GAME PREVIEW: Saginaw Spirit at Kitchener Rangers – 10/2/26
Kitchener, Ont. – The Saginaw Spirit (1-2-1-0) visit the reigning Memorial Cup champion Kitchener Rangers (3-2-0-0) on October 2nd, 2026, at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.
Tonight’s Game:
Puck drop is at 7:00pm.
Broadcast:
Radio: 100.5 FM WSGW, WSGW.com
TV: FloHockey
Last Game:
Saginaw dropped a 6-3 decision to the Windsor Spitfires on September 26th. Brady Wassilyn, Dmitry Savin, and Brody Pepoy scored goals for the Spirit in the loss. Goaltender Stepan Shurygin made 22 saves on 27 shots in his first appearance of the season.
The Rangers won their second consecutive game on September 27th, a 6-3 victory over the Kingston Frontenacs. Charlie Puglisi, Haeden Ellis, Andrew MacNiel, and Cameron Arquette each scored one goal. Tanner Lam scored two goals, including the game-winner. Jason Schaubel stopped 18 of 21 shots for the Rangers.
This Season:
This is the first meeting of four meetings between the two clubs this season. The Spirit finished with a 0-3-0-1 record against the Rangers in the 2025-2026 regular season. Tonight’s game is the teams’ first meeting since the Rangers swept Saginaw in last year’s opening round playoff series.
Players to Watch:
Braidy Wassilyn and Dima Zhilkin currently lead the Spirit in points with 4G-4A—8P each. They are also tied for the OHL’s scoring lead. Wassilyn was acquired from the London Knights at the start of this season and has registered a goal and an assist in all four of his appearances to start the season. He registered a season-high four shots against the Windsor Spitfires last Saturday. With a point tonight against the Rangers, Wassilyn would tie a career-high five-game scoring streak.
Dima Zhilkin has points in each of his first four games to begin his NHL draft year, including two assists against the Windsor Spitfires in the team’s last game. He enters Friday night’s contest with 126 career points, tying older brother Danny’s 126 career points recorded between the Guelph Storm and Kitchener Rangers from 2019-2023.
Brody Pepoy has five points (2G-3A) in four games played this season and currently ranks third in team scoring. He was named to the Spirit’s leadership group for the 2026-27 season as an alternate captain. Pepoy joined the Spirit as a free agent invite to training camp in 2025 and finished last season with 29 points (16G-13A) in 67 games.
Saginaw’s NHL Drafted Players: Jacob Cloutier (WPG), Brady Knowling (SJS), Brody Pepoy (TOR), Stepan Shurygin (TBL)
Tanner Lam has six points (5G-1A) in five games and is currently tied for the second-most goals in the OHL. Lam leads the league with three game-winning goals, accounting for each of Kitchener’s three wins this season. Lam finished last season with 48 points (19G-29A) in 67 games last year.
Rookie import forward Luca Santala has a goal and an assist in three games with Kitchener. He was brought over from the London Knights in an early-season trade. Santala spent most of last season with Kiekko-Espoo’s U20 team in Finland (7G-5A—12P) and is considered a top prospect for the 2027 NHL Draft.
Defenseman Alexander Bilecki returns to an elevated role on the Ranger blueline after being drafted in the second round by the Toronto Maple Leafs this summer. He has four assists in his first three games of the season. His 15 shots on goal tie him for the second-most of any Ranger to start the season.
Kitchener’s NHL Drafted Players: Luca Romano (NYI), Andrew MacNiel (MTL), Alexander Bilecki (TOR)
