Kitchener Rangers 2021-22 Season Thread

[MatthewsMoustache]

Valade-Pinelli-Mesar
Sop-Petizian-McDonnell
Langdon-Serpa-Fishman
Martin-LeBlanc-Swick

Pretty solid group of forwards going into the season. If they can upgrade their OA spot on forward they will be able to run a 1A/1B top 2 lines with Sop moving down to the bottom 6 in some capacity. Lots of depth in that bottom 6. LeBlanc being in his NHL draft year should probably be seeing more minutes and could earn his way up to the 3rd line, but I don’t know who’s spot he would take.

 

[MatthewsMoustache]

Calle Odelius at eliteprospects.com

Rangers used their 2nd pick in the import draft. Backup plan if they can’t get Mesar to come?

 

[Jives]

Only 2 options. Parsons backed out or the reports of Mesar not coming until next year are true.

 

[K2]

Only 2 options. Parsons backed out or the reports of Mesar not coming until next year are true.

A 3rd option might involve Pavel Cajan

 

[Rangers True Blue]

Calle Odelius at eliteprospects.com

Rangers used their 2nd pick in the import draft. Backup plan if they can’t get Mesar to come?

He's playing D on the under 18 Swedish team. Perhaps want them both? Calle is a big boy and would be a nice add to the D corps.

 

[MatthewsMoustache]

He's playing D on the under 18 Swedish team. Perhaps want them both? Calle is a big boy and would be a nice add to the D corps.

But then they’d be out a goalie with Cajan. I could see how Cajan might not want to come anymore after he had a season taken away from him last year when he could’ve been playing in Czech.

 

[GeoBlue]

I’ve heard he’s the lesser brother anyways!
Do we still get to see Shane?!

Stephen Wright is funnier and we will see Shane in the playoffs. ;-)

 

[EvenSteven]

Downside is we don't get to see Stephen Wright.

It’s never a guarantee we see star players from the other conference when their team visits our building. Too many times in the past, this league schedules games against the other conference during the first couple weeks of the season when NHL drafted players may still be off at NHL camp or during the world junior break when those players are off at world juniors.

 

[EvenSteven]

M

 

[Rangers True Blue]

But then they’d be out a goalie with Cajan. I could see how Cajan might not want to come anymore after he had a season taken away from him last year when he could’ve been playing in Czech.

Um.....DUH. Not thinking today obviously.

 

[EvenSteven]

Did anybody read what MM had to say about drafting two players in the import draft today? Not a subscriber to the record so I can’t read the article.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Rangers True Blue]

Did anybody read what MM had to say about drafting two players in the import draft today? Not a subscriber to the record so I can’t read the article.

Thanks in advance!

RE JOSH BROWN:
Ontario Hockey League clubs were able to place players selected in last year’s import draft on a special protected list, since this past season was cancelled.
That gave the Rangers some wriggle room and allowed them to choose Swedish blueliner Calle Odelius with their second selection in Wednesday’s two-round online draft.
The 17-year-old Djurgardens defenceman has other commitments this season and the Rangers are looking at him as a long-term play, if they are able to hold on to his rights.

If Mesar reports, he would join Czech goalie Pavel Cajan, who was selected in the first round of last year’s draft, as the club’s two imports.

 

[Rangers True Blue]

Um.....DUH. Not thinking today obviously.

Josh Brown explains the mystery of picking up the Swede. He won't report this year due to other commitments. So Cajan is still on.......and hopefully, Mesar will see the benefit of playing in the OHL on a top line and a place where NHL scouts will be watching. His ultimate goal of course is play in the NHL. Fingers crossed.

 

[MatthewsMoustache]

And Cajan won’t play an OA season, so that opens up a spot for Odelius to come over in 22-23. Would be a D-core featuring Schmidt, Odelius, Motew, LeBlanc, Andonovski and Fegaras.

 

[Rangers True Blue]

I can't help but wonder if Carson Rehkopf has made the best decision by going to a mediocre hockey team in Muskegon, Michigan that's in the middle of nowhere. Chicago Steel maybe...but Muskegon? His family lives in a town near Barrie - much closer to Kitchener where they could more easily attend games. He would be showcased in a high impact hockey market where it's much more of an NHL experience and is regularly scouted.

