There is reason to believe in today’s Rangers
I can still remember the excitement in Steve Spott’s voice.
It sticks out because the Kitchener Rangers coach had been fairly serious throughout the Ontario Hockey League western conference semifinal against the Plymouth Whalers back in 2012. And for good reason. Plymouth had the Rangers on the ropes, up 3-2 in the best-ofseven series before the Blueshirts battled back to force Game 7 at the Compuware Arena.
It was 2-2 in the second period when overager Tyler Randell scored three consecutive markers to cap a four goal effort in the 6-3 Rangers win.
I skipped down to the dressing room for an interview after the game and was greeted by Spott who just couldn’t stop smiling. The good times didn’t last. The Rangers, perhaps emotionally spent, were swept by the London Knights in the conference championship.
But I’ll never forget that semifinal series. I haven’t seen that kind of enthusiasm around the team since.
Rangers fans expected growing pains after sustained success in the Peter DeBoer/Spott days, but patience is wearing thin.
The team hasn’t been back to the conference finals since that electric win over Plymouth.
The past four years have produced just one playoff series win and even the joy from that victory against Windsor a year and a half ago was shortlived as the Blueshirts were bounced in four games by the Knights in the next round. But things are looking up. There is reason to believe in this year’s bunch, which takes on the Flint Firebirds in the season opener Friday at the Aud.
And here’s why.
‰ Change of tone: The focus for the past four years has been on developing players and acquiring draft picks. The team’s marquee players were traded year after year and little effort was made to bring in top talent, even when the team had the fourth best record in the OHL in 2016. Now, the tone has shifted. Management is no longer trumpeting “entertaining” hockey. Winning is paramount. This season, if things go well, the Rangers will be buyers and not sellers.
‰ Time is now: The gap between the Rangers and the five teams that finished ahead of them last season has narrowed. Windsor and Erie will be taking serious steps back after crafting championship rosters. Owen Sound, Sault Ste. Marie and London were all hit hard by graduation while Kitchener returned almost its entire roster and added defenceman Logan Stanley to the mix.
‰ Impact veterans: Some fans think the Rangers should continue trading their top players for prospects and picks. Do this and it’ll be another three years before the team is relevant in the OHL. It has been long enough. Besides, if you can’t build a competitive team around a 100-point player (Adam Mascherin), a potential 40-goal guy (Connor Bunnaman) and two NHL drafted blueliners (Stanley and Connor Hall), then there are bigger problems.
‰ Assets: Kitchener has five seconds and three third-round draft picks in the next two years. There is little value in keeping all of them (or adding to the haul). Cramming your roster with tons of top picks only creates unhappy players since there isn’t enough ice time to go around. That plethora of assets makes the Rangers an attractive trading partner this season.
‰ Mike McKenzie: You have to admire the way the new general manager is putting his stamp on the club.
He has drafted well and signed most of his players. He picked two imports that should make a difference and got them to report. He didn’t sift through resumes but instead went out and got the assistant coach he wanted in Andreas Karlsson. He traded for Logan Stanley and inked defenceman Jack York, who was committed to the University of Maine. In short, he gets things done. And that’s the guy you want at the helm.
Of course, none of this guarantees a championship.
But, with a little luck on the injury front and a few tweaks via trade, that excitement felt all those years ago in Plymouth could soon make a return to the Aud.