltender of the Month honours dating back to January and February 2020. He was first star three times in October and stopped 11 of 12 shootout opponents in the @LondonKnights crease 🎥 pic.twitter.com/379KIMEw4I
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) November 2, 2021