Here's some nice video on him......
Carson Rehkopf

 

[MatthewsMoustache]

I can't help but wonder if Carson Rehkopf has made the best decision by going to a mediocre hockey team in Muskegon, Michigan that's in the middle of nowhere. Chicago Steel maybe...but Muskegon? His family lives in a town near Barrie - much closer to Kitchener where they could more easily attend games. He would be showcased in a high impact hockey market where it's much more of an NHL experience and is regularly scouted.

Here's some nice video on him......
Carson Rehkopf

I believe his tender in the USHL is what let him fall to Kitchener at 17. Had he not tendered with a USHL team, all reports suggest he would've went in the top 10, possibly to a team he might not want to go to.

I'm not worried about it. All evidence suggests MM wouldn't draft a US-committed player that high if he wasn't positive that he could get them over here. Vukojevic, Langdon, Sebrango, McDonnell, Schmidt are 5 players over 3 drafts that had either USHL or NCAA commitments when they were selected by the Rangers in rounds 2-3, but they all landed here one way or another.

The Rangers have a surplus of forwards this year. Rehkopf probably would've been a nice finishing touch to a top 6 of Pinelli, McDonnell, Petizian, Valade and hopefully Mesar. But they will likely have room to fill that hole with an OA spot. In a scenario like this where they have an already strong core of forwards and 6 or 7 depth guys already, I'm alright with waiting a year for a player of Rehkopf's calibre as opposed to picking a lesser player and burying him on the 4th line all year.

 

[Ward Cornell]

I believe his tender in the USHL is what let him fall to Kitchener at 17. Had he not tendered with a USHL team, all reports suggest he would've went in the top 10, possibly to a team he might not want to go to.

I'm not worried about it. All evidence suggests MM wouldn't draft a US-committed player that high if he wasn't positive that he could get them over here. Vukojevic, Langdon, Sebrango, McDonnell, Schmidt are 5 players over 3 drafts that had either USHL or NCAA commitments when they were selected by the Rangers in rounds 2-3, but they all landed here one way or another.

The Rangers have a surplus of forwards this year. Rehkopf probably would've been a nice finishing touch to a top 6 of Pinelli, McDonnell, Petizian, Valade and hopefully Mesar. But they will likely have room to fill that hole with an OA spot. In a scenario like this where they have an already strong core of forwards and 6 or 7 depth guys already, I'm alright with waiting a year for a player of Rehkopf's calibre as opposed to picking a lesser player and burying him on the 4th line all year.

One aspect which may come into play is that Canada has now surpassed the USA in percentage of vaccines administered and are leaving the USA behind. IMHO parents should be reluctant to send their kids into that environment especially with this variant looking really nasty now in GB and Israel.

 

[Rangers True Blue]

I believe his tender in the USHL is what let him fall to Kitchener at 17. Had he not tendered with a USHL team, all reports suggest he would've went in the top 10, possibly to a team he might not want to go to.

I'm not worried about it. All evidence suggests MM wouldn't draft a US-committed player that high if he wasn't positive that he could get them over here. Vukojevic, Langdon, Sebrango, McDonnell, Schmidt are 5 players over 3 drafts that had either USHL or NCAA commitments when they were selected by the Rangers in rounds 2-3, but they all landed here one way or another.

The Rangers have a surplus of forwards this year. Rehkopf probably would've been a nice finishing touch to a top 6 of Pinelli, McDonnell, Petizian, Valade and hopefully Mesar. But they will likely have room to fill that hole with an OA spot. In a scenario like this where they have an already strong core of forwards and 6 or 7 depth guys already, I'm alright with waiting a year for a player of Rehkopf's calibre as opposed to picking a lesser player and burying him on the 4th line all year.

I feel the same way and I do feel he will end up here eventually. I just don't get playing there I guess. Chicago Steel maybe. And Schmidt is a great example of someone who played down there but when it came to their NHL draft year, came to the Rangers to play (and there are others of course). Perhaps Rehkopf feels that he will get more minutes than he would have with the Rangers or there's part of the program there that he wants to take advantage of. But coming here directly like Pinelli did certainly didn't hurt Pinelli's progress.

 

[EvenSteven]

I feel the same way and I do feel he will end up here eventually. I just don't get playing there I guess. Chicago Steel maybe. And Schmidt is a great example of someone who played down there but when it came to their NHL draft year, came to the Rangers to play (and there are others of course). Perhaps Rehkopf feels that he will get more minutes than he would have with the Rangers or there's part of the program there that he wants to take advantage of. But coming here directly like Pinelli did certainly didn't hurt Pinelli's progress.

