Kitchener Rangers 2022 Off-season Thread

[EON]

Final 2021-22 Season Thread: Kitchener Rangers 2021-22 Season Thread (Part 3)

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[bobber]

Haven't posted for many moons. Jumped on to say a word about Sundays rookie game. Hage is heads and tail better than any player on the ice IMO. Scored a nice goal on the PP and missed on a few other chances. Seems like a real intelligent player. Smooth skater that gets into high scoring areas constantly. Decent size too. Threw a couple of hits. 04 Florian Xhekaj got into two scraps and scored at least one goal. Seem to be an agitator out there with some sandpaper. Older player though so that has to be taken into consideration. Other players that stood out or noticeable were 05 Corson McQuire, 05 Yanni Koukouves , 06 Carson McGurn, 05 Brady Schwindt and a few others. White team was up 5-1 when I exited the building. 06 Goalie Luca Difelice looked solid for Team White. Big goalie. See how some fit into the main camp with the big boys. I'm not much of a scout at all so take this with a grain of salt. Old Timers has set in!

 

[Gondrex]

Good to see you back bobber. I've been off the board for about the same amount of time.

Thanks for the report on camp. Wish I could have been there too.
Looking forward to next season.

 

[TheAud]

Ontario Hockey League

Official Website of the OHL

ontariohockeyleague.com

For what it's worth, our 2nd pick American Cole Longacre shared the Rangers "thank you fans" graphic on his Instagram stories. Not something you'd expect if you weren't committed.

The Rangers did a video package feature on our third round pick:

And our 4th round pick and goalie Luca DiFelice shared the Rangers draft day graphic on him on his Instagram page: Login • Instagram

Those 3 and seeing our first rounder Michael Hage went to a Rangers home game (We beat London that night) and reported to spring camp....you have to imagine the Rangers are in a good spot with this year's draft class.

 

[TheAud]

 

[Gondrex]

Looks like Sioux City drafted Cole Longacre in the 8th Round of their draft on May 2nd, after the OHL draft.

 

[TheAud]

Looks like Sioux City drafted Cole Longacre in the 8th Round of their draft on May 2nd, after the OHL draft.

Yeah, another good sign. If he’s a 5 star, and goes 2nd round to Kitchener and goes 8th round in the USHL, Longacre must have made it known he’s going to Kitchener.

 

[Rangers True Blue]

Enjoyed seeings Game 1 and 3 of the Spring Training Camp this weekend. Hage was on fire this morning (Sunday) and scored 2 sweet goals right off the top. Once he's separated from the opposition, he goes to work fast and efficiently. Sign him, MM. Sign him now! What a great addition to the team.

Again, I know Xhekaj is older at a 05 but the kid is actually really good. He's not afraid of going into the dirty zones and "visiting" the net. He not only plays well but he has that Xhekaj persistence and grit. And in game 3, something set off a "disagreement" between him and 13th round Thomakos. Play was stopped for their fight but like his brother, Florian make short work of it and decimated Thomakos.

Say what you will but a player like Arbor and Mutter is needed on the team to keep the opposition in line. Florian could be that guy AND he would contribute to the offense at the same time.

 

[OHLTG]

I come in peace... just wanted to say thanks for a helluva series. The Rangers were an incredibly resilient club and legit made me nervous every game. Be proud of this team and what they accomplished. Looking forward to making a trip to the Aud in the next couple of seasons!

 

[Tim Wallach]

I come in peace... just wanted to say thanks for a helluva series. The Rangers were an incredibly resilient club and legit made me nervous every game. Be proud of this team and what they accomplished. Looking forward to making a trip to the Aud in the next couple of seasons!

Congrats on a good series. Windsor just had too many weapons and will be the best shot at challenging Hamilton. Good luck in Flint.

 

[bobber]

One other player noticeable in game 3 on Sunday was big 6'4" Dman Luka Cenanovic. I believe he was the last player drafted by the team. Just looked huge along the boards. When he puts some muscle on his 182 pound frame he will be a grind to play against. Size alone makes these kids stand out at camp. Kind of a pipe dream with these drafted players until you see if they have the stuff to play in this league down the road. Big jump from being drafted to actually playing in the OHL.

 

[RichieRice]

I see DeBoer is on the market...

 

[rangersblues]

I see DeBoer is on the market...

I'm hoping on his way to Detroit but I think anyone would gladly welcome him back to Kitchener.

 

[Ward Cornell]

Haven't posted for many moons. Jumped on to say a word about Sundays rookie game. Hage is heads and tail better than any player on the ice IMO. Scored a nice goal on the PP and missed on a few other chances. Seems like a real intelligent player. Smooth skater that gets into high scoring areas constantly. Decent size too. Threw a couple of hits. 04 Florian Xhekaj got into two scraps and scored at least one goal. Seem to be an agitator out there with some sandpaper. Older player though so that has to be taken into consideration. Other players that stood out or noticeable were 05 Corson McQuire, 05 Yanni Koukouves , 06 Carson McGurn, 05 Brady Schwindt and a few others. White team was up 5-1 when I exited the building. 06 Goalie Luca Difelice looked solid for Team White. Big goalie. See how some fit into the main camp with the big boys. I'm not much of a scout at all so take this with a grain of salt. Old Timers has set in!

