Kitchener Rangers 2018-19 Season Thread (Part 4)

[nelli27]

Here's my look on the division for next season:

Guelph
key losses- Nate Schnarr, Liam Hawel, Isaac Ratcliffe, Nick Suzuki, Mackenzie Entwistle, Alexei Toropchenko, Dimitri Samorukov, Sean Durzi, Jack Hanley, Markus Phillips, Domenico Commisso
top returnees- Cedric Ralph, Owen Lalonde, Keegan Stevenson, Fedor Gordeev?
players to watch- Ty Collins, Danil Chayka, Zack Terry
team state- rebuild (8-10 conference finish)

London
key losses- Alex Formenton, Evan Bouchard, Joseph Raaymakers, Kevin Hancock, Will Lochead, Adam Boqvist? Joey Keane? Paul Cotter?
top returnees- Liam Foudy, Connor McMichael, Nathan Dunkley, Alec Regula, Jordan Kooy, also see '?' above
players to watch- Antonio Stranges, Sahil Panwar, Matvey Guskov, Luke Evangelista
team state- London Knights.... (1-3 conference finish)

Kitchener
key losses- Rickard Hugg, Alexey Lipanov, at least 1/4 potential OAs, Cole Cameron, Kyle Gentles
top returnees- Greg Meireles, Jonathan Yantsis, Joe Garreffa, Riley Damiani, Michael Vukojevic
players to watch- Donovan Sebrango, Reid Valade, Isaac Langdon, Ryan Stepien
team state- contending if 3 OA F's return (1-4 conference finish)

Owen Sound
key losses- Trenton Bourque, Zach Poirier, Maksim Sushko
top returnees- Aidan Dudas, Brady Lyle, Daylon Groulx, Kaleb Pearson, Adam McMaster, Barrett Kirwin
players to watch- Andrew Perrott, Mark Woolley, Nolan Seed, Sergei Popov
team state- continued rebuild (5-8 conference finish)

Erie
key losses- Cole Ceci
top returnees- Gera Poddubnyi, Chad Yetman, Jamie Drysdale, Petr Cajka, Maxim Golod
players to watch- Hayden Fowler, Emmett Sproule, Matthew MacDougall
team state- continued rebuild (5-8 conference finish)

Great post! Thanks for all that info. Took a few screen shots so I can refer back to it.
Rangers will certainly be in the mix next season---a number of notable returnees.

 

[Ward Cornell]

Here's my look on the division for next season:

Guelph
key losses- Nate Schnarr, Liam Hawel, Isaac Ratcliffe, Nick Suzuki, Mackenzie Entwistle, Alexei Toropchenko, Dimitri Samorukov, Sean Durzi, Jack Hanley, Markus Phillips, Domenico Commisso
top returnees- Cedric Ralph, Owen Lalonde, Keegan Stevenson, Fedor Gordeev?
players to watch- Ty Collins, Danil Chayka, Zack Terry
team state- rebuild (8-10 conference finish)

London
key losses- Alex Formenton, Evan Bouchard, Joseph Raaymakers, Kevin Hancock, Will Lochead, Adam Boqvist? Joey Keane? Paul Cotter?
top returnees- Liam Foudy, Connor McMichael, Nathan Dunkley, Alec Regula, Jordan Kooy, also see '?' above
players to watch- Antonio Stranges, Sahil Panwar, Matvey Guskov, Luke Evangelista
team state- London Knights.... (1-3 conference finish)

Kitchener
key losses- Rickard Hugg, Alexey Lipanov, at least 1/4 potential OAs, Cole Cameron, Kyle Gentles
top returnees- Greg Meireles, Jonathan Yantsis, Joe Garreffa, Riley Damiani, Michael Vukojevic
players to watch- Donovan Sebrango, Reid Valade, Isaac Langdon, Ryan Stepien
team state- contending if 3 OA F's return (1-4 conference finish)

Owen Sound
key losses- Trenton Bourque, Zach Poirier, Maksim Sushko
top returnees- Aidan Dudas, Brady Lyle, Daylon Groulx, Kaleb Pearson, Adam McMaster, Barrett Kirwin
players to watch- Andrew Perrott, Mark Woolley, Nolan Seed, Sergei Popov
team state- continued rebuild (5-8 conference finish)

