Rangers Report

Sault Ste. Marie 6, Kitchener 3

No winter jacket on in Sault Ste. Marie on Jan. 31.

Send me the link to this blog entry the next time I complain about how cold it is on the road (note: likely to happen sooner than later).

Yes, it's mild up here, at least for the north. Drove in to Gordon Lightfoot's "North Ontario" which was fitting for this afternoon's tilt against the 'Hounds.

I always get a kick out of how the Canadian border guards just wave me in sans issues. I'm pretty sure the lady working the booth didn't even open my passport. Quite a different experience coming the other way.

The Rangers are looking for a six point weekend. This is their makeup game with the London Knights. After today, the rivals are on equal footing as far as games played.

Kitchener closed it out late in the third last night. Mason Kohn had some unfinished business in that one. It was a close back and forth game so it will be interesting to see how much gas the Rangers have left.

Kitchener:

Darby Llewellyn-Ryan MacInnis-Jeremy Bracco
Brandon Robinson-Gustaf Franzen-Adam Mascherin
Connor Bunnaman-Mason Kohn-David Miller
Joseph Garreffa-Nick Magyar-Jake Henderson

Miles Liberati-Dylan Di Perna
Connor Hall-Frank Hora
Doug Blaisdell-Elijah Roberts

Luke Richardson (2-3-1-0) starts.

Soo:

Blake Speers-Gabe Guertler-Zach Senyshyn
Tim Gettinger-Hayden Verbeek-Boris Katchouk
Jack Kopacka-Morgan Frost-Bobby MacIntyre
Makar Tokarev-Liam Hawel-Bryce Yetman

Colton White-Mac Hollowell
Tyler Hore-Gustav Bouramman
Medric Mercier-Conor Timmins

Brandon Halverson (12-12-2-0) starts.

Game summary

Brownie points:

- Been getting a lot of questions about Jacob Cascagnette. He is not hurt. A healthy scratch for now. Everyone is playing well in this lineup and it's a tough one to crack at the moment.

- Connor Hall's turn to drop the gloves. He went toe-to-toe with Tim Gettinger in the first. That's two bouts in two days for the Rangers as Jake Henderson slugged it out Saturday in Saginaw.

- The line of MacInnis, Robinson and Magyar was reunited briefly. Pretty sure they haven't played since last season. Magyar also got time with Franzen in a bid to get the veteran firing. Magyar is pointless in the past six games. UPDATE: Magyar scored his seventh 3:28 into second.

- Connor Bunnaman is heating up. The sophomore forward has three points (2G, 1A)  in his past three games.

- This one went about as planned. The Rangers looked exhausted and made a bunch of mental mistakes that cost them the game.

- Luke Richardson's rebound control was iffy but he also made some spectacular saves. Soo coach Drew Bannister said he "played fantastic." Can't hang this one on him that's for sure.

- First game all season where the top line wasn't much of a factor. That's pretty amazing to say that so deep into the schedule.

- The Soo scored twice off turnovers at their own blueline. They also had three goals on four shots in the third.

- Waterloo native Boris Katchouk had a pair of goals for the 'Hounds. It was his second two-goal game this season.

- The Rangers haven't won in the Soo since Jan. 16, 2011. Since then the team is 0-10.

- A tough week ahead. A roadie against the renewed Sarnia Sting Wednesday, home to Niagara Friday and then another road trip to Flint on Saturday.

JB's top three Rangers: Connor Bunnaman, Nick Magyar, Doug Blaisdell

Kitchener 2, Saginaw 1

It's all over for Ryan MacInnis.

And what a run it was. From early November until last night. Points in every game.

The irony of it all? Last night's 2-0 win over Windsor was probably one of his best games.

But it's all about the team for the captain, whose Rangers take on Saginaw tonight. The Spirit beat the Soo 5-3 Friday.

The team left last night for Sarnia and heads stateside this afternoon.

Kitchener:

Darby Llewellyn-Ryan MacInnis-Jeremy Bracco
Brandon Robinson-Gustaf Franzen-David Miller
Connor Bunnaman-Mason Kohn-Adam Mascherin
Nick McHugh-Nick Magyar-Jake Henderson

Miles Liberati-Dylan Di Perna
Connor Hall-Frank Hora
Doug Blaisdell-Elijah Roberts

Luke Opilka (22-5-2-0) starts.

Saginaw:

Connor Brown-Mitch Stephens-Kris Bennett
Blake Clarke-Brady Gilmour-Jesse Barwell
Mike Davies-Tye Felhaber-Kirill Maksimov
Artem Artemov-Matt Kreis-Cole Coskey

Keaton Middleton-Marcus Crawford
Will Petschenig-Chase Stewart
Mike Holmes-Markus Niemelainen

Evan Cormer (18-17-4-0) starts.

Game summary

Brownie points:

- Kitchener, Erie, London and Windsor are all 7-3 in their past 10 games. But the Rangers did gain on London with last night's win as the Knights lost 6-2 to the Otters.

- Tonight's game has been delayed half an hour to accommodate a charity game between local emergency responders and some retired Detroit Red Wings. Jiri Fischer, Petr Klima, Sergei Samsonov and John Ogrodnick among those playing.

