Rangers Report

Rouyn-Noranda 3, Kitchener 2 (SO)

Exhibition action kicks off tonight at the Waterloo Rec Complex.

The Huskies de Rouyn-Noranda are in town for a tilt against the Rangers.

If this morning's combos from practice hold up, this is what you'll see tonight on the ice:

Matt Puempel-Radek Faksa-Tobias Rieder
Ben Thomson-Josh Sterk-Matia Marcantuoni
Brent Pedersen-Curtis Meighan-Eric Ming
Darby Llewellyn-Matt Schmalz-Justin Bailey

Ryan Murphy-Evan McEneny
Max Iafrate-Ben Fanelli
Cory Genovese-Jared Gilbert

John Gibson to start with Franky Palazzese as backup.

The team worked two PP units this morning. The top one had Puempel, Faksa, Rieder, Marcantuoni and Murphy. The second had Thomson, Sterk, Pedersen, McEneny and Bailey/Iafrate.

I interviewed Slovakian Juraj Bezuch yesterday who is fluent in English. He jas sure looked good during the intersquad games the past couple of days. He's still looking for a home and will only end up in Kitchener if Radek Faksa cracks the NHL.

Puck points:

- Not your most exciting match, but it is just the first exhibition game of the season.

- For the most part the top line of Faksa, Rieder and Puempel looked fine. Rieder took most of the faceoffs.

- Not time to panic, but it will be interesting to see if someone other than the top trio and Murphy messes the mesh in the home-and-home with Brampton Sunday and Monday.

- I thought it was a nice touch for Spott to line up the rooks to start the game - Bailey-Llewellyn and Schmalz. Bailey missed the first period with a broken skate blade but returned for the rest of the game.

- No injuries to report after the game.

- Thought Gibson looked sharp for the first game of the pre-season.

- That shootout didn't exactly scream precision. But, hey, as mentioned, it's early. Coulda used Zach Lorentz - last year's shootout specialist, now in Peterborough.

Roster trimmed

The Kitchener Rangers bid adieu to a handful of players after today's morning scrimmage at training camp.

Gone are:

Goalies Eric Bogart and Hunter Jackson.

Blueliners Danylo Znaczko, Aaron Thow and Frank Hora.

Forwards Kegan Blasby, Brandon Bockmann, Danny Hanlon, Jordan Kerr, Christopher Poletek, Adam Abu-Ali, Taylor Best, Nic Marchand, Dan Volpe, Tyler Hoffman, Cam Nicoll, Ty Learn, Jordan Delaurier and Stephen Cooney.

The team's veteran players got the morning off. A few of them -- Eric Ming, Matt Puempel, Ben Thomson and Tobi Rieder -- took shots on Franky Palazzese after the scrimmage was done.

Of note in the morning game:

- Adam Abu-Ali took on Brett Clampitt in a scrap. The nod went to Clampitt in the spirited affair. Triple-A left the game with a bloody face.

- Jackson was most impressive of the four goalies who saw action in the game.

- Slovak Juraj Bezuch picked up two goals in the game and looked great.

- Cam Nicoll had a nice snipe as well late in the third period while Stephen Midensky was solid on the blue line.

Matia Marcantuoni and Evan McEneny were on the ice and both are expecting bounce back years after missing most of last season with injuries.

Training camp trios

The first practice of the season is in the books.

Players did their fit testing and an on-ice workout this morning at the Waterloo Memorial Rec Complex.

Team Blue will clash with team White this evening at 7 p.m.

Team Blue:

Stephen Cooney-Dan Volpe-Cam Nicoll
Brent Pedersen-Curtis Meighan-Eric Ming
Ty Learn-Nic Marchand-Brett Clampitt
Darby Llewellyn-Taylor Best-Justin Bailey
Tobi Rieder-Radek Faksa-Keli Grant

Evan McEneny-Jesse Young
Jared Gilbert-Max Iafrate
Ethan Spaxman-Danylo Znaczko

Jack Moylan, Eric Bogart, Franky Palazzese

Team White:

Jordan Kerr-Dan Hanlon-Chris Poletek
Juraj Bezuch-Josh Sterk-Matia Marcantuoni
Jordan Delaurier-Tyler Hoffman-Adam Abu-Ali
Brandon Bockmann-Matt Schmalz-Kegan Blasby
Matt Puempel-Ben Thomson-Brandon Lesway

Cory Genovese-Stephen Midensky
Owen Stewart-Aaron Thow
Ben Fanelli-Frank Hora
Ryan Murphy

Matt Greenfield, Hunter Jackson, John Gibson

According to GM/coach Steve Spott, as of now, no players will be attending NHL camps of any kind.

The team will have rotating captains in the pre-season and select their leader in mid-September.

Meanwhile, read what the Kitchener Rangers think about the proposed CHL union.

From the links

I popped by the Whistle Bear Golf Club en route to work this morning to catch up with the Kitchener Rangers before their annual golf tournament.

Former Ranger Gabriel Landeskog made the trip as did Andrew Crescenzi, who coach Steve Spott said will not attend training camp due to his commtiments with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The guys were happy to be back for another season and everyone was catching up.

Some players worked pretty hard over the summer. The most noticeable physical differences? Has to go to Ben Fanelli, Matia Marcantuoni, Cory Genovese and Radek Faksa. All four added some major beef and looked jacked.

Newcomers Matt Puempel and Juraj Bezuch were also on hand. First year players did not attend the tourney.

Training camp rosters

Here are the names and faces hitting the ice for Kitchener Rangers training camp, with a few notes tossed in.

Adam Abu-Ali - Tough kid with skill. Looking to make big impression this year at camp.

Justin Bailey - A future NHL first round draft pick if all breaks right this season.

Taylor Best - Free agent who played for Whitby Fury last year.

Juraj Bezuch - Euro in camp as insurance in case Faksa makes the NHL.

Kegan Blasby - Recently signed to play with Hamilton Red Wings. A 2012 draft pick who is expected to play a big part with the Rangers down the road.

Brandon Bockmann - 2011 draft pick at wing who brings a solid physical game.

Eric Bogart - Big goalie that has already received attention from NHL scouts.

Brett Clampitt - Was a star at last year's camp and the effort eventually landed him on the roster.

Stephen Cooney - Drafted in 2011. Ended season playing for Arnprior in Ottawa valley.

Jordan Delaurier - Northern boy who had solid numbers last season.

Radek Faksa - Should take Mike Catenacci's spot as team's first line centre.

Ben Fanelli - Back for another year after remarkable comeback from head injury. Captain candidate.

Cory Genovese - Went from practice part to starter on blue line.

John Gibson - Hoping to get a full, healthy season under his belt.

Jared Gilbert - Showed well with Dutchmen, looking to latch on main roster this time.

Keli Grant - Head injuries hurt last season. Provides depth at wing.

Matt Greenfield - American goalie with good upside. Crowded crease right now though.

Danny Hanlon - Free agent who played for Waterloo midgets last year.

Tyler Hoffman - Free agent from Kitchener Dutchmen.

Frank Hora - Scouts very high on this defenceman.

Max Iafrate - Had taste of show with Caps rookie camp. Needs to take a leap this season.

Hunter Jackson - Free agent from Markham Waxers.

Jordan Kerr - Free agent, son of former Ranger Scott Kerr.

Ty Learn - 2012 draft pick, already signed to Rangers.

Brandon Lesway - Experience gives him an edge, but will be pushed hard for a roster spot.

Darby Llewellyn - Fourth rounder in 2012, has inked deal with club.

Matia Marcantuoni - Huge boost for Rangers, if he can stay healthy.

Nic Marchand - Free agent from Ayr midgets.

Evan McEneny - Like Marcantuoni, also looking for bounce back year.

Curtis Meighan - Established himself as a solid two-way player and strong at faceoffs.

Stephen Midensky - Hopefully he added some bulk in the off-season. Competition fierce on blue line.

Eric Ming - In the mould of Tyler Randell. A solid piece going forward.

Jack Moylan - Hard not to love a guy that names his cat Ranger.

Ryan Murphy - Riding a hot streak. Rangers hoping he returns from Carolina.

Cam Nicholl - A free agent forward from Jr. C loop.

Frank Palazzese - Will he still be here in a month?

Brent Pedersen - Rangers need him to score more if they want to have a big year.

Chris Poletek - 10th rounder from this past year's draft.