Erie
key losses- Cole Ceci
top returnees- Gera Poddubnyi, Chad Yetman, Jamie Drysdale, Petr Cajka, Maxim Golod
players to watch- Hayden Fowler, Emmett Sproule, Matthew MacDougall
team state- continued rebuild (5-8 conference finish)

The deciding factor for kitchener is their goalkeeping decision. As it stands now in all probability only Lucas Pfeil will be back. I guess if MM trades the OA skaters that Richardson could be back but unlikely.
The Rangers have drafted a cpl goalies in the past 2 drafts...Commor Hasley and McBride.
Hasley is a NCAA commit I believe but that doesn't mean much while McBride was signed last fall (can someone comfirm!).
If they do get a strong goalie in import draft and the OA returns then I can see a Top 3 finish in the conference. If not, a mid-pack conference finish.

 

[MatthewsMoustache]

The deciding factor for kitchener is their goalkeeping decision. As it stands now in all probability only Lucas Pfeil will be back. I guess if MM trades the OA skaters that Richardson could be back but unlikely.
The Rangers have drafted a cpl goalies in the past 2 drafts...Commor Hasley and McBride.
Hasley is a NCAA commit I believe but that doesn't mean much while McBride was signed last fall (can someone comfirm!).
If they do get a strong goalie in import draft and the OA returns then I can see a Top 3 finish in the conference. If not, a mid-pack conference finish.

I don’t think McBride ended up signing. played junior C this year and didn’t have great numbers (you would think the Rangers could find him a better place to play). Gonna have to try for Hasley or an import/FA

 

[Chico Maki]

4689

 

[three dog night]

4689

Wow that the smallest crowd in Kitchener since I can remember.

 

[Chico Maki]

Wow that the smallest crowd in Kitchener since I can remember.

Yep...Charcoal Steakhouse might be busy this weekend

 

[K2]

4689

Thanks, in no small part, to all the Storm fans that came out that it was anywhere near that high apparently ... I was seemingly the sole Ranger fan in my section!

 

[Chico Maki]

Thanks, in no small part, to all the Storm fans that came out that it was anywhere near that high apparently ... I was seemingly the sole Ranger fan in my section!

Smallest crowd since game 3 vs Plymouth in 2004....4676

 

[Millpond]

Smallest crowd since game 3 vs Plymouth in 2004....4676

Playoff numbers seem down league wide. Attack with under 2500 last night for game 3. Off by about 600

 

[EvenSteven]

I don't get the disbelief from Farwell and others about the attendance. I predicted less than 5000 and wasn't surprised by the numbers.

Many factors contribute. Season ticket holders not buying playoff tickets. Corporate crowd almost never renew for playoffs. Weekday games.

But the big reason is that we have a team with very little chance of winning the series. Add to that getting blown out on Sunday and the fact our boys showed up for one of six periods of hockey in the first two games, and you have a fan base deciding to spend their entertainment dollars elsewhere or just stay home. Had we come home with a split in the series, perhaps we'd have drawn a couple hundred more people. Maybe.

Farwell bemoaned on the post game show tonight about not being able to remember the last time the Rangers drew so few to open the playoffs. How about two years ago Mike?

Two years ago we opened on the road meaning we played weekday home games. We played vs Owen Sound who we had very little chance of beating.

For those two weekday home games we drew 4700+ for each game.

So we were out by about a hundred or so tonight vs those numbers two years ago.

Not surprised, nor should Farwell have been if he'd been paying attention.

 

[GeoBlue]

Playoff numbers seem down league wide. Attack with under 2500 last night for game 3. Off by about 600

I noticed how empty the place was as well. Not sure about "league wide" as I would be curious to see what the favourites like the Soo, London, Saginaw, etc. are drawing. Anyone have that info? I think it's due to the parity and the lesser teams are not showing up. Definitely a bigger divide this year compared to previous years. (See point difference between 4th Guelph and 5th Kitchener)

And yes, the performance in the Guelph games did not do Kitchener any favours. Guelph is by far the better team and seems to be gelling their talent at the right time.

 

[Melrose]

We were surrounded by Guelph fans too. A good team always brings out those fair weather fans especially when so many premium seats are available. I agree with most posters that moving up in the standings in the latter part of the schedule was absolutely no benefit. It is a significant difference drafting from the Fifth or sixth slot compared to the 13th where we landed.

