Kitchener Rangers set to open 60th season with new head coach
The Rangers are dropping the puck for a new season on Friday night.
Expectations for the team are high after a second-round appearance in last year’s OHL playoffs.
The team said the practice was fast-paced at The Aud Thursday morning. Players were on the ice for about an hour, then came back to the ice to run a power play practice, run drills and get in their last tune-up before the real hockey begins tomorrow.
Chris Dennis will be stepping behind the bench after Mike Mckenzie stepped down from the position this off-season. This is the first season Dennis will be coaching the Rangers.
Dennis comes in with 10 years of NHL experience, including time as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Dennis says the team is hungry for a win after last year’s loss in the playoffs.
“I expect that we’re going to work hard every night. It’ll be a very difficult team to play against, and hopefully, if we do things the right way and compete every night, the wins should start eventually taking care of themselves,” said Dennis.
Last year, the Rangers were knocked out in the second round of the playoffs when they faced the Windsor Spitfires.
A memory some players are looking to forget, including Kitchener Rangers defensemen Roman Schmidt who said the loss was heartbreaking.
“It was really heartbreaking just to see my teammates. Everyone was heartbroken. I think I shed a couple of tears that game,” he said.
Despite playing hard-fought games, the Rangers eventually fell to the Spitfires in game five.=
“We had a great group of guys, we really battled to get to that second round,” said Matthew Sop, centre for the Rangers. “It all seemed to align pretty well for us, and going into that second round we had the confidence that we could win it, but we didn’t get there.”
Dennis isn’t focusing on the past performance but looking to the upcoming season.
“I’m very excited,” said Dennis. “I think they’ve worked hard and really bought into what we’re trying to teach them, so it’s been great.”
“With my experience with NHL, American League, it’s just a little bit more structure than maybe they’re used too. So it’s been a process for them, but I’m really proud of how they grasped it,” he said.
With last year’s leading scorer, Mike Petizian leaving for university, Dennis will look to his forward depth to produce.
Dennis will instead be looking to captain Francesco Pinelli
“So far, it’s been very good, very positive, and we’re all looking forward to tomorrow,” said Pinelli.
Pinelli is coming off his second stint of NHL training camp with the LA Kings.
“I lead by example, kinda setting an example for our team, setting a good example for our younger guys as well. Being the best captain I can be and the best leader,” said Pinelli.
The Rangers open their season Friday at 7:30 p.m. at The Aud against the Sarnia Sting.
Tickets for the season opener can be purchased on their website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.