Game Preview: Rangers Venture to Windsor for First Road Game of the Regular Season
Windsor, ON – The Kitchener Rangers will travel to WFCU Centre on Saturday to take on the Windsor Spitfires for the first time in the new season. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m.
- TV: Rogers Channel 20 (Kitchener)
- Video Stream: OHL Live on CHL TV
- Radio: 570 AM CKGL
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Over the Years:
Saturday’s showdown is the first of four meetings between these two clubs this season with the next not happening until the near end of November back at The Aud. Though they did not meet in the 2024 preseason, the Rangers and the Spitfires have had recent history in the postseason. In 2022, the Spitfires defeated the Rangers in five games in the second round. The Blueshirts would avenge themselves in the 2023 postseason, winning four straight in the opening-round series against Windsor as an eight-seed. Since 2019, the two clubs have played against one another 20 times, with Kitchener holding an overall record of 10-8-2-0 against the Spitfires in that time frame and a 4-5-1-0 record at WFCU Centre. In the 2023-24 regular season, the Rangers were 3-1-0-0 against Windsor.
SCOUTING THE RANGERS (0-1-0-0)
10th in the Western Conference, 18th in the OHL
Despite a valiant effort in the third period of the Rangers’ home opener on Friday, the club fell short of victory, dropping their first game 5-2 to the Erie Otters. After falling behind 3-0, the Rangers scored two goals in under four minutes to bring the deficit to one in the final frame. In the loss, four Rangers got on the board with a point. Cameron Arquette scored his first goal of the season and second in a Rangers uniform while Luke Ellinas (Ottawa Senators) lit the lamp on the powerplay for the team’s second goal in the third period. Sophomores Cameron Reid and Luca Romano earned assists on the Ellinas’ tally for their first points of the new season. Overage goaltender Jackson Parsons took to the crease on Friday, stopping 29 of 33 shots he faced in his 2024-25 debut.
The Blueshirts went one-for-three on the powerplay and two-for-five on the penalty kill, giving up a pair of goals on the man advantage and a short-handed goal to the Otters. After the 2024-25 season opener, the Rangers are converting on the power play at 33.3% while operating the penalty kill at a 40% success rate.
Rangers to Watch:
Cameron Arquette scored one of two goals in the Rangers’ home opener, appearing on the right wing of the second line and earning the third star of the game. Last season, Arquette spent 13 games with the Blueshirts, scoring a goal and adding two assists. He spent the majority of the 2023-24 season with the Leamington Flyers (OJHL), producing at a near point-per-game pace scoring 43 points (15G, 28A) in 45 regular season games before adding 12 points (6G, 6A) in 12 games in the postseason. Look for Arquette to build on his momentum against the Spitfires, as he continues to establish himself as a key contributor throughout the season.
Despite not tallying a point in the home opener on Friday, Adrian Misaljevic is a Rangers player to watch on Saturday. In four games against the Spitfires in the 2023-24 season, he scored eight points (4G 4A) including a four-point night (2G, 2A) in an 11-2 win in the middle of October. Misaljevic, in his overage season, is fresh off the best year of his OHL career, scoring 23 goals, 35 assists, and 58 points in 65 regular season games. With plenty of turnover offensively, Misaljevic played on the first line in the home opener and will look to carry his success over against Windsor on Saturday.
Luca Romano is back with the Blueshirts for his second season after a productive freshman year, scoring 22 points (10G, 12A) in 56 games and adding five assists in 10 postseason appearances. In the summer, Romano played for Team Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, winning gold. In the 2024 preseason, Romano was third on the team in points (4), fourth on the team in goals (2), and led the team in plus/minus with a +5 rating. The forward recorded a secondary assist on Ellinas’ powerplay goal on Friday while manning the first-line centre position and will be looking to capitalize again on Saturday.
SCOUTING THE SPITFIRES (1-0-1-0)
2nd in the Western Conference, 2nd in the OHL
The Spitfires have been busy, already playing in two games in the 2024-25 season – both of which went to overtime. In their first game on Wednesday, officially kicking off the new OHL season, against the defending Memorial Cup champions the Saginaw Spirit, Windsor earned a 5-4 victory in the extra frame in a back and forth contest. Conversely, on Friday night, Windsor was on the losing end of overtime, giving up a three-goal lead to the Sarnia Sting before eventually losing 5-4 in overtime at Progressive Auto Sales Arena. Through two games, Anthony Cristoforo leads the team in points (5) and assists (4), while Ryan Abraham has tallied the most goals (2). From a team standpoint, the Spitfires have found success on the powerplay at a 40% rate (4/10) and are operating the penalty kill at 80%.
Saturday’s game against the Rangers will not only be the Spitfires’ 2024-25 home opener but also their third game in four days.
Spitfires to Watch:
Anthony Cristoforo’s four assists, three on the powerplay, leads the OHL. Additionally, his five points in two games rank tied for second with Kingston Frontenacs’ Jacob Battaglia. Cristoforo opened his junior campaign with a goal and an assist, but most recently, the defenceman added three assists in the team’s overtime loss to the Sting. Leading the way on the powerplay, he is a player to watch against the Rangers when considering the Spitfires’ current 40% conversion rate. Cristoforo had seven goals, 31 assists, and 38 points through 67 games in the 2023-24 season – the highest in all three categories amongst Spitfires defenceman last season.
A name to watch on Saturday is forward Liam Greentree (Los Angeles Kings). The forward led the team in goals (36), assists (54), and points (90) through 64 regular season games in the 2023-24 season. He has all three of his points (1G, 2A) this season in the Spitfires’ loss to the Sting on Friday, earning the rights to the second star. After his breakout season last year, Greentree was selected in the first round (26th overall) by the Los Angeles Kings. Greentree had a goal and two assists in four games against the Rangers in the 2023-24 season.
Sophomore centreman Jack Nesbitt has scored in each of the Spitfires’ first two games, including an overtime winner in their 2024-25 regular season debut. Nesbitt added an assist in Windsor’s 5-4 overtime victory against the Spirit, bringing his point total to three, which ties him for sixth in the league and second on the team. After a freshman season where he tallied nine goals and nine assists, Nesbitt has quickly secured a spot on the top line this year. He’s off to a strong start and looks to continue that on Saturday at home against the Rangers.
Drafted Spitfires:
The Spitfires have four players that have been drafted to the NHL, three that were selected in 2024, and one that was picked in the 2022 NHL Entry draft. Liam Greentree (Los Angeles Kings), AJ Spellacy (Chicago Blackhawks), and Ilya Protas (Washington Capitals) were taken in the 2024 draft. Tnias Mathurin (Detroit Red Wings) was selected in the 2022 draft.
BROADCAST COVERAGE
Saturday’s game vs the Windsor Spitfires 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 Saturday’s action on the radio on CityNews 570 AM CKGL.
UP NEXT:
The Blueshirts will return home to kick off a three-in-three stretch, starting with a matchup against the Flint Firebirds on Friday, October 4th, at 7:00 p.m. They’ll then hit the road for a Saturday contest in Owen Sound before wrapping up the weekend at The Aud on Sunday against Guelph. The busy schedule continues as the Rangers travel to Flint for a rematch with the Firebirds just five days later, on October 9th at 7:00 p.m.
Secure your tickets for all Kitchener Rangers games at The Aud Box Office sponsored by White Way Plumbing or online here.
