Game Preview: Rangers Start Off Season against Saginaw at The Aud

Game Preview: Rangers Start Off Season against Saginaw at The Aud

Kitchener, ON – Friday night hockey at the Aud is back! The Kitchener Rangers open the season against the Saginaw Spirit on Friday, September 29^th. Puck Drop is slotted for 7 p.m. at the Aud in Kitchener. There are still great seats available.

 

Notable Links:

• Tickets: Buy Online
• TV:Rogers TV cable 20 (Kitchener)
• Video Stream:OHL Live on CHL TV
• Radio:570 AM CKGL
• Live Stats
• Live Tweets
• Game Day Video Preview
• East Avenue Blue Magazine

Ticket Information:
Tickets to the Rangers’ Opening Night are $22 for children and $26 for adults and can be purchased online now by clicking here. Additionally, tickets can be purchased in person at the The Aud Box Office sponsored by Whiteway Plumbing at 400 East Ave. Kitchener, ON N2H 1Z6 or at the Centre In The Square Box Office at 101 Queen St N, Kitchener, ON N2H 6P7.

Head- to- Head:

This will be the first of four meetings between the Rangers and the Spirit this season. Over the last five seasons, the Rangers own a 12-6-2-0 record against the Spirit. The Blueshirts have an overall advantage in Kitchener at The Aud with a 7-2-1-0 record. The Rangers finished the 2023 preseason third in the Western Conference winning four of six games played with a 4-1-0-1 record. Saginaw finished the 2023 preseason last in the Western Conference with a record of 0-4-0-0.

Scouting the Rangers:

Kitchener returns 15 players on the 22-man roster heading into the opening night.

Carson Rehkopf is back for his third season as a Ranger. He is the leading scorer of the players returning from last season; he recorded 59 points (30G, 29A) in 68 games played. Hunter Brzustewicz follows closely behind with 57 points (6G, 51A) in 68 games. In net, Jackson Parsons is back after missing most of last season. He has played a total of 27 regular season games for the Rangers recording a 3.93 goals-against average and a 0.890 save percentage over the past two seasons.

The Rangers have eight new additions to this year’s roster. Four of them were drafted in the 2023 OHL Priority Selection and will make their OHL debuts; Cameron Reid who was Kitchener’s first pick at 10^th overall, Luca Romano who was picked immediately after at 11^th overall, Tanner Lam who was picked in the second round, 41^st overall, and Matheas Stark who was a third-round pick selected at 47^th overall. The Rangers made some moves in the off-season picking up left winger Luke Ellinas who was traded from the Barrie Colts in August. Blueliner Carson Campbell was added from the Sarnia Sting this month, and goaltender Tristan Malboeuf was acquired from the Brantford Bulldogs a day before the home opener.

Rangers back from NHL Training Camp:

Six Kitchener Rangers have been away at NHL training camps competing for the past two weeks; Tomas Hamara (Ottawa Senators), Simon Motew (Ottawa Senators), Mitchell Martin (Ottawa Senators), Matthew Andonovski (Ottawa Senators), Hunter Brzustewicz (Vancouver Canucks), and Carson Rehkopf (Seattle Kraken). All players are back in Kitchener and available to play in Friday’s home opener.

Scouting the Spirit:

The Saginaw Spirit had 10 players away at their respective NHL clubs’ training camps; Joey Willis (Nashville), Matyas Sapovliv (Vegas), Hunter Haight (Minnesota), Braden Haché (Florida), Andrew Oke (Arizona), T-Bone Codd (Anaheim), Nic Sima (Detroit), Dean Loukus (Detroit), Luke McNamara (New York), and Roberto Mancini (Ottawa). All of these players have returned to the Saginaw line-up for the season opener.

Minnesota Wild prospect Haight is Saginaw’s top returning point-getter with 51 points (18G, 33A) in 42 games with the Spirit last season. Following closely behind Haight last season was Vegas prospect Sapovaliv, who is back for another season after putting up 56 points (27G, 29A) in 61 games. Zayne Parekh returns to the blue line for his second year with Saginaw after tallying 37 points (21G, 16A) in 50 games played last season.

Goaltender Oke is back between the pipes after 24 games played last season with a 3.45 goals against average and a 0.892 save percentage.

The Spirit added a pair of defencemen in late August, Brayden Hache from Barrie, and Will Bishop from Sudbury, as they aim to take a run at an OHL championship since they are set to host the 2024 Memorial Cup.

Broadcast Coverage:
Friday’s contest vs. the Sarnia Sting will be televised live throughout Kitchener and the Waterloo Region on Rogers TV, cable channel 20, and can be watched across the province of Ontario on the Super Sports Pak on channel 470 for cable subscribers. The game will be streamed live online on OHL Live on CHL TV. Additionally, fans can listen to Friday’s Opening Night on the radio on CityNews 570 AM CKGL.

Rangers Reach:

Support our community while cheering on your Rangers! Rangers Reach 50/50 Raffles take place at each Rangers home game and proceeds go to support our many community initiatives, including Scholarships, Community Impact Grants, in-kind donations, and more! Tickets start at just $5 and can be purchased online anywhere in Ontario at Rangers5050.com

Know Before You Go:

As we gear up for an exciting game day, we want to ensure that everyone has a fantastic and safe experience. We kindly encourage you to take a moment to familiarize yourselves with our policies, which are designed to enhance your enjoyment and maintain a respectful and inclusive atmosphere for all attendees. These policies cover everything from entry procedures to code of conduct, so please read them carefully at the provided link here.

Next Up:

The Rangers will hit the road for the first time this season to face the Flint Firebirds for game two of the regular season. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. on September 30^th at the Dort Financial Center in Flint, Michigan.