Knights eliminate Rangers, whose attention shifts to draft today

The Kitchener Rangers season is over.

As tough as that is, what makes it tougher is it came at the hands of their arch-nemesis, the London Knights.

The Green Machine scored three goals in the second, and blanked the Blueshirts 4-0 in Game 5, and took the series 4-1.

“We struggled to get going all series,” said general manager Mike McKenzie. “Full marks to them. They played a really good series. They played hard, defensive hockey and shut our guys down pretty good. It sucks right now, for sure.”

London goalie Brett Brochu picked-up back-to-back shutouts to close out the Rangers.

Kitchener falls to the 2nd-seeded Knights, after becoming the first OHL 8th seed to sweep their opening round match-up.

“We wanted to go all the way with this team, but it didn’t happen,” said an emotional captain, Francesco Pinelli. “It’s tough to swallow, for sure (…) It’s pretty sad and emotional. I don’t know. Can’t really explain it.”

For a team that loaded up at the trade deadline, and went into playoffs with six signed NHL prospects, two players expected to go in the first three rounds in the NHL draft this year, and an OHL Champion goaltender, the loss stings.

“There’s a lot of upset guys in there, and they have a reason to be,” said McKenzie. “I thanked them for their effort all year. They came to the rink every day ready to work with smiles on their faces.”

“It’s been a pleasure coaching this group. I thanked them for all their hard work even though it ended on a sour note. There’s a lot to look back on to be proud of, even though it doesn’t feel like it right now.”

For McKenzie, it’s a lot like a second helping at a family gathering. As soon as his plate is clean – the Rangers season coming to an end – he now has an extremely important draft, followed by a coaching search.

The Rangers have openly stated they’re planning a Memorial Cup bid in 2027. So, this year’s priority selection will be the building blocks for that team.

This year, Kitchener has two first-round picks – 10th and 11th overall. After that, and exit interviews with their players, the team will be on a search for a new coach.

McKenzie hired Chris Dennis in June of 2022, only to fire him eight months later in February.

The team is likely to lose a large part of its roster before next season.

Lleyton Moore, Marco Costantini, and Reid Valade all age out of the league.

Danny Zhilkin (WPG), Filip Mesar (MTL), Francesco Arcuri (DAL), Pinelli (LAK), Roman Schmidt (TBL) and Tomas Hamara (OTT) are all signed NHL prospects, and could turn pro next year.

Kitchener has local product Matt Sop, Mitchell Martin, Ty Hollett, and Simon Motew as potential returning overagers for next season.

Zhilkin, Arcuri, Pinelli, and Schmidt would also be in the overage conversation if they’re returned by their respective NHL clubs.

In goal, Kitchener will have Jackson Parsons and Marcus Vandenberg returning, with 2022 4th rounder Luca DiFelice vying for a job in the crease as well. He spent this year with the Toronto Marlboros U18 AAA team.

The Knights move on to the Western Conference Final to play the Sarnia Sting, who swept the Saginaw Spirit. It’s the Sting’s first trip to the third round of the playoffs, in franchise history.