 

[bobber]

Yep...Charcoal Steakhouse might be busy this weekend

On a side note. Last time I had a steak there a dog couldn't chew it.

 

[OhSheila]

Full credit to the Storm on that win. They are stacked with talent. 4 players who were at the World Juniors. Classy too, once their goal celebrations are respectable.

The Rangers gave it their all. Guelph is really, REALLY good.

I'm hoping we can earn a win Thursday night. I'm still proud of my Rangers.

 

[bobber]

One long time fan said last night we have been rebuilding since Deboer left when looking at the small crowd. We usually buy play off tickets but most STH around us do not anymore. The Storm make the Rangers look small. It's like let's not wake them up and piss them off. The Storm have a bunch of huge players but they can skate. They run down the smaller Rangers many times to retrieved pucks. It is what it is. Thursday's game might break a new record low for attendance if the Rangers depend on walk ups.
The only issue I would have s a Storm fan is they allowed 40 shots on net last night. Do that against a contending team and it could be an issue for sure. Need to tighten up that D to keep moving forward.

 

[Rangers True Blue]

I don't get the disbelief from Farwell and others about the attendance. I predicted less than 5000 and wasn't surprised by the numbers.

Many factors contribute. Season ticket holders not buying playoff tickets. Corporate crowd almost never renew for playoffs. Weekday games.

But the big reason is that we have a team with very little chance of winning the series. Add to that getting blown out on Sunday and the fact our boys showed up for one of six periods of hockey in the first two games, and you have a fan base deciding to spend their entertainment dollars elsewhere or just stay home. Had we come home with a split in the series, perhaps we'd have drawn a couple hundred more people. Maybe.

Farwell bemoaned on the post game show tonight about not being able to remember the last time the Rangers drew so few to open the playoffs. How about two years ago Mike?

Two years ago we opened on the road meaning we played weekday home games. We played vs Owen Sound who we had very little chance of beating.

For those two weekday home games we drew 4700+ for each game.

So we were out by about a hundred or so tonight vs those numbers two years ago.

Not surprised, nor should Farwell have been if he'd been paying attention.

Yeah...when you get blown out 7-0 in game 2...it kind of puts a damper on ticket sales at home. ; )

 

[Rangers True Blue]

It was Rangers turn last year....never expected any more out of them that what we've seen this season....and it's Guelph's turn this year. They are the ones that loaded up and it shows. I have to give Richardson credit. He made some fabulous saves last night and kept the team in the game. Now, will that Richardson stays on as an OA. Sigh.

And if not for that horrid offside non-call (so very obvious), that Guelph goal would never have happened. Would the outcome have changed? I don't know but it would have made it interesting for sure. WHY was it not reviewed??? We've seen more reviews this season than ever before and this time they don't??

I personally never cared if Rangers made playoffs. Lower on the standings would have meant better picks. So I'm looking past Thursday and towards the draft to see what MM can do to seriously add to this time....size and talent.

 

[TrueBlueStorm]

It was Rangers turn last year....never expected any more out of them that what we've seen this season....and it's Guelph's turn this year. They are the ones that loaded up and it shows. I have to give Richardson credit. He made some fabulous saves last night and kept the team in the game. Now, will that Richardson stays on as an OA. Sigh.

And if not for that horrid offside non-call (so very obvious), that Guelph goal would never have happened. Would the outcome have changed? I don't know but it would have made it interesting for sure. WHY was it not reviewed??? We've seen more reviews this season than ever before and this time they don't??

I personally never cared if Rangers made playoffs. Lower on the standings would have meant better picks. So I'm looking past Thursday and towards the draft to see what MM can do to seriously add to this time....size and talent.

I thought every goal was reviewed by the league. I sit behind the penalty box in Guelph and after every goal the ref will wait for a thumbs up from the timekeeper before dropping the puck. But maybe they only review potential offsides if requested?

 

[K2]

Definitely a bigger divide this year compared to previous years. (See point difference between 4th Guelph and 5th Kitchener)

Guelph appears to have finally iced a (almost) full roster and gelled as a team that cast off their 'baggage' and loaded up with more proven, top talent than anyone in the West. Dale's going to have to dig deep into his bag of tricks next round to win some games if Guelph continues playing to potential.

Thursday's game might break a new record low for attendance if the Rangers depend on walk ups.

