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OHL coaching camps are beginning up and there is extra information on daily basis relating to groups including or subtracting gamers from their rosters. Ensure you bookmark The Hockey News OHL web site to remain up to date on all information and coaching camp roster breakdowns.
Throughout our coaching camp sequence on the location, we’ll analyze the Import gamers, overage gamers (2004-born), first-year draft-eligible gamers to regulate, and every group’s illustration from their 2024 draft class, in addition to every other storylines.
Right this moment we’re wanting on the Kitchener Rangers’ coaching camp roster. The PDF hyperlink to their roster might be discovered here.
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Kitchener had one other sturdy season in 2023-24, posting a 41-23-4-0 report, ending fourth within the Western Convention. They made it to the second spherical of the playoffs however had been swept by the eventual OHL champs and rivals, the London Knights.
The group has misplaced a plethora of gamers who had been core members of the group over the previous few years. Hunter Brzustewicz, Matthew Sop, Simon Motew, Filip Mesar, and Carson Rehkopf have all moved on and the group will search for just a few of their 2006 and 2007-born forwards to leap ahead of their offensive improvement to choose up the slack.
Kitchener has no Import gamers listed on their roster for the upcoming season, however Seattle Kraken prospect Eduard Sale was acquired by the group midway by final season and I might anticipate he returns. He’s at present on the U20 5 Nations Match in Zug, Switzerland representing Czechia.
Related: OHL Training Camp Roster Breakdown: Guelph Storm
Overage Gamers
Kitchener has 5 overage gamers together with two goaltenders — Jackson Parsons and Tristan Malboeuf. Parsons would be the group’s starter contemplating he performed 51 video games final yr, that means Malboeuf could should discover a new residence since there is not a motive to hold two overage goaltenders.
The three overage forwards at coaching camp are Vegas Golden Knights prospect Trent Swick, Adrian Misaljevic, and Antonino Pugliese.
After enjoying lower than 40 video games in his first two years within the league, Pugliese solidified a full-time spot with Kitchener in 2023-24, enjoying 64 video games, recording 15 objectives and 24 factors.
Natalie Shaver/OHL Pictures
Misaljevic elevated his manufacturing by a whopping 47 factors (11 to 58) final yr and can play a fair larger half in Kitchener’s offense in 2024-25 with the absences of Rehkopf, Sop, and Mesar. He was a free agent signing by the group and his turned out to be one heck of a discover by the scouting workers.
Identical to Misaljevic, Trent Swick put himself on the map together with his play final season in Kitchener and also will lead the Rangers’ assault within the upcoming season. The 6-foot-7 large might be relied upon as a frontrunner.
Place Change
This is one thing you do not see on daily basis. 2025 NHL draft-eligible prospect Matheas Stark is making the full-time change to protection. Stark moved again and assisted the group on protection when their blueline bought battered with accidents late within the season and the playoffs.
Natalie Shaver/OHL Pictures
Stark was drafted within the third spherical, forty seventh general within the 2023 OHL Precedence Choice and was a coveted two-way ahead with management qualities in his U16 season within the GTHL. It wasn’t a shock when he put his hand up as a volunteer to play protection to assist the group out. However, a place change in your draft yr might be an fascinating storyline to observe.
NHL Draft-Eligible Gamers
As talked about above, Stark is among the first-year draft-eligible gamers on Kitchener to regulate. However, just a few different names may have the eye of NHL scouts.
Luca Romano, Cameron Reid, and Tanner Lam (now listed at 5-foot-10) performed and excelled with the Rangers of their rookie campaigns. Reid and Romano captured gold with Canada at the recent Hlinka Gretzky Cup and Lam’s 31 factors had been third-most amongst 2007-born gamers within the league final yr.
Natalie Shaver/OHL Pictures
Romano impressed on the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and is a powerful candidate for a breakout season. Kitchener will want his offense to choose up and he may have all of the alternatives to play a top-six position and PP1 this yr. His skating and puckhandling expertise will create points for OHL defenders. A 60-point season must be within the playing cards for Luca.
Reid was extremely regular for Canada in the summertime match. He isn’t a flashy rearguard by any means. He is the sort who makes only a few errors and appears to at all times be in the fitting spots with out the puck. I used to be most impressed by his puck-moving expertise and talent to persistently hit his goal together with his breakout passes. He is a really easy puck distributor.
Free Agent Invite
Natalie Shaver/OHL Pictures
Former Niagara IceDog and London Knight, Juan Copeland, is making an attempt a return to the OHL. Copeland is listed on Kitchener’s coaching camp roster as a free agent invite.
Copeland began the season with the London Knights however solely performed 4 video games for them earlier than he headed south of the border to play for the Lincoln Stars within the USHL. Over in America, he struggled offensively there as nicely (20 factors in 52 video games), and racked up the penalty minutes with 76. Juan scored 22 objectives and 43 factors in 115 video games with the Niagara IceDogs in his first two years within the league from 2021 to 2023.
The Rangers have 4 different free agent invitations listed on their coaching camp roster — Aidan Zimmerman (2007), Cooper Drennan (2007), Brendan George (2007), and Mikayil Kahriman (2006).
2024 OHL Draft Class
Listed below are the gamers from Kitchener’s 2024 draft class who might be attending their first OHL coaching camp:
C, Evan Headrick – 1st spherical, fifteenth general (was drafted at 5-foot-6.5, now listed at 5-foot-8)
LHD, Alexander Bilecki – 2nd spherical, thirty first general
C, Weston Cameron – third spherical, forty ninth general
RHD, Nathan Gaitens – 4th spherical, 77th general
G, Jason Schaubel – fifth spherical, 97th general
RW, Avry Anstis – eleventh spherical, 217th general
LHD, Ryker Younger – twelfth spherical, 237th general
RHD, Dylan Orr – 14th spherical, 277th general
Kitchener’s Matt Souter (sixth spherical), Jacob Xu (eighth spherical), Jude Bray (tenth spherical), Nolan Carriere (twelfth spherical), Jack Hextall (thirteenth spherical), and Ryder Robertson (fifteenth spherical) aren’t listed on their coaching camp roster.
All three members from the group’s U18 Precedence Choice — goaltender Erik Maki and forwards Josh Giordano and Jack LaBrash — will try to crack their opening evening lineup and showcase the worth of the U18 OHL Draft.
Bookmark The Hockey News OHL web site to by no means miss information, interviews, and any updates across the league.