Matt Puempel - Big off-season acquisition from Peterborough Petes.

Tobi Rieder - Is 50 goals in the offing?

Matt Schmalz - Rangers first rounder brings size and skill.

Ethan Spaxman - Blueliner is another late round selection from 2012.

Josh Sterk - Team has flirted with idea of him as second line centre.

Owen Stewart - Played for Gloucester Rangers last year.

Aaron Thow - Free agent out of North York Rangers.

Ben Thomson - Probably the team's most physical presence on the roster this season.

Dan Volpe - Free agent from Mississauga Reps.

Jesse Young - Ended year on high after slow start.

Danylo Znaczko - My new favourite last name on the Rangers.

Rangers to open up books

Long time no post.

I'm back from some relaxing holidays and ready to jump into the OHL season. It all starts tonight with the team's AGM. Tomorrow the players hit the links and then training camp gets under way Wednesday.

Training camp rosters should be released later today.

Check back here for updates from the AGM. I think it's safe to say the club will declare a profit for the 17th consecutive year.

Training camp in sight

Looks like the Waterloo Recreation Complex will be home for anyone who wants to follow the Kitchener Rangers early on.

Training camp kicks off at the rink Aug. 29. The team will hold all practices and pre-season games at the Rec Complex due to renos at the Aud.

The schedule is as follows:

Aug. 29

10:15 a.m. practice Blue team
11:15 a.m practice white team
7 p.m. game

Aug. 30

9:30 a.m. game
6 p.m. game

Aug. 31

10 a.m. pre-game skate
noon practice
7:30 p.m. exhibition game vs. Rouyn-Noranda

Sept. 1

11 a.m. practice

Sept. 4

11 a.m. fan BBQ
2 p.m. exhibition game vs. Brampton

Players to form union?

The CHL news bug hits yet again while I'm on holidays. One more week of sunshine until I'm in rinks for the next year.

As for the news, it comes courtesy of Petes' beat reporter Mike Davies. The piece is worth the read.

Among the highlights:

- a Canadian Hockey League Players Association has been in the works for 14 months

- spokesperson Sandra Slater, who is based in Kitchener, told Davies the group expects to go public in 10 days

- the association would look after things such as rights, education and compensation (read $)

- 60 per cent of the players would need to vote for the union for it to fly

- one idea is to charge an additional $1.50 per ticket to put toward education packages

As Davies points out in the story, the association will have more details in 10 days.

Rangers, newspaper settle lawsuit

Nothing like a bit of news breaking on a Friday afternoon to get the adrenaline flowing.

I'll spare reposting my entire story, but you can read all the details here -- including comments from Rangers COO Steve Bienkowski and Michigan Daily lawyer Herschel Fink.

Suffice it to say, the team has dropped its $1 million lawsuit against the University of Michigan student newspaper over a story alleging the team had offered to pay defenceman Jacob Trouba $200,000 to play in Kitchener.

I had a tough time giving the report credit from the get-go. The junior hockey world is full of unnamed sources claiming all sorts of incredible things. As a reporter, you have to be very careful how you navigate through the information. Most of it is not true, in my experience.

Personally, having only covered the Rangers for just one year, I know that cultivating reliable sources is a grind. And I just didn't see how a student reporter in a non-OHL town, who doesn't cover the league, found the scoop of the century while all the veteran OHL beat writers at newspapers across the province and the U.S., didn't get a sniff of the news.

I'm not saying that the reporter was lying. Sounds like he got some bad information.

Murphy's hot streak continues

It was just one game and, yes, Hockey Canada is still choosing its world junior championship roster, but you have to think that last night's four-point effort by Ryan Murphy has helped him get closer to his goal of winning a spot on the team.

The Rangers defenceman had a goal and three assists in Canada's 6-5 loss to Russia out east in the third game of a four match set with the nation's hockey foes. The series is in lieu of a summer training camp.

Murphy, as you recall, has been snubbed twice by the team.

And with his Kitchener coach Steve Spott behind the bench, it's tough to see how he won't get every chance to make the national squad.

Can you imagine if he got cut? That would make for some serious friction the rest of the way at the Aud.

But, politics aside, Murphy is making a case on talent alone. And, for Rangers fans, this is no surprise. After all, he has been scorching hot since last January.

