Associate Coach & Assistant General Manager
Kyrzakos, 38, comes to Kitchener after spending the last 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. Mississauga is also one of 10 CHL teams that has had at least one player picked in each of those drafts, now going on eight consecutive years. Additionally, Kyrzakos was behind the bench for Mississauga when the Steelheads won both the Central Division & Eastern Conference titles during the 2016-17 campaign.
A native of Toronto, Ont., Kyrzakos brings vast experience to the Rangers from both the OHL and the NCAA Division I level. As a player, Kyrzakos suited up for the Western Michigan University Broncos from 2004-05 before joining the Owen Sound Attack from 2005-06, where he recorded an impressive 79 points (33G, 46A) in 64 games. He went on to play seven years of professional hockey before retiring in 2013 to start his coaching career, where he became the Head Coach of the Arizona Sundogs in the Central Hockey League (CHL).
Along with coaching and player development duties with the Steelheads, Kyrzakos was tasked with team travel & accommodations, the host family program, scouting for the OHL Priority Selection, and was the team’s academic advisor. Kyrzakos will join the hockey operations staff with General Manager Mike McKenzie and Assistant General Manager Michael Zsolt to assist with the club’s managerial duties.