Preview: Rangers ready for 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville
Nashville, Tenn. – The 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft takes place this Wednesday and Thursday, June 28-29, at Bridgestone Arena, home of the NHL’s Nashville Predators.
The Draft will be televised live in Canada on Sportsnet (English) and TVA Sports (French) beginning with the first round Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET, followed by rounds 2-7 starting Thursday at 11 a.m. ET. In the United States, Wednesday’s first round will be televised live on ESPN while rounds 2-7 will be televised on the NHL Network. All seven rounds of the draft can be heard live on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio.
Current Rangers that are first-time eligible players to be selected in the NHL Draft are Matthew Andonovski, Hunter Brzustewicz (pronounced Brew-STHEV-itch), Cameron Mercer, Kyle Morey, Jackson Parsons, Carson Rehkopf (RAY-koff) and Blair Scott.
Rehkopf, a forward from Vaughan, Ont., is the highest-rated Ranger projected to be selected in this year’s Draft. He is rated number-29 among North American skaters on NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings list. TSN’s Bob McKenzie has Rehkopf slated to be picked in the second round 41st overall while TSN’s Craig Button has him to be picked early in the third round, 66th overall. Rehkopf finished third on the Rangers roster this season, recording 59 points (30G, 29A) in 68 games played.
Brzustewicz, a defenceman from Washington, Mich., follows closely behind Rehkopf being rated number-41 among North American skaters on NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings list. McKenzie has Brzustewicz slated to be picked in the second round 52nd overall while TSN’s Craig Button also projects Brzustewicz to be picked in the second round, 61st-overall. Brzustewicz finished fourth on the Rangers roster this season and first among all Rangers defenceman with 57 points (6G, 51A) in 68 games.
Andonovski, a defenceman from Markham, Ont., is ranked 134th among North American Skaters by NHL Central Scouting, while Draft Prospects Hockey has Andonovski tabbed to be selected in the fifth round, 184th overall. Andonovski recorded 16 assists in 67 games played on the blue line and led all Rangers with 85 penalty minutes on the season.
Since 1969, the Kitchener Rangers have had 165 players selected in the NHL Draft, which is the fourth-most of any OHL club. The highest two selections were Gabriel Landeskog (2011) and Brian Bellows (1982), who were both selected second overall. The most Rangers selected in a draft was five in 1998. Impressively, 21 Rangers have been selected in the NHL Draft by 14 different NHL clubs in just the past 11 years.
Last season, the Rangers had six players on their roster that were both drafted and signed by their NHL clubs respectively: Francesco Arcuri (Dallas Stars), Tomas Hamara (Ottawa Senators), Filip Mesar (Montreal Canadiens), Francesco Pinelli (Los Angeles Kings), Roman Schmidt (Tampa Bay Lightning) and Danny Zhilkin (Winnipeg Jets).
For live coverage of the Rangers at the 2023 NHL Draft, stay tuned to the Rangers social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by searching @OHLRangers.
For inquiries, contact:
Dominic Hennig
Senior Director, Broadcasting, Communications & Hockey Operations
Kitchener Rangers Hockey Club
519-497-9342
[email protected]