- Connor Hall took a stick to the face and was cut in the first period but was OK and remained in the game. Adam Mascherin potted his 25th of the season on the ensuing PP.

- It's going to be tough to take Hall out of the lineup when Brosnan and Sergeev return. He's playing a bigger role and with more confidence in every game.

- Jake Henderson dropped the gloves with Will Petschenig in the second period. Petschenig started strong and Hendo finished strong. Call it a draw.

- Luke Opilka's shutout bid was spoiled 5:09 into the third period. The goal, by Blake Clarke, ended 129 minutes and 14 seconds of shutout hockey. Opilka is in the zone.

- That said rookie goalie Luke Richardson is slated to go tomorrow in the Soo.

- Kitchener may not be scoring a lot of goals but they are playing sound hockey. Not sure I've seen the forecheck and cycle work so well in a while. The team is taking care of the little details and it's fun hockey to watch. Not much to pick apart at all. And the timing is great with the playoffs approaching.

- Windsor beat London 8-3 so Kitchener now moves into third place in the western conference.

- It's a tough turnaround for the Rangers. They leave Saginaw for the Soo tonight, arrive around 2 a.m. and play at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Meanwhile, the 'Hounds haven't played since Friday night.

- At the end of the game Saginaw auctioned off its jerseys to the crowd live at centre ice. A bunch of Rangers cheered on former mate Mike Davies as his sweater went for $400.

JB's top three Rangers: Luke Opilka, Connor Hall, Mason Kohn

Kitchener 2, Windsor 0

Windsor comes into the Aud on a roll.

The Spits have won three straight and are on a 9-2 run. They've owned the Rangers this season going 2-0 against Kitchener.

Tonight, they won't have F Logan Brown, D Logan Stanley and D Mikhail Sergachev as the trio competed in the CHL's Top Prospects game last night in Vancouver.

Kitchener is without D Brian Brosnan and D Dmitrii Sergeev due to injuries. Liam Devine has also been called up to back up Luke Opilka as Dawson Carty isn't feeling well.

Kitchener:

Darby Llewellyn-Ryan MacInnis-Jeremy Bracco
Brandon Robinson-Gustaf Franzen-Jake Henderson
Connor Bunaman-Mason Kohn-Adam Mascherin
Nick McHugh-David Miller-Nick Magyar

Miles Liberati-Dylan Di Perna
Connor Hall-Frank Hora
Doug Blaisdell-Elijah Roberts

Luke Opilka (21-5-2-0) starts.

Windsor:

Brendan Lemieux-Aaron Luchuk-Christian Fischer
Brad Latour-Hayden McCool-Connor Chatham
Cristiano DiGiacinto-Gabe Vilardi-Cole Carter
Mads Eller-Luke Boka-X

Andrew Burns-Jalen Chatfield
Pat Sanvido-Tyler Nother
X-Kyle Auger

Michael DiPietro (14-3-1-0) starts.

Game summary

Brownie points:

- Rangers defenceman Doug Blaisdell made his return tonight after missing the past six games with a back injury.

- Kitchener is ranked fifth in this week's CHL top ten.

- Ryan MacInnis hit a post on the PP midway through the first period. Crowd thought it was in but replay showed otherwise.

- A rather slow first period (14 combined shots). Kitchener coach Mike Van Ryn tried to ignite his offence by tossing out MacInnis with Jeremy Bracco and Adam Mascherin.

- A little bit of a scare that Windsor and Kitchener would go to OT for the third time this season but the deadline Gods were on my side tonight. Thanks to Luke Opilka for picking up his second OHL shutout and Jeremy Bracco and Connor Bunnaman who scored.

- So MacInnis' point streak ends at 21 games. It wasn't for a lack of effort. He easily played a game high in minutes, led the team with nine shots, rang one off the post and had or set up several Grade A chances. As he told me, "I should have had 40 tonight."

- Credit Windsor goalie Michael DiPietro. The kid is 16. Must be nice for Windsor to know they've got a stud for another three years.

- It was good to see Mascherin playing with Gustaf Franzen again. Never understood why they were broken up in the first place. They've been clicking all season.

- While London-Kitchener would be awesome, I'd also love to see the Rangers and Windsor battle in the playoffs. Every game they play is close.

- Lots of potatoes - 7,000 pounds - donated to charity on Don Cameron Potato Night at the Aud. Maybe I should change my byline to Hash Brown on tonight's story.

- Kitchener got a bit lucky in the third when Windsor scored but the goal was waved off because Brendan Lemieux fell on Opilka.

- Thought it spoke volumes when MacInnis was on the ice in the final minute with a Windsor empty net but he went to the bench after his shift instead of staying on just to extend his point streak. That kind of selfless behaviour is what you want in a captain.

- Erie beat London 6-2 which means the Rangers are within one of the Knights for third in the western conference and have a game in hand.

JB's top three Rangers: Luke Opilka, Ryan MacInnis, Miles Liberati

Big little man

Adam Mascherin isn't getting a lot of love.

The Kitchener Rangers forward is enjoying a breakout season and is 13th overall in OHL scoring. Despite the impressive start to his sophomore campaign, he didn't get invited to the CHL's Top Prospects game.

