Kitchener Rangers trade top player for ‘significant’ draft picks

The Kitchener Rangers have traded a key player to the Brampton Steelheads to secure a “significant” package of draft picks for the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Selection.

Carson Rehkopf, a left-shooting centerman, was traded for:

• 2nd Round: 2025 (PBO), 2026 (GUE), 2027 (BRAM)
• 3rd Round: 2025 (KIT), 2025 (PBO), 2028 (BRAM)
• 4th Round: 2025 (LDN), 2026 (PBO), 2027 (BRAM)
• 7th Round: 2026 (BRAM)

Speaking on The Mike Farwell Show this morning, Kitchener Rangers General Manager Mike McKenzie said it’s always difficult for the team to trade one of the “best” players.

“I think just looking at the big picture… And thought that our draft cupboard was quite bare,” he said. “At some point we were going to need to restock those picks.”

McKenzie said the team wanted to have flexibility to acquire more players that could help the team down the road.

“Obviously it’s a little bit of a half step backwards losing Carson but we weighed the pros and the cons, and we felt this was the best decision for the organization now and definitely into the future,” he said.

Rehkopf was drafted by the Rangers in the first round, 17th overall in 2021 and played 193 games with 100 goals and 187 points.

In the last season he led the team with a career-high of 52 goals, 95 points as a “standout” of the year. Due to the reputation, the 19-year-old was drafted and signed by the Seattle Kraken.