The Carolina Hurricanes pick had just 14 points in his first 23 game last season before going off for 40 over his final 26 contests. And let's not forget about his 22 points in 16 playoff games.

Nice to see Murphy picking up where he left off. Now, the team just has to hope the 'Canes send him back for another year of junior.

Spits hit with fine, Kitchener cleared

The Windsor Spitfires were hit Friday with the stiffest penalty in Ontario Hockey League history for violating player benefit and recruitment rules.

The franchise was fined $400,000 and lost three first round draft picks (2013, 2014 and 2016) and two second round picks (2015, 2017) after the OHL’s enforcement program investigated the club for more than a year.

“I believe that one of the building blocks of our enforcement program is to ensure that we preserve the integrity of our league,” said OHL commissioner David Branch.

“It’s important to address any violation in a fashion that will clearly demonstrate to all our teams, players, fans and sponsors that this is not us.”

Branch would not provide any details about the two separate investigations conducted by the league, but did say more than one player was involved.

The league can fine clubs up to $250,000 and take away up to three draft picks per violation, according to Branch.

The OHL would not say if other member clubs were currently being investigated by enforcement program head Ken Miller. However, Miller did look into the Kitchener Rangers in wake of allegations that the team offered $200,000 to lure defenceman Jacob Trouba to the Aud.

While no formal complaint was lodged, the league was aware of the allegations made by a Michigan student newspaper last month.

The Rangers and Trouba family denied the report and the team has since launched a $1 million defamation lawsuit against the University of Michigan newspaper, the the writer of the article and anonymous source credited in the story.

Trouba, a Winnipeg Jets draft pick, is slated to attend Michigan in the fall on an athletic scholarship.

“As a league we were aware of it and as a league, our enforcement office was directed to investigate,” said Branch.“His findings were clear, that there was no violation by the Kitchener Rangers.”

Friday’s decision will not impede the Spitfires from applying to host the 2014 Memorial Cup. But the loss of draft picks will surely impact the club’s immediate future.

The club issued a statement denying the OHL findings and said it plans to appeal the decision. It has 10 days to do so.

National team news

Some activity involving Kitchener Rangers and national duties this week.

Coach Steve Spott and defenceman Ryan Murphy are in Russia for a pair of friendlies against the home side in preparation for the world junior hockey championships.

The games, and two more set for Halifax, are in lieu of a training camp. The first match goes Thursday.

Spott said the overseas trip was key in helping the team (which hasn't been selected yet) get an advance feel of playing in Russia, the time change and the culture. The tournament runs in Ufa, Russia at Christmas.

Don't expect to see Murphy at the Aud in December. He should be a lock for the squad.

Same goes for goalie John Gibson, who has made it through the first round of cuts at the U.S. camp. No shock there as Gibson will be the team's starting goalie.

German Tobias Rieder and Czech Radek Faksa will also be gone for about a month at the tourney. At this point, I'd say Matia Marcantuoni could also be in the mix for Canada, if he gets off to a blistering start.

Meanwhile, forward Brent Pedersen was cut from Canada's Under-18 team. That's good news for the Rangers, who'll get his services uninterrupted this season. Pedersen is looking to take the next step in the OHL after scoring just nine goals and 14 points as a rookie.

OHL trade freeze lifted

The OHL's month-long trade freeze ends today. But don't expect any news out of the Kitchener Rangers camp.

GM/coach Steve Spott is about to leave for Russia with Canada's world junior hockey club and said he has nothing to report. Spott returns to the club Aug. 16.

As for the team's trio of open overage spots? News is slow moving. Clubs haven't been calling to sell off their 20-year-olds, yet. Expect movement there in Sept-Oct. OA decisions are some of the final ones made when shaping a roster. Just part of the OA life.

"Teams know that's probably an area we're going to need to address up until January," said Spott. "I think everyone is winning the Memorial Cup right now, that's the challenge."

Spott said teams with multiple OAs are probably hanging on to their premier guys at the moment.

"We're not looking for secondary type OAs right now," he added.

Meanwhile, read about Justin Bailey's decision to join the Rangers. Bailey has also been invited to play in USA Hockey's all-American prospects game Sept. 29 in Buffalo.