Five Questions: Kitchener Rangers
As much of a rollercoaster ride as the 2022-23 season was for the East Ave. faithful in Kitchener, the Rangers treated their loyal fans to another thrilling first round playoff battle, pulling off one of the biggest upsets in recent memory with their triumph over the mighty Windsor Spitfires in four straight games.
Kitchener loaded up on veterans in a bid to make a run in the wide open Western Conference, and after a second round exit, return to the Aud later this summer with a considerably younger look. The long-term outlook in Kitchener is full of possibilities, with Rangers beat writer Josh Brown even citing potential interest in a 2027 Memorial Cup hosting bid down the road.
Five Questions takes a look at the current state of the Rangers who hit the reset button with a pair of first round OHL Priority Selection additions in blueliner Cameron Reid and forward Luca Romano heading-up a #NewWave in 2023-24.
1. Who’s the coach?
One of a couple head coaching vacancies in the OHL right now, the Kitchener Rangers’ search for a bench boss continues into July as Mike McKenzie will return to his primary responsibilities as the club’s general manager. For his part, McKenzie has helped the Rangers out in separate stints as interim head coach over the past few years, steering the club to a 33-6-0-3 record as Jay McKee’s replacement in 2019-20, coaching them to a first round upset victory over the London Knights in 2022, and replacing Chris Dennis last season before Kitchener went on to oust the first place Windsor Spitfires in the opening round of the playoffs. A number of different head coaches have been through Kitchener in the past decade. The Rangers are looking to provide some stability behind the bench, as the new coach inherits a young team with lots of potential to be explored and developed.
Dust off the resumes – the Kitchener Rangers are looking for a new head coach.https://t.co/zrFXc2vNp3
— Josh Brown (@BrownRecord) May 1, 2023
2. What’s the leadership group look like?
The Rangers didn’t hold back on the trade front last season, adding a number of veterans including Francesco Arcuri from the Kingston Frontenacs, Danny Zhilkin from the Guelph Storm, Lleyton Moore (“A”) from the Oshawa Generals and goaltender Marco Costantini from the Hamilton Bulldogs. All of those names, along with Los Angeles Kings prospect Francesco Pinelli (“C”), Tampa Bay Lightning draftee Roman Schmidt (“A”) and overage forward Reid Valade (“A”) are moving on, presenting opportunities for a few of the team’s remaining veterans to assume more responsibility on the leadership front. Hometown product Matthew Sop made big strides in his sophomore season, recording 23 goals and 56 points while 6-foot-4 winger Mitchell Martin is also a potential overage solution, coming off an injury-shortened 34-point (13-21–34) campaign. Simon Motew and Ty Hollett are other 2003-born options in Kitchener while Vancouver Canucks prospect Hunter Brzustewicz, Seattle Kraken pick Carson Rehkopf and Ottawa Senators shutdown blueline selection Matthew Andonovski headline Kitchener’s veteran corps. Leadership will be important as the Rangers have already inked five 2007-born picks from this year’s OHL Priority Selection.
Matthew Sop is SNEAKY GOOD 😎
Kitchener kid with a first star performance in Game 2, scoring a pair of goals for the @OHLRangers in Windsor. #WSRvsKIT pic.twitter.com/YfNHsalPHJ
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) April 2, 2023
3. Is Parsons recovered and ready to go?
After a promising rookie campaign in 2021-22, goaltender Jackson Parsons only got into a handful of games last season before losing the rest of the year recovering from shoulder surgery. Now 19, the former third round OHL Priority Selection choice embarks on a big season in Kitchener, with plenty of opportunity to play in front of NHL scouts. The Rangers clearly feel confident in Parsons’ status, having moved fellow 2004-born goaltender Marcus Vandenberg to the Niagara IceDogs in June. Kitchener also has former fourth round OHL Draft pick Luca DiFelice in the system heading into 2023-24.
Jackson Parsons saved Saturday's @RealCdnSS #SaveoftheNight for OT! @OHLRangers goaltender gets a little help from his stick to stop Guelph's Danny Zhilkin on a breakaway 🚫 pic.twitter.com/gXKUlRZp2m
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) October 23, 2022
4. How does the import situation play out?
OHL clubs can carry a total of two players selected in the CHL Import Draft, and the Rangers currently hold the rights to four. It’s expected that Czech blueliner Tomas Hamara will make his way back to Kitchener for the coming season. The Ottawa Senators prospect put up 17 points (2-15–17) over 56 games in his first OHL season. The fate of Slovakian sniper Filip Mesar is a little less clear. The Montreal Canadiens first round draft pick could potentially land with the AHL’s Laval Rocket to begin the 2023-24 campaign after posting 51 points (17-34–51) in 52 outings with Kitchener last season. The Rangers added a pair of potential newcomers in last week’s CHL Import Draft, taking sought-after 2025 NHL Draft prospect Tomas Pobezal, a forward, out of Slovakia with the 25th overall pick. They took a defenceman in the second round, nabbing top 2024 NHL Draft target Aron Kiviharju out of Finland with the 85th overall choice.
With the 25th overall selection in the 2023 CHL Import Draft, the #OHLRangers are proud to select Tomas Pobezal from Nitra U18.
Welcome to #RTown, Tomas!#NewWave | #Kitchener pic.twitter.com/SKwTOFAYBX
— Kitchener Rangers (@OHLRangers) July 5, 2023
5. What’s the off-ice operation look like?
The Rangers have some pieces to move around in the front office as they, to their credit, have graduated a pair of staffers to the pro hockey ranks. Video coach and senior developer Hendrix Hanes has departed to the NHL’s Calgary Flames as a developer and data scientist. Senior director of broadcasting, communications and hockey operations Dominic Hennig is off to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls where he’ll serve as the club’s team services manager. The Blueshirts recently announced a pair of hockey operations promotions, with OHL graduate Jordan DeKort serving as director of goaltending and video coach, while Matthew Hitzig joins the club as hockey operations assistant and scout. The Rangers also made a trio of moves in their business operations. The Rangers have also been in search of an athletic therapist, with Cory Birk stepping away from the organization.
The @NHLFlames have hired @OHLRangers Video Coach and Senior Developer Hendrix Hanes in the role of Developer and Data Scientist.
DETAILS 📰: https://t.co/mF47tqi1yD pic.twitter.com/8jwmtPFKy8
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) June 12, 2023
.@OHLRangers Senior Director of Broadcasting, Communications and Hockey Operations Dominic Hennig will join the @SDGullsAHL as their Team Services Manager to begin the 2023-24 season. #FlyTogether
DETAILS 📰: https://t.co/q3HHvB8FnC pic.twitter.com/Zka2PoK55J
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) June 25, 2023
Five Questions is put together by Josh Sweetland (@joshsweetland). Follow along throughout the summer for an offseason look at all 20 OHL clubs.
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