OHL 20 in 20: Kitchener Rangers
The Kitchener Rangers had a few good runs in a row, losing in the second round of the OHL Playoffs the past three straight springs with a core consisting of names like Mike Petizian, Francesco Pinelli, Hunter Brzustewicz, Matthew Sop and Carson Rehkopf. With Rehkopf moved to the Brampton Steelheads a few weeks ago, the Rangers seem to be signalling a multi-year vision once again, building around a younger core for this year and beyond. They’ve got the prospect capital to do so, with some strong draft picks in recent years enabling them to ice a competitive roster while developing names like Cameron Reid, Luca Romano and Tanner Lam among others. This year’s Rangers team will look to some new names to lead the charge in a competitive Midwest Division, and it’s a group that appears to be assembled with the intention of being competitive for years to come.
| NOTABLE DEPARTURES | KEY ADDITIONS |
| D Hunter Brzustewicz (CGY) | F Avry Anstis (11th Rd. ’24) |
| F Mitchell Martin (U. Ottawa) | D Alexander Bilecki (2nd Rd. ’24) |
| G Tristan Malboeuf | F Weston Cameron (3rd Rd. ’24) |
| F Filip Mesar (MTL) | G Owen Edwards (6th Rd. ’23) |
| D Simon Motew (StFX U.) | F Evan Headrick (1st Rd. ’24) |
| F Carson Rehkopf (Trade BRAM) | F Jack LaBrash (2nd Rd. ’24 U18) |
| D Olivier Savard | F Matthew Hlacar (Free agent signing) |
| F Matthew Sop (Iowa, AHL) | G Jason Schaubel (5th Rd. ’24) |
| D Kaden Schneider (14th Rd. ’23) | |
| F Andrew Vermeulen (Trade NIAG) |
Five Questions Heading Into 2024-25:
1. Who steps up offensively?
Moving out a 52-goal scorer and one of the league’s top offensive blueliners is going to hit your offence hard, but the Kitchener Rangers do have some names they relied on secondarily in 2023-24 to step up and be prominent this coming season. Though Carson Rehkopf, Hunter Brzustewicz, Matthew Sop and Filip Mesar are out of the picture, Kitchener has done a good job developing guys who will be able to step in this season including a pair of recent NHL Draft picks in Luke Ellinas (Ottawa) and Trent Swick (Vegas). Adrian Misaljevic was a pleasant surprise with his 25 goals last season as he returns in an OA slot while first round NHL Draft pick Eduard Sale (Seattle) looks to build off the spark he showed in Kitchener’s playoff run last spring. Don’t overlook sophomore Tanner Lam, who was voted to the league’s second all-rookie team last season following 31 points (13-18–31) in 61 games.
2. Can Reid and Romano build off strong summers?
You can add both of these names to some of the potential offensive contributors in question number one. The Rangers benefitted from having a pair of first round selections in 2023 and GM Mike McKenzie and his staff used them well, getting a great young future leader in blueliner Cameron Reid along with forward Luca Romano, who was a key part of Canada’s gold medal effort at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last month. Romano and Reid both claimed gold and return as sophomores on a younger Kitchener roster that will count on both of them to play more, seeing tougher matchups than they did as 16-year-old rookies.
3. Is Andonovski the league’s best shutdown blueliner?
Anyone that has watched Kitchener closely knows this guy is an eraser. The Ottawa Senators took notice, signing the former fifth round NHL Draft pick to a three-year entry-level deal over the offseason. The 6-foot-2, 200Ib. Andonovski was also named captain of the Rangers heading into 2024-25. He ended finishing first in both OHL penalty minutes (124) and plus/minus (+58) in 2023-24, a first in league history. Is he the best shutdown guy in the league? There’s a debate to be had there, but he’s definitely in the conversation.
4. How well do new faces on the blueline adapt?
Perhaps the Rangers’ biggest adjustment this season will be on the blueline as Hunter Brzustewicz is off to the Calgary Flames system while the ever-reliable Simon Motew has graduated, attending StFX in the U SPORTS circuit. Andonovski, the aforementioned Reid and big 6-foot-4, 216Ib. Max Dirracolo will be seeing some big minutes out of the gate as some younger names Andrew MacNiel, Alexander Bilecki and Kaden Schneider get accustomed to the league. One interesting storyline comes in former third round pick Matheas Stark, who has transitioned to the back end on a full-time basis according to an article from The Record’s Josh Brown over the summer.
5. Can Parsons be one of the league’s best in the crease?
It was great to see Jackson Parsons put his injury woes behind him last season, appearing in 51 games to go 27-18-2-0. Parsons unfortunately missed most of the 2022-23 campaign due to shoulder surgery. The Embrun, Ont. native is set to return for an overage season and is currently attending rookie camp with the Los Angeles Kings. He enters 2024-25 with career numbers that include a 37-32-4-0 record with a 3.32 goals-against average and .894 save percentage over 78 regular season games. Kitchener will develop a pair of younger goaltenders to follow in Parsons’ lead in 2023 selection Owen Edwards and 2024 fifth-round pick Jason Schaubel.
Related Content:
Futures Watch – Kitchener Rangers
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