A lack of size is the knock but Mascherin's heard that his entire life and continues to prove critics wrong.

 

Magic number

What a nice change it is to be talking magic numbers in late January.

But, if my math is right, that all important number is six for the Kitchener Rangers - as in six wins and/or Flint losses and they'll punch their ticket for at least eighth spot in the western conference.

Of course the Rangers won't settle there.

They'll likely fall anywhere from first to fifth. Right now the team is fourth, 14 up on the fifth place Sting and three back of third place London.

***

Saw D Doug Blaisdell at practice on Tuesday. He has missed the past six games with a back injury.

The 18-year-old has six points in 36 games and is a plus-14.

Blueliners Brian Brosnan (neck) and Dmitrii Sergeev (undisclosed) are not practising.

Prospect report

Time to catch up on some of Kitchener's prospects.

2015 draft:

F Greg Meireles (1st round): He has five goals and 20 assists in 35 games for the Ottawa Jr. Sens of the CCHL.

G Luke Richardson (4th): An impressive record of 18-1-0-2 for the Kitchener Dutchmen, who are first in the Midwestern Conference in the GOJHL.

D Tyler Inamoto (6th): Has played just 13 games due to an injury but is back taking a regular shift for the U.S. U17 squad.

D Alex Peterson (9th): Give the Elmira Sugar Kings blueliner 13 points in 39 games. Logs a ton of minutes.

G Adam Scheel (10th): The U.S. U17 goalie is 5-11-0-1 with a 4.42 GAA and .877 save percentage.

F Scott Del Zotto (12th): Third in scoring with 14 goals and eight assists in 39 games for the last place Cambridge Winter Hawks in the GOJHL.

2014 draft:

D Griffin Luce (5th): The grandson of a former Ranger has seven points in 39 games for the U.S. U18 side.

D Adam Fox (8th): The breakout season continues for Fox who is third in team scoring with 40 points in 39 games for the U.S. U18s. He would be a huge get for the Rangers next season.

F Raphael Lecours (9th): Has moved from Cambridge (GOJHL) to Nepean in the CCHL. Had two points in 22 games with the Winter Hawks but has five in nine games with Nepean. Now playing defence too.

F Tommy Novak (13th): The Nashville Predators pick is picking up the pace and now has 16 points in 23 games for the University of Minnesota.

2013 draft:

D Charls McAvoy (6th): Ranked to go in the first round of this year's NHL draft and coming off the world junior championships with the U.S. He has 13 points in 23 games for Boston University who are 13-7-4.

Acquired via trade:

F Jake Torotora: Rights shipped to Kitchener from Barrie. He has 13 goals and 11 assists in 31 games for the US U18 squad.

G Liam Devine: Picked up in a deal with Oshawa. He's 8-8 with a 2.95 GAA and .922 save percentage with the Elmira Sugar Kings in the GOJHL.

Rookies step up

Kitchener saw a bit of a youth movement this past weekend.

Rookies Connor Hall and Joseph Garreffa scored their first goals and now every Rangers player has scored this season.

Nick McHugh potted his second of the season. And defenceman Elijah Roberts was solid in the three games that saw the Rangers go 2-1.

A 5-2 loss to Erie Friday was the sole blemish as Kitchener continues to struggle against the league's best teams (the Rangers are 2-5 against Erie and London).

The club rebounded to post back-to-back wins against Owen Sound and Flint - two teams they should beat - and are three points back of the Knights and seven behind the Otters.

It's another three-in-three this weekend beginning with Windsor on Friday, a team that is 2-0 against Kitchener this season. Then it's off to Saginaw on Saturday and up to the Soo on Sunday for two very winnable games but two tough road destinations.

The Rangers have been running a young blue line of late with Brian Brosnan (neck), Dmitrii Sergeev (lower body) and Doug Blaisdell (back) on the mend. I'd expect at least one of them back for this weekend's action.

***

Not sure about the legalities but it would be cool if the Rangers ran a season long 50-50 draw in addition to the nightly one. Sell tickets all year, let the pot grow and announce the winner at the home finale. Post the number online for a day or two for the winner to claim the prize.

Kitchener 5, Flint 3

This is the first meeting between Flint and Kitchener.

The Rangers are coming into the game fresh off a 5-2 win up in Owen Sound last night. The victory broke a two-game losing skid. Goalie Dawson Carty won his eighth straight game and remains undefeated in regulation this season at 9-0-1-0.

Things aren't so good for Flint.

The Firebirds have lost 12 straight and 17 of their past 18 games.

Kitchener:

Darby Llewellyn-Ryan MacInnis-Jeremy Bracco
Brandon Robinson-Gustaf Franzen-Jake Henderson
Connor Bunnaman-Mason Kohn-Adam Mascherin
Nick McHugh-David Miller-Nick Magyar

Miles Liberati-Dylan Di Perna
Connor Hall-Frank Hora
Joseph Garreffa-Elijah Roberts

Luke Opilka (20-5-2-0) starts.

