Rangers trade Vandenberg in exchange with Niagara
Kitchener, Ont. – The Kitchener Rangers announced today that the club has completed a trade with the Niagara IceDogs.
In the trade, the Rangers acquire defenceman Gabriel Runco from the IceDogs in addition to Erie’s second-round pick in the 2024 OHL Priority Selection and Niagara’s fifth-round pick in the 2027 OHL Priority Selection. In return, Kitchener trades goaltender Marcus Vandenberg to Niagara.
“We wish Marcus the best moving forward,” said Kitchener Rangers General Manager Mike McKenzie “He is an extremely hard working and professional person and his growth on-and-off the ice in the last couple of years has been tremendous. It is extremely difficult to see Marcus move on, but having two 19-year-old goalies on our roster is not an ideal situation for our club and hopefully this gives Marcus the chance he deserves to take on a starting role in the league. We wish Marcus the best of luck in Niagara.”
Vandenberg was selected by Kitchener in the ninth-round (177th overall) of the 2020 OHL Priority Selection. This past season, Vandenberg recorded a 3.31 goals against average (GAA) and a .898 save percentage (SAV%) in 23 regular season games with the Rangers. He finished with a 9-9-1 record during the 2022-23 campaign in the OHL.
Runco, a native of Ancaster, Ont., was an eighth-round pick (154th overall) by the Peterborough Petes in the 2021 OHL Priority Selection before being acquired by Niagara in a trade on Sep. 21, 2022. A 6-foot, 205-pound, right-shot defenceman, Runco spent time with both Niagara and the Brantford 99ers in the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) this past season. He recorded nine points, including 113 penalty minutes, in 47 games with Brantford and tallied an assist in 23 OHL games with the IceDogs. Runco played his minor hockey with the Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs in the Ontario Minor Hockey Association-South Central Triple A Hockey League (OMHA-SCTA).
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For inquiries, contact:
Dominic Hennig
Senior Director, Broadcasting, Communications & Hockey Operations
Kitchener Rangers Hockey Club
519-497-9342
[email protected]
