Mike McKenzie and Joe Birch will be sticking around for another few seasons with the Kitchener Rangers.
On Thursday, the organization announced it has extended their contracts through the 2028-2029 season.
“The Rangers hired Joe Birch four years ago to be the champion of our community-owned hockey club. Joe joined us in the infancy of the pandemic and has been instrumental in leading the organization through the recovery,” said Rangers president Jeff Emrich in a release.
Emrich goes on to say that Birch has enhanced the Rangers brand and has shown the club to be a desired CHL destination.
“I am very fortunate to be surrounded by an amazing team of people – there is no place I would rather be for the next five years,” said Birch in a release.
Birch also underscores his confidence in McKenzie, saying his extension is well-deserved.
“His is one of the best general managers in the CHL in addition to being a tremendous person,” said Birch.
McKenzie has been with the Rangers since 2012, initially serving as an assistant coach. He was promoted to assistant general manager in 2015, while continuing as an assistant coach. He was then appointed to general manager in 2017.
Under McKenzie’s tenure as general manager, the Rangers have never missed a postseason and reached the western conference final in 2018.
“The organization and community are so important to me and there is nowhere else I would rather be. It is a privilege to get to work for such a special organization with so many amazing people,” McKenzie said in a release. “Looking ahead, I am as hungry and passionate as ever about building on this.”