Quite likely, unless there's a similarly strong turnout of Guelph fans as last night we're likely close to the 3500 range ... and that number doesn't represent paid bums in seats.

 

[EvenSteven]

I thought every goal was reviewed by the league. I sit behind the penalty box in Guelph and after every goal the ref will wait for a thumbs up from the timekeeper before dropping the puck. But maybe they only review potential offsides if requested?

Every goal is. The word I got from someone "in the know", is that the goal was reviewed via Rogers telecast replays. The video goal judge saw a couple replays and gave the thumbs up. Then he saw another replay that showed it was clearly offside but by then he had already given the thumbs up and play resumed. This is on video go judge solely for not looking at all replays before giving the thumbs up.

Huge error for sure. Could have directly affected the outcome of the game for sure. But in the grand scheme of things, who cares really? Because Kitchener is not winning the series anyway so it is what it is. But in my opinion, the situation has to be rectified asap.

What if this had been a very important game seven of a series and this issue happened late in a tight game? Little late to try to rectify these problems at that point.

If we are going to have video replay, we have to get it right. Even if it means an extra 30 seconds or so before we drop the puck again.

The issue I have is the officials on the ice not allowing the Rangers an official review/challenge of the goal. Farwell said that they were denied a challenge of offside by the on ice officials.

I expect another one of the OHL's meaningless apologies from the front office shortly. But what does that get us now? You can't unring a bell.

 

[EvenSteven]

Guelph appears to have finally iced a (almost) full roster and gelled as a team that cast off their 'baggage' and loaded up with more proven, top talent than anyone in the West. Dale's going to have to dig deep into his bag of tricks next round to win some games if Guelph continues playing to potential.
.

I have London beating Guelph in 6. If Popovich continues dishing out big rebounds on virtually every shot on goal, London's more talented than the Rangers forwards will make them pay.

The only reason the Rangers haven't scored more in this series is because their forward corps are too small up against the Storm's big D.

Their big D are gobbling up most rebounds. Rangers aren't physically able to get them. I think the Knights will have better success doing so.

 

[Coaches Coroner]

I have London beating Guelph in 6. If Popovich continues dishing out big rebounds on virtually every shot on goal, London's more talented than the Rangers forwards will make them pay.

The only reason the Rangers haven't scored more in this series is because their forward corps are too small up against the Storm's big D.

Their big D are gobbling up most rebounds. Rangers aren't physically able to get them. I think the Knights will have better success doing so.

I wouldn't say all of London's top forwards are "more talented" than the rangers forwards. The difference is depth. Our top players are very talented players, but after those 4 or 5 guys, it drops off a cliff. Their offense from their D, with 2 ppg guys back their is the major difference imo.

I've thought Guelph's team defensive game has been top notch, almost always seem to have the middle of the ice clogged to prevent cross-seam passes and they shut down just about every pass Meireless trade to make from the circle don't to Hugg or Yantsis infront of the net.

I was hoping to get one win, but besides Guelph geling defensively, their depth lines pushing the pace against ours, and the fact that they've finally learned to maintain their discipline is making it look like 4 and out.

Like others have said, it would have been nice to finish 8th and get a higher pick if we're going out in 4, but there are so many factors involved in finishing in just the right spot that I'm not going to "lose sleep" over it so to speak. Looking forward to the draft and very curious to see what MM can pull of in the import draft.

 

[three dog night]

Playoff numbers seem down league wide. Attack with under 2500 last night for game 3. Off by about 600

Not in Niagara

 

[three dog night]

I thought every goal was reviewed by the league. I sit behind the penalty box in Guelph and after every goal the ref will wait for a thumbs up from the timekeeper before dropping the puck. But maybe they only review potential offsides if requested?

According to the Ottawa broadcast Sunday they are all reviewed.

 

[Lycanthrope]

Full credit to the Storm on that win. They are stacked with talent. 4 players who were at the World Juniors. Classy too, once their goal celebrations are respectable.

The Rangers gave it their all. Guelph is really, REALLY good.

I'm hoping we can earn a win Thursday night. I'm still proud of my Rangers.

I’ve been waiting for Guelph to really start putting it together for some time and no better time than now for them. I f the season had gone longer, I think they would’ve eventually been right at the top.
Hope the Rangers can extend the series but no shame losing to Guelph this year at all.