I feel there are two reasons why a player of his calibre would choose the USHL over CHL. Either he genuinely wants to keep his NCAA eligibility intact, or he wants to play in a league other than the CHL in order to avoid the NHL/CHL agreement (specifically the rule that allowed Morin to play AHL at 19 and would allow Schmidt to do the same)

I doubt he’s going to Muskegon in an effort to get more overtime. As was said, Pinelli received more than enough minutes and he’d receive the same as they are comparable talents. He wouldn’t have to worry about any logjam here up front as he’d be the guy bumping some players down the depth chart.

 

[nelli27]

Francesco Pinelli: 2021 NHL Draft Prospect Profile; Kitchener’s Budding Two-Way Center

 

[MatthewsMoustache]

 

[Rangers True Blue]

Interesting. I wonder when we'll hear about a new assistant coach here?

 

[MatthewsMoustache]

Interesting. I wonder when we'll hear about a new assistant coach here?

I'm not even sure who any potential candidates may be. I'm sure between MM and Birch's connections there will be a lot of great options. It will inevitably have to be someone who played or can coach forwards with the departure of Karlsson.

In terms of Rangers connections, Derek Roy is a name that pops into my head. Just officially retired from pro hockey, won a Memorial Cup with the Rangers back in 03. David Clarkson has been coaching a AAA U16 team in Colorado for the past couple seasons as well.

 

[K2]

I feel there are two reasons why a player of his calibre would choose the USHL over CHL.

I do feel he will end up here eventually. I just don't get playing there I guess.

IMHO parents should be reluctant to send their kids into that environment

Musings: Rehkopf doesn't have a NCAA commit, which is curious since it's way more common for prospects to commit than be signed to USHL tenders and typically the reason why Ontario top prospects opt for USHL. He and his family really liked Muskegon for tangible + intangible reasons we can't possibly know but the world was very different, esp here vs there, in February. Stud Andrei Svechnikov was tendered by Muskegon and played a season there, then Barrie, then Carolina. Rehkopf is from (near) Barrie.

A mix of probable & WACKO conspiracy scenarios: 1) MM feels close to getting Rehkopf to play here with a proper OHL season assured and a squad that's looking pretty good already vs whatever CR could forsee when signing in Feb as Michigan was vaccinating anyone willing and already opening up while Ontario was repeatedly descending into even further lockdowns, hockey was banned for a year and counting, we were struggling to get public vaccinations started and wave 3 was beginning to get out of hand. 2) MM knows Rehkopf won't come in 2021 and can flip him as a 1st round defected player ... maybe Tortora-style to CR's hometown Barrie Colts for 3 x 2nds (cond) ... plus take a compensatory 2022 1st round pick in some crazy parlay to restock the cupboard at a time when we now have our elite, 2019 longshot pick Schmidt ... who is from way closer to Muskegon than Kitchener ... reporting ?

 

[Rangers True Blue]

Musings: Rehkopf doesn't have a NCAA commit, which is curious since it's way more common for prospects to commit than be signed to USHL tenders and typically the reason why Ontario top prospects opt for USHL. He and his family really liked Muskegon for tangible + intangible reasons we can't possibly know but the world was very different, esp here vs there, in February. Stud Andrei Svechnikov was tendered by Muskegon and played a season there, then Barrie, then Carolina. Rehkopf is from (near) Barrie.

A mix of probable & WACKO conspiracy scenarios: 1) MM feels close to getting Rehkopf to play here with a proper OHL season assured and a squad that's looking pretty good already vs whatever CR could forsee when signing in Feb as Michigan was vaccinating anyone willing and already opening up while Ontario was repeatedly descending into even further lockdowns, hockey was banned for a year and counting, we were struggling to get public vaccinations started and wave 3 was beginning to get out of hand. 2) MM knows Rehkopf won't come in 2021 and can flip him as a 1st round defected player ... maybe Tortora-style to CR's hometown Barrie Colts for 3 x 2nds (cond) ... plus take a compensatory 2022 1st round pick in some crazy parlay to restock the cupboard at a time when we now have our elite, 2019 longshot pick Schmidt ... who is from way closer to Muskegon than Kitchener ... reporting ?

Now we're talking. Conspiracy theories!!