Undefeated
Surprising Rangers surge to top of OHL standings
KITCHENER — Something special is brewing at the Aud.
A glance at the Ontario Hockey League standings, two weeks into the season, shows the undefeated Kitchener Rangers atop the 20-team outfit.
At 3-0, the club is off to one of its hottest starts in the past decade and showing no signs of slowing down.
And while it’s still very early in the 68-game schedule, the team’s performance is turning heads.
After all, it wasn’t supposed to go so smoothly.
“We had a lot of belief in the guys in the room,” said head coach Jay McKee. “But there was uncertainty as to who was going to score and who was going to step up.”
On paper, the Rangers look nothing like the team that came within a sniff of reaching the OHL final last season.
The veteran losses from that squad are staggering and include starting goalie Mario Culina as well as NHL prospects Logan Stanley, