Kitchener adds OHL high scorer to the Rangers roster

The Kitchener Rangers have made another major trade.

The team announced Thursday they picked up Francesco Arcuri from the Kingston Frontenacs.

The 19-year-old forward leads the OHL with 23 goals in 35 games.

“We are very excited to add a player like Francesco to our team,” said Mike McKenzie, the team’s general manager, in a media release. “He is a pure goal scorer and one of the leading goal scorers in the league this year.”

Arcuri, who is originally from Woodbridge, will be wearing the number 73 when he makes his debut with the Rangers at Friday’s home game against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

“I’m obviously super excited to be going to the Rangers,” Arcuri said in the release. “Kitchener is well-known as a first-class organization and I can’t wait to win a championship.”

Francesco Arcuri on the ice with the Dallas Stars. (Photo provided by the OHL)

In exchange for Arcuri the Rangers have traded Saginaw’s third-round pick in 2023 OHL Priority Selection, Barrie’s second-round pick in 2024, Barrie’s third-round pick in 2025, Kitchener’s second-round pick in 2026, Mississauga’s third-round pick in 2026, and a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2026.

Arcuri was also a sixth-round pick by the Dallas Stars in the 2021 NHL Draft and he signed a three-year entry-level contract with the team on Aug. 22.

Arcuri is the latest trade for the Kitchener Rangers, joining 2022 OHL Champion goaltender Marco Costantini, as well as Oshawa Generals captain and overage defenceman Lleyton Moore.