Thanks Bobber....you've been bang on in the past on a lot of the rookies in the past. No doubt your streak will continue.

 

[GeoBlue]

I'm hoping on his way to Detroit but I think anyone would gladly welcome him back to Kitchener.

Don't think Kitchener can afford him at this point in his career. Unless he is planning on retiring and looking for a "hobby" that would give him some pocket change.

 

[Ward Cornell]

Don't think Kitchener can afford him at this point in his career. Unless he is planning on retiring and looking for a "hobby" that would give him some pocket change.

If anything, he probably would buy a team (probably with investors) and coach the team.

 

[GeoBlue]

A lot of tough decisions are going to have to be made next season albeit pleasant ones. Whole team comes back minus the OA's. That means we can replace Petizian, Mutter and Nolet inhouse. I assume the OA's in that case would be Valade, Serpa and (you have to give him an opportunity) Fishman. 3 spots open. If Hage reports, that is a give in. It has been hinted that Longacre also might come. One spot left and you can fill in the blank with another promising draft, another Xhekaj, a Feregas, a Mesar, etc. Also possibly a move to improve the OA's? And we still have an import draft to go through!

There will have to be a lot of wheeling and dealing. Only thing settled is Parsons in net because I don't see both Parsons and Cajun sticking around. So add a promising goaltender from the draft to back up Parsons. It will be an interesting training camp.

If anything, he probably would buy a team (probably with investors) and coach the team.

Too bad it can't be the Rangers. :-(

 

[GeoBlue]

If anything, he probably would buy a team (probably with investors) and coach the team.

Too bad it can't be the Rangers. :-(

 

[hockeylegend11]

A lot of tough decisions are going to have to be made next season albeit pleasant ones. Whole team comes back minus the OA's. That means we can replace Petizian, Mutter and Nolet inhouse. I assume the OA's in that case would be Valade, Serpa and (you have to give him an opportunity) Fishman. 3 spots open. If Hage reports, that is a give in. It has been hinted that Longacre also might come. One spot left and you can fill in the blank with another promising draft, another Xhekaj, a Feregas, a Mesar, etc. Also possibly a move to improve the OA's? And we still have an import draft to go through!

There will have to be a lot of wheeling and dealing. Only thing settled is Parsons in net because I don't see both Parsons and Cajun sticking around. So add a promising goaltender from the draft to back up Parsons. It will be an interesting training camp.



Too bad it can't be the Rangers. :-(

Fishman is not an OA candidate for next season he is an 03 born.

 

[EvenSteven]

If anything, he probably would buy a team (probably with investors) and coach the team.

I believe he bought into the Generals a few years ago.

 

[EvenSteven]

Again, I know Xhekaj is older at a 05 but the kid is actually really good. He's not afraid of going into the dirty zones and "visiting" the net. He not only plays well but he has that Xhekaj persistence and grit. And in game 3, something set off a "disagreement" between him and 13th round Thomakos. Play was stopped for their fight but like his brother, Florian make short work of it and decimated Thomakos.

Say what you will but a player like Arbor and Mutter is needed on the team to keep the opposition in line. Florian could be that guy AND he would contribute to the offense at the same time.

In his time at the helm, MM has made sure to employ as least one hard nosed, tough player.

In trading Xhekaj, he acquired Mutter in return recognizing the need to make sure we weren’t without that type of player on the roster.

He brought in toughness a few years ago at the deadline when he acquired Givani Smith to go along with Logan Stanley who he acquired the previous off season.

When the likes of Steve Spott was trading away guys like Mike Mascioli, leaving the team with little toughness, it seems MM does the opposite.

Therefore, I believe young Florian will get every opportunity to make the roster. Either him or a player like him.

That’s refreshing.

 

[Tim Wallach]

Fishman is not an OA candidate for next season he is an 03 born.

You beat me to it. Fishman isn’t an OA yet. Harper may get the final spot unless he acquires someone.

Before anyone suggests that’s a wasted spot, consider Harper has had a similar career trajectory to Nolet, who was our best D this year as an OA.

 

[rangersblues]

You beat me to it. Fishman isn’t an OA yet. Harper may get the final spot unless he acquires someone.

Before anyone suggests that’s a wasted spot, consider Harper has had a similar career trajectory to Nolet, who was our best D this year as an OA.

I really liked what Harper brought as the playoffs went on. His learning curve seems steep at this point.

 

[Jives]

Nolet….such a solid OA he was. Really didn’t get enough credit.

 

[GeoBlue]

You beat me to it. Fishman isn’t an OA yet. Harper may get the final spot unless he acquires someone.

Before anyone suggests that’s a wasted spot, consider Harper has had a similar career trajectory to Nolet, who was our best D this year as an OA.

I stand corrected. Though I was thinking Harper but saying Fishman. Go figure. I guess I was thinking about fish and harpoons. LOL! Either way, I meant what I said about Fish getting an opportunity as he has missed a lot of development time and hopefully he works hard over the summer and comes back as a seasoned vet. He was a fave of mine in his rookie season.