Flint:

Nicholas Caamano-Will Bitten-Ryan Moore
Jacob Collins-Cullen Mercer-Luke Kirwan
Zach Grzelewski-Francesco Vilardi-Connor Sills
Stephan Seeger-Matyas Kantner-Dane Johnstone

Zack Pittman-Vili Saarjarvi
Alex Peters-Alex Di Carlo
Samuel Duchesne-Mathieu Henderson

Brent Moran (9-17-3-0) starts.

Game summary

Brownie points:

- Captain Ryan MacInnis scored twice in last night's win and now has points in 20 straight. That's one shy of the OHL record for points in consecutive games this season.

- Heard in the press box from Flint staff while Kitchener was working with the man advantage in the first period: “This is such a good power play.” That’s something that hasn’t been uttered in a few seasons at the Aud. It’s a credit to the coaches for turning it around. The Rangers own the second best PP in the OHL. Flint’s is the second worst.

- Joseph Garreffa scored his first OHL goal to open the game. Connor Hall had his first this past Friday. A good weekend for the youngsters.

- Gustaf Franzen is quietly contributing of late. The Swede has three goals and three assists in his past four games. He scored one this afternoon.

- Mike Van Ryn was pretty fair in rolling four lines and three defensive pairings in the game. That was in part because his club was up 5-1 in the second and on the tail end of three games in three days. It’s a nice luxury to be able to have four effective units.

- Two helpers for Ryan MacInnis puts his point scoring streak at a league season high of 21 (tied with London's Mitch Marner).

- Kitchener was rolling, up 5-1 before Flint potted two goals in 27 seconds later in the second period to get back in it.

- After going pointless in Owen Sound, Jeremy Bracco put up another multi-point game. That’s seven in the past eight games for the winger.

- In the past four starts, goalie Luke Opilka has allowed 4-5-4-3 goals which is uncharacteristic for him this season. He’s 2-2 in that span.

- The Rangers went on lock down in the third period and while not exciting, got the job done and preserved the victory.

JB’s top three Rangers: Joseph Garreffa, Ryan MacInnis, Dylan Di Perna

Rangers drop second straight

Another tough loss for the Rangers last night.

Kitchener had the top seeded Erie Otters down by a goal in the third but gave up three late tallies to fall 5-3.

But it's a three games in three days weekend so there is no time to dwell on the defeat. It's off to Owen Sound tonight to take on the Attack before returning Sunday to face Flint back at the Aud.

Three up:

Darby Llewellyn. His move to the top unit was a success. And his shorthanded goal put the Rangers ahead briefly. It was Llewellyn's third two-goal game this season. He also led the team with six shots.

Defence. Hey, there were three rookies back there last night including two 16-year-olds - one of whom was a converted forward (Joe Garreffa). And they kept their club in the game.

Faceoffs. For once, the Rangers out-drew their opponent (34-31). That's a good sign.

Three down:

Power play. 0-for-2, which doesn't sound so bad. But those man advantage markers sure come in handy when playing top teams.  Erie potted two power play goals.

Second loss. Not just in a row but also to a team they're chasing. There is lots of season left to play but it's looking more and more like the Rangers are destined for fourth in the west.

Injuries. Not to make excuses, but we're getting near February and this team still hasn't iced a full lineup. Perhaps no such thing exists in hockey.

Erie 5, Kitchener 3

Another great game lined up for the Aud tonight.

A win is always big, but one against Erie would make up for Tuesday's loss to London and keep things interesting at the top of the OHL's western conference.

The Rangers have a bunch of guys firing up front right now. Perhaps no one is hotter than Jeremy Bracco who has 15 points in his past eight games. He also has two or more points in the past six straight.

Bracco credits the hot spell to his teammates, as most do. But he's also in better shape and a sponge when it comes to hockey. The Freeport, N.Y. native opened up about his move to the OHL now three months in. In short, he doesn't regret leaving the NCAA one bit.

Kitchener:

Darby Llewellyn-Ryan MacInnis-Jeremy Bracco
Brandon Robinson-Gustaf Franzen-David Miller
Connor Bunnaman-Mason Kohn-Adam Mascherin
Jacob Cascagnette-Nick Magyar-Jake Henderson

Miles Liberati-Frank Hora
Connor Hall-Dylan Di Perna
Joseph Garreffa-Elijah Roberts

Luke Opilka (20-4-2-0) starts.

Erie:

Vanya Lodnia-Dylan Strome-Alex DeBrincat
Kyle Maksimovich-Jake Marchment-Taylor Raddysh
Brett Neumann-Kyle Pettit-Nick Betz
Jakob Mayerschein-Haydn Hopkins-Patrick Fellows

T.J. Fergus-Darren Raddysh
Taylor Egan-Travis Dermott
Mitchell Byrne-Jordan Sambrook

Devin Williams (29-2-1-0) starts.

Game summary

Brownie points:

- The Rangers dropped one spot to fifth in the CHL's weekly top ten rankings.

- Captain Ryan MacInnis is riding an 18-game point scoring streak which is the longest active run in the OHL. London's Mitch Marner holds the record this season with a 21-game point streak.

- Kitchener D Brian Brosnan is out with an upper body injury. Dmitrii Sergeev and Doug Blaisdell also remain sidelined with injuries.

- Saw a few things that were really positive in the loss. The Rangers forecheck was stronger than usual, the hard hitting was also prevalent - especially from Jake Henderson - and the Blueshirts were getting a ton of bodies in front of Otters goalie Devin Williams. All good habits.

- The Rangers weren't impressed with the officiating. I'm not a big fan of blaming the refs since I'm of the opinion that it all equals out over the course of the season. All teams get burned from bad calls and benefit from missed calls. That said, I do understand the frustration of calls being inconsistent. A check from behind one game is different the next. And if the league wants to get rid of diving, it needs to start calling players on it.

- I'll still say this, I'd rather play Erie than London in the playoffs. I just think the Rangers match up way better with the Otters.

- Loved the addition of Darby Llewellyn to the top line. Thought Connor Hall played his best game of the season as well. Remember he's behind a bit in development because he's missed so many games to injuries/suspension. But he's showing great signs of being a big contributor down the line.

- Thought the Rangers got lucky in the first when the refs whistled down a goal mouth scramble when the puck was clearly loose.

- It's a tough 0-2 stretch against two teams the Rangers are chasing. Even worse is that Kitchener had the lead in both games on home ice.

- Some good news, Peterborough beat London 4-2.

JB's top three Rangers: Darby Llewellyn, Connor Hall, Frank Hora

Bastian leads pack for NHL draft

It's shaping up to be a record breaking NHL draft locally.

Kitchener's Nathan Bastian leads a trio of Waterloo Region players expected to go in the opening rounds of this year's draft.

The Mississauga Steelheads winger is ranked 19th by the NHL's Central Scouting Services. Windsor defenceman Logan Stanley and Soo forward Boris Katchouk - both of Waterloo - are 23rd and 32nd respectively, among North American skaters.

I'm not sure if the draft has ever been so top heavy with local prospects.

Bastian is taking the attention in stride.

***

Heard some post-trade deadline chatter at the recent Rangers game.

London was on the verge of a whopper, or so I've been told, but two of its young prospects used their no-trade clauses to block it, which is their right.

Most players have the no-trade built into their contract and it's used more than you think to derail deals.

Knights strike early, often

Those early goals always come back to haunt you.

Last nigh it was J.J. Piccinich 16 seconds in that did the damage. It proved valuable as the Knights staved off a late game flurry by the Rangers and hung on for a 5-4 win. London goalie Tyler Parsons was sensational.

It's a tough loss for Kitchener who remain fourth in the west and fall three back of the Knights. Yes, that's fourth for all those who keep emailing me. As a reminder, Windsor, as division leaders, automatically gets the second slot in the conference standings, even though the Spits have fewer points than the Rangers.

Three up:

Top line. It's sizzling. Six points combined for Ryan MacInnis and Jeremy Bracco. It was easily the best line of the night on either team. The trio, which also includes Adam Mascherin, is also potent on the PP.

Gustaf Franzen. 12-for-18 on the draws is a nice percentage in an area that hasn't been so strong for the Rangers of late. The Swede also chipped in with a goal and an assist.

Rally. It fell short, but it was encouraging to see the Rangers fight back from a three goal deficit and almost pot the game-tying goal in the final minute. That's a hard thing to do against elite teams.

Three down:

Ten minutes. From mid second to beginning of the third. That's when the Knights fired four goals and dominated the game.

Erie. That's the next opponent for the Rangers on Friday. Kitchener is 0-2 against the Otters. Erie is 8-2 in its past 10 games.

Power play. It was 1-for-5 and if it ever needed to come up big, it was last night. It's 3-for-18 or 16 per cent  in the past five games. The good news? Overall it's still second best in the OHL at 25 per cent.

London 5, Kitchener 4

It's one of the most important weeks to date for the Kitchener Rangers.

London tonight. Erie on Friday. And a chance for the Rangers to really assert themselves against the league's elite teams.

Health is good and both games are on home ice so the stage is set.

If they're going to pull off a double win, they'll need to lean on their scoring depth. It's the one aspect that separates Kitchener from both clubs. A look at the numbers shows that the Rangers can strike from all four lines.

There was a minor line shuffle at practice yesterday. The most notable change was Brandon Robinson playing with Connor Bunnaman and Jake Henderson. We'll see how it shakes down tonight.

Kitchener:

Adam Mascherin-Ryan MacInnis-Jeremy Bracco
Mason Kohn-Gustaf Franzen-David Miller
Brandon Robinson-Connor Bunnaman-Jake Henderson
Darby Llewellyn-Jacob Cascagnette-Nick Magyar

Miles Liberati-Frank Hora
Brian Brosnan-Dylan Di Perna
Connor Hall-Elijah Roberts

Luke Opilka (20-3-2-0) starts.

London:

Daniel Bernhardt-Christian Dvorak-Aaron Berisha
Max Jones-Mitch Marner-J.J. Piccinich
Matt Tkachuk-Cliff Pu-Kole Sherwood
Chad Heffernan-Chandler Yakimowicz-Owen MacDonald

Chris Martenet-Victor Mete
Olli Juolevi-Jacob Graves
Evan Bouchard-Nicolas Mattinen

Tyler Parsons (21-4-2-1) starts.

Game summary

Brownie points:

- NHL Central Scouting released its midterm rankings and several players of interest made the list. Rangers on the North American skaters list included Adam Mascherin and Connor Bunnaman who were ranked 57th and 81st.

- Other Rangers picks on the North American skaters list included: Charles McAvoy (9), Griffin Luce (54), Adam Fox (67) and Ethan Spaxman (170). Goalie Jack LaFontaine was 10th on the tender list.

- A trio of locals were also ranked high - Nathan Bastian (19), Logan Stanley (23) and Boris Katchouk (32).

- Rangers D Dmitrii Sergeev and Doug Blaisdell (upper body) are day to day with injuries.

- Another great game by the Rangers top line. MacInnis with three points and Bracco with a trio of helpers. That's 18-straight for Mac and six straight multis for JB. Adam Mascherin's 15-game point scoring streak ended tonight.

- All season all we heard was how London needed to upgrade in net. Maybe it's just games against the Rangers, but Tyler Parsons always looks solid to me. He made several golden saves, especially in the final minute.

- A valiant comeback effort by the Rangers but that opening goal 16 seconds in hurt. It changed the complexion of the entire first period.

- It was even tougher to lose this one when you consider that Mitch Marner and Christian Dvorak were held in relative check.

- There was a sense that the Rangers missed an opportunity by not cashing in on the PP right after Gustaf Franzen scored to make it 2-1. Convert there and it's a much different game.

- That's four games between the two clubs this season and the third one decided by one goal. The other was a 4-2 Rangers win. Said it before, really hoping for a playoff clash.

JB's top three Rangers: Ryan MacInnis, Jeremy Bracco, Gustaf Franzen

Rangers put to test

Kitchener won its fourth straight game on Saturday in a wild 7-4 victory against the Saginaw Spirit.

Seven different players scored in what was truly a team win.

Let's kick off the week with the good and bad.

Three up:

Ryan MacInnis. Yes, the Rangers finally have their captain. Heck, the club is 2-0 with MacInnis wearing the 'C.' The team was doing just fine operating with a bunch of assistants but I think it's nice to settle the leadership role down and go into the stretch run with things defined. I remember talking to MacInnis in the second game of the season and he wanted it then. He has rounded into the player everyone thought he would be and the letter is well deserved.

Depth. Only five players didn't register a point in Saturday's win (six if you include goalie Luke Opilka). Pretty impressive stuff. Getting it done by committee.

Shutting the door. Kitchener and Saginaw played ping pong through 30 minutes Saturday then the Rangers finished the Spirit off by scoring three goals in the final half of the game. I've often cited the team's lack of killer instinct so it's only fair to prop them up when the do just that. After Saginaw tied the game 4-4, the Rangers not only regained the lead but put this one out of reach.

Three down:

London and Erie. Those are the two clubs the Rangers play Tuesday and Friday. Talk about a massive week ahead.

Penalty killing. We're getting picky here. Kitchener is 10th in the OHL. Those PP goals hurt even more in the playoffs. Luckily there is lots of time to tighten it up.

Sportsnet. I dislike the CHL game of the week solely because it isn't kind for me on deadline. That being said, I think it's the network's responsibility to show the top teams in the three leagues. And the 'Net has finally turned its attention to the Rangers as the club's game against Niagara on Feb. 5th will be on TV. My only question is what took them so long?

Captain MacInnis

The Kitchener Rangers have a captain.

After a four month search the coaching staff has turned to the natural candidate - centre Ryan MacInnis.

The 19-year-old made his debut with the 'C' last night and it was a game he'll never forget.

MacInnis had three points in the 5-3 win over Mississauga in a tilt that was stopped for about 15 minutes when the lights went out at the Aud.

The Rangers always planned on naming a captain after Christmas. The team wanted to let the leadership evolve organically. The club also wanted to give the younger guys a chance to assert themselves so next year they don't have to go through the process again.

MacInnis is the points per game leader on the club (1.5 per contest), is tied for the league lead in game winning goals (seven) and has the respect of the Rangers' dressing room.

He is the 51st captain in team history and the first forward to don the 'C' in the past four years.

Kitchener 5, Mississauga 3

Snow won't be cancelling tonight's Rangers game against Mississauga.

We might see some flooding as it's pretty warm outside for mid January but I'm not complaining.

So, the trade deadline is ancient history and the Rangers look the same. If that has you worried, here are six reasons to believe in the club in the second half of the season.

For a team that didn't do anything of major significance, things don't look so bad.

Also, in case you missed it, the Rangers named Ryan MacInnis captain last night. He was my pick from the start of the season and it took a while but he's the man now. He's putting up a heckuva season. Goals, points, world junior experience and most importantly respected in the dressing room. A fine choice indeed.

Kitchener:

Adam Mascherin-Gustaf Franzen-Jeremy Bracco
Brandon Robinson-Ryan MacInnis-David Miller
Connor Bunnaman-Mason Kohn-Jake Henderson
Darby Llewellyn-Jacob Cascagnette-Nick Magyar

Brian Brosnan-Frank Hora
Miles Liberati-Dmitrii Sergeev
Elijah Roberts-Dylan Di Perna

Luke Opilka (19-3-2-0) starts.

Brownie points:

- Some fans have asked me about defenceman Charles McAvoy (sixth round, 2013). If he is going to join the Rangers - and he has given no indication that is going to do so - he'll have to be on the roster by Feb. 10, which is the deadline for NCAA players. McAvoy is touted as a first round NHL draft pick this year, played for the U.S. at the world juniors and is currently attending Boston University.

- Answer to another query, hey it's a mail bag kinda day. Rangers picks in 2016: 1st, 2nd (Sar), 2nd (Soo), 3rd (Osh), 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th.

- Dmitrii Sergeev practised yesterday and is expected back tonight. He has missed the past 10 games due to the worlds/rest. UPDATE: Sergeev will make his return tonight.

- Expect to see Connor Hall in Saginaw on Saturday as he's ready to return from a broken jaw that has kept him out of the lineup for the past 15 games.

- The Rangers have named Brandon Robinson, Frank Hora and Brian Brosnan as permanent assistant captains for the remainder of the season.

- The power went out with about two and a half minutes to go in the first period due to an outage in the area. The lights came back on about 15 minutes later.

- The outage seemed to take the rhythm away from the Rangers who had a good flow going. The team regained form later in the second and rattled off a pair of goals in 2:16.

- Adam Mascherin scored in the first but the marker was negated on a Gustaf Franzen penalty. Mascherin made good 53 seconds later and then added another in the third period.

- Ryan MacInnis scored a goal and added two assists. His point scoring streak is now at 16 games.

- Some nice moxie shown by the Rangers to regroup after losing the lead on three Fish tallies and then regain the advantage. No panicking, just hard work.

- Goalie Dawson Carty 8-0-1-0 remains undefeated in regulation.

JB's top three Rangers: Ryan MacInnis, Adam Mascherin, Jeremy Bracco

CHL top ten

This week's CHL top ten. Rangers up two spots from last week.

1. Erie Otters, OHL (34-5-1-0)
2. Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, QMJHL (31-6-3-1)
3. London Knights, OHL (29-6-2-1)
4. Kitchener Rangers, OHL (28-6-4-0)
5. Val-d'Or Foreurs, QMJHL (31-9-2-1)
6. Kelowna Rockerts, QMJHL (29-10-3-0)
7. Lethbridge Hurricanes, WHL (29-10-3-0)
8. Moncton Wildcats, QMJHL (28-10-5-1)
9. Gatineau Olympiques, QMJHL (28-12-1-1)
10. Red Deer Rebels, WHL (28-13-1-1)

HM: Shawinigan Cataractes, QMJHL (27-11-3-0), Brandon Wheat Kings, WHL (26-12-2-2), Windsor Spitfires, OHL (25-11-5-0)

Kitchener at Owen Sound (postponed)

UPDATE: The game has been postponed due to the weather. The makeup date is Feb. 17 at 7 p.m.

At this point, with all the snow falling, I'm wondering if tonight's game is still on.

Haven't heard any different so I'll assume it's a go.

No, Robby Fabbri won't be wearing No. 15 for the Rangers tonight (he'd have to barter with Gustaf Franzen for it anyway). But the Rangers did acquire the former Guelph Storm winger who currently plays for the St. Louis Blues before yesterday's trade deadline.

Best case scenario? The Rangers win the transaction version of the Powerball and he miraculously reports to town. Fans then prop GM Murray Hiebert up on their shoulders and march down King St. and celebrate the biggest heist in recent OHL history.

The likely play is that Kitchener just burned a third round draft pick, which going by yesterday's standards at the deadline, is worth about as much as a hot dog at the Aud, maybe a sausage on a bun.

There were quite a few deals in the past 11 days. Here's my list of the winners and losers.

Brownie points:

- Kitchener has won five of its past six games and is coming off one of its most complete efforts of the season. The trade deadline is over so everyone should be a tad more relaxed.

Running trade news

1 p.m.

Rangers GM Murray Hiebert doesn't expect Fabbri to return to the OHL. He also feels that he can recoup the third rounder by 2020 and that's why they gave it. The team wanted to make sure that if Fabbri ever did come back that he would be playing for them and not against them.

Several teams inquired about Rangers players, according to the GM.

Tons more minor deals trickling in.

Noon

The trade deadline hits. There may be some late deals trickling due to paperwork but as it stands now since Jan. 1: 18 trades were made with 31 players and 50 drafts picks changing hands.

11:20 a.m.

London acquires winger Chad Heffernan from Sudbury for a fourth round pick. The Knights get some much needed toughness. Meanwhile, 18-year-old forward Brett Primeau goes to Windsor for future considerations.

11 a.m.

The Kitchener Rangers have acquired the rights to Fabbri for a third round pick in 2020 and two conditional second rounders (2018, 2019).

10 a.m.

Guelph radio play by play man Larry Mellott reports that the Rangers have acquired the rights to Robby Fabbri for conditional picks. Fabbri is a rookie with the St. Louis Blues and is not expected to be sent down to the OHL. If true, I believe this would be the first deal between to the two clubs. Cory Konecny was put on waivers by the Storm and claimed by the Rangers in 2005.

