Press Release: Kitchener Rangers Announce Trio of Multi-Year Contract Extensions
Kitchener, ON – The Kitchener Rangers are pleased to announce the contract extensions of Head Coach, Jussi Ahokas, Associate Coach and Assistant General Manager, Jeff Kyrzakos, and Assistant Coach, Brad Flynn through the 2026-27 season.
Jussi Ahokas (pronounced you-see, uh-ho-kus):
Ahokas, 44, is completing his second full season as Head Coach of the Kitchener Rangers. In his first season with the club, Ahokas led the team to a fourth-place finish in the Western Conference increasing their point total by 14. This season, Jussi has Kitchener positioned with the second-best record in OHL with 81 points through 56 games.
“Jussi has done a tremendous job leading our team over the past season-and-a-half. The results speak for themselves but behind the scenes he has done a great job with the development of our players and creating a fun but hard-driving, accountable and winning culture”, said Rangers’ General Manager Mike McKenzie. “It has been a pleasure getting to work with him for the past two seasons and we are excited and look forward to him leading our team for two more.”
“I am grateful and excited to continue to coach in such a historic and great city like Kitchener,” said Kitchener Rangers Head Coach, Jussi Ahokas. “The goal now is to continue to build on the great work we have done and I am excited to continue that with Jeff, Brad, and all of the Rangers staff for the next two years.”
He came to Kitchener with 20 consecutive years of head coaching experience and is today known as one of the most decorated bench bosses in European professional hockey, being named the Alliance of European Hockey Clubs’ (EHC) 2019-20 Coach of the Year across Europe’s top professional hockey leagues spanning Germany (Deutsche Eishockey Liga – DEL), Finland (Finnish Elite League – Liiga), Sweden (Swedish Hockey League – SHL), and Switzerland (National League – NL).
Ahokas’ Recent Notable Accomplishments:
- 2015-16 World U18 Championship – Gold Medal
- 2016-17 World Juniors
- 2017-18 World Juniors
- 2018-19 World Juniors – Gold Medal
- 2019-20 Kouvola KooKoo (Liiga) – EHC Coach of the Year
- 2021-22 Turku TPS (Liiga) – Silver Medal
Jeff Kyrzakos (pronounced kerr-ZACK-iss):
Kyrzakos, 40, like Jussi Ahokas, is completing his second full season as Associate Coach and Assistant General Manager for the Rangers. Prior to working in Kitchener, Jeff spent seven years with the Mississauga Steelheads where he held the dual role of Assistant General Manager and Assistant Coach. Impressively, Kyrzakos is known as a leader in player development, playing a critical role in 17 Steelheads being selected in the NHL Draft since 2016, the third most in the entire 60-team Canadian Hockey League (CHL) across Major Junior
“Jeff has been a huge part of our team on both the coaching and management side of the spectrum. His player development skills and relationships with the players have been a big part of our success and allowed many of our players to see huge improvements in the last two seasons,” said McKenzie. “He has personally been a big help to me on the management side as well and we are thrilled to extend his contract for two more seasons.”
“We are extremely happy to be able to keep this group together for the next two years. We are fortunate to have a staff with a great working and personal relationship. I am fortunate to work with Jussi, Brad and our entire staff every day,” said Kitchener Rangers Assistant GM and Associate Coach, Jeff Kyrzakos. “Our goal remains the same. We want to bring a championship to the great fans and city of Kitchener. It has been amazing working for such a professional and first-class organization. Thank you to our board, Joe Birch, Mike McKenzie and our entire staff. We are excited and looking forward to it.”
Kyrzakos will continue to work alongside the hockey operations staff with General Manager Mike McKenzie and Assistant General Manager Michael Zsolt to assist with the club’s managerial duties.
Brad Flynn:
Flynn, 39, is also completing his second full season behind the Rangers bench. He arrived in Kitchener with an array of experience having coached in all three leagues in the CHL. He was behind the bench with the Saginaw Spirit as Associate Coach in 2021-22. He spent three seasons as Assistant Coach with the Red Deer Rebels (2018-21) of the Western Hockey League (WHL) and one season as Assistant Coach with the Acadie–Bathurst Titan (2015-16) of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).
“Brad has played an integral role with our staff, and we are extremely excited to have him in Kitchener for two more seasons. His detail for the game, relationships with the players, work with our defensemen and PK expertise has been a huge part of our success the last two years,” said Rangers’ General Manager Mike McKenzie. “It has been great getting to know him and learn from him and I look forward to having him as a member of our staff moving forward.”
“I’m thrilled to be staying with the Rangers to continue working alongside such a dedicated staff,” said Kitchener Rangers Assistant Coach, Brad Flynn. “This organization and community has such a rich history, and I’m eager to keep pushing forward as we strive for success on and off the ice.”
Flynn has played a critical role in player development having worked with 21 current National Hockey League (NHL) players, including two first-round draft picks, Alexander Alexeyev (2018 round 1, 31st overall by Washington Capitals) and Pavel Mintyukov (2022 round 1, 10th overall by Anaheim Ducks).
The New Glasgow, Nova Scotia native is also responsible for the Rangers’ penalty kill that has ranked in the top four over the last two seasons, and that has the second highest ranking this current season at 84.7%.
Graphics Credit: Hailey Tripodi / Kitchener Rangers
For inquiries, contact:
Luca Lombardi
Communications Coordinator
Kitchener Rangers Hockey Club
416-885-4510
[email protected]
