KITCHENER -- NHL hopefuls playing for the Kitchener Rangers will have to put their professional hockey dreams on hold for a while due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2020 NHL Draft was scheduled for next week in Montreal, but that has now been postponed. The NHL suspended its season indefinitely on March 12.

Rangers' defenceman Donovan Sebrango has dreamed of playing professional hockey his whole life.

"It's a marathon, not a sprint," he said. "I come in every day knowing that's my goal and that's where I want to be."

Forward Reid Valade agrees with his teammate.

"My dream since I was young, just like every kid, is to make it to the NHL and now I have an opportunity where I have that chance," he said.

However, their dreams will need to stay on ice for now, since the draft is postponed.

"I don’t think anyone really knows for sure when the draft's going to happen, but definitely not in June and likely not in the summer," Mike McKenzie, the Rangers' head coach and GM said.

There were 57 OHL players listed in the NHL's midterm rankings, including four Rangers.

"I hope as many of them get drafted as possible," McKenzie said. "We have a handful of guys that potentially could this year, whenever the draft does take place."

The pandemic could also make it difficult for an in-person draft this year. The Rangers prospects say they'd be OK with a virtual selection.

"As a kid growing up I always wanted to walk on stage and hear my name being called," Sebrango said. "But, I just want to be drafted and that's the end goal. I want to be in the NHL one day, so to be honest it doesn’t really matter how I get there."

For now, the prospects are focused on working hard to prepare for the future.

"I don’t think anyone knows what's going to happen," Valade said. "So, the big thing is to stay fit and stay in shape for anything to come at any point."

McKenzie says hearing their name on draft day is just the beginning for the young players.

"They're all great players and great kids, so I'm sure it's going to work out for them no matter what happens," he said.