9:30 a.m.

Trade: Saginaw sends Dylan Sadowy and Greg DiTomaso to Barrie for D Rocky Kaura and 11 draft picks - 2nd (2016), 2nd (2019), 2nd (2020), 2nd (2021), 3rd (2017), 3rd (2018), 4th (2016), 4th (2018), firth (2020), conditional 2nd (2022), conditional 3rd (2023).

Unless Barrie wins it all, this is a massive win for Saginaw in my opinion. Again, that's 11 draft picks and a player. Insane.

8:40 a.m.

We're about three hours away from the OHL trade deadline.

The rumours are flying. Some have already proclaimed that Saginaw winger Dylan Sadowy (a San Jose draft pick) has been traded to the Rangers. For what it's worth, I haven't heard his name associated with Kitchener.

He's not the forward I heard last night that the team was asking about.

Sunday:

The Rangers have been taking a wait and see approach leading up to the trade deadline. The team has kicked tires and kept a close pulse on what's going on, as every team does, but has felt zero urgency to make a deal.

Coming into the weekend, GM Murray Hiebert said the team wasn't going to mortgage the future by sending fistfuls of picks and prospects to acquire one stud player. The team's philosophy since day one has been to build a winner through the draft and by adding complementary pieces that won't bankrupt the franchise.

All signs pointed to a quiet lead-up to tomorrow's deadline of noon.

Then today, things got interesting.

I have confirmed that the Rangers have been asking about a defenceman (mildly off the grid) and a forward (a popular one) and that talks were getting past the casual inquiry stage.

I have since been told that things are cooling off. The club, as mentioned, does not want to gut its draft pick stockpile nor part with prospects.

There are a lot of teams right now that are desperate to add and that's driving prices up. The Rangers aren't going to get in a bidding war, from what I've been told.

That said there is still lots of time before the deadline and things are fluid.

Personally - and this is my opinion - I think the team has to be mildly concerned with the way the back end played against Hamilton and Guelph recently. They seemed to have a tough time containing the forwards and those aren't exactly league power house clubs. Though, things did look a lot better today against Kingston.

I'll keep monitoring the situation and post updates when/if they become available as we march toward noon Monday.

Kitchener 3, Kingston 1

It was a nice day off Saturday.

No Rangers. No trades. And a good break from the rink.

That being said, it's exciting to be back today as it should be a great game.

Kingston comes into town on a four-game winning streak, including a 2-1 overtime victory against Owen Sound last night.

The Rangers have won four of their last five.

Kitchener:

Brandon Robinson-Ryan MacInnis-David Miller
Adam Mascherin-Gustaf Franzen-Jeremy Bracco
Connor Bunnaman-Mason Kohn-Jake Henderson
Darby Llewellyn-Jacob Cascagnette-Nick Magyar

Miles Liberati-Frank Hora
Brian Brosnan-Dylan Di Perna
Doug Blaisdell-Elijah Roberts

Luke Opilka (18-3-2-0) starts.

Kingston:

Michael Dal Colle-Warren Foegele-Spencer Watson
Ryan Verbeek-Juho Lammikko-Jared Steege
Jason Robertson-Ted Nichol-Ryan Cranford
Graeme Brown-Zack Dorval-Austin Grzenia

Chad Duchesne-Roland McKeown
Stephen Desrocher-Jacob Paquette
Liam Murray-Nathan Billitier

Lucas Persessini (17-9-2-1) starts.

Game summary

Brownie points:

- Nick Magyar has four points in his past five games coming into this afternoon's action. That's not bad considering he's been seeing fourth line duty.

- No Lawson Crouse for the Fronts. The burly winger got a day off after playing for Canada at the worlds over the holidays.

- Well, that was the effort the coaching staff has been looking for. Might not be the best game this season for the Rangers but it was up there. A nice rebound after Friday's stinker.

- Some better shot selection this afternoon. Half of the team's first 14 shots were on the lip of the crease.

- The Mascherin-Franzen-Bracco line was sizzling. Scored two of the three Rangers goals.

- Twas a chippy affair. Lots of emotion in this one. What I like is how the team stuck up for goalie Luke Opilka whenever he was touched.

- That was Brandon Robinson's first goal since Nov. 15.

- I thought this was one of the best games I've seen for Mason Kohn. You can understand why coaches love this guy. He never gives up and plays hard.

- Saw a different side to Ryan MacInnis today. Two major clean hits. The physical play adds a new element to his game.

- MacInnis' point scoring streak is now 15 games. Adam Mascherin's is 13 games.

- Don't look now but Luke Opilka has the second best GAA in the league (2.32).

- It's early in the process and I have to do some more digging. But I'm hearing that the Rangers may not be so quiet after all leading up to tomorrow's trade deadline. I'm told they have some interest in a defenceman and a forward. I don't want to drop any names until I firm it up. The question now is if they are too late to the game in terms of bidding. But still tons of time left, so I'm not too concerned about that part.

JB's top three Rangers: Luke Opilka, Jeremy Bracco, Mason Kohn