Rangers Select Three European Players in CHL Import Draft Wednesday
Kitchener, Ont. – The Kitchener Rangers announced today that the club has selected goaltender Christian Kirsch (Switzerland), forward Oscar Alexander Hemming (Finland), and forward Heikki Ruohonen (Finland). Phonetic spelling and pronunciation to be updated shortly.
Kirsch is a left-catching goaltender who stands at six-foot-four and 201 pounds who spent last season mainly with the Janesville Jets in the North American Hockey League (NAHL) and appeared in three games with the Green Bay Gamblers in the USHL. In 24 games with the Jets, Kirsch posted a 8-15-0 record with a 3.16 goals against average and 0.912 save percentage. He earned a call-up to represent Switzerland at the 2024-25 World Junior Championships in Ottawa in which he made four appearances. Christian has now represented his country at the U16, U17, U18, and U20 levels.
The Basel, Switzerland native was a fourth round draft choice of the San Jose Sharks (116th overall) in 2024 and has a commitment to play at the University of Massachusetts for the 2026-27 season.
“Christian is a big athletic goalie and San Jose Sharks draft pick and we feel he has the ability to become a starting goalie in the OHL. This was a big priority for us to fill this position after the graduation of Jackson Parsons. We are happy to welcome Christian to the Rangers,” said Kitchener Rangers General Manager, Mike McKenzie.
Hemming stands at six-foot-three and 187 pounds and is a left shot forward that spent last season playing for Kiekko-Espoo U18 in the U18 SM-sarja in his native country of Finland. Oscar tore up the league producing at an impressive 2.03 points-per-game pace recording 35 goals and 28 assists in just 31 games as a 16 year old. He appeared in 18 games at the U20 SM-sarja level producing ten points (2G, 8A).
Oscar represented Finland at the U17 level recording a point-per-game with four goals and five assists in nine games. He is eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft.
McKenzie added, “We were very excited to select Oscar, he is a very talented player. He is big, physical, but also very skilled and has high end talent. Welcome to the Rangers, Oscar.”
Ruohonen stands in at six-foot-two and 205 pounds and is a left shot centerman out of Helsinki, Finland. Heikki spent last season in the USHL with the Dubuque Fighting Saints where he produced 39 points (16G, 23A) in 49 games and added four points (1G, 3A) in seven playoff games. He was a member of the silver medal winning Finnish side that competed in the 2024-25 World Junior Championships in Ottawa. He recorded seven points (4G, 3A) in eleven games during the tournament.
Heikki was selected in the fourth round (107th overall) of the NHL 2024 Entry Level Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers and has a commitment to Harvard University in the NCAA.
“Heikki is committed to Harvard University and we knew that was still the plan for him, but at this point in the draft we felt it was worth selecting him if things should ever change. He is a very good player and a Philadelphia Flyers draft pick. Welcome to the Rangers.”
Notable players selected in the CHL Import Draft that have played for the Rangers are 2022 Stanley Cup Champion Gabriel Landeskog, Radek Faksa, Petr Kanko, Jakub Kindl, Tobias Rieder and Boris Valábik.
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Get ready, #RTown! The Rangers return to the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium to kick off the 2025-26 season on September 19th against the Brantford Bulldogs. Season tickets are on sale now, head over to https://bit.ly/RangersSeasonsTix to secure your seats. Stay tuned for information on single game ticket sales later this summer.
For media inquiries, contact:
Luca Lombardi
Manager, Communications and Community Relations
Kitchener Rangers Hockey Club
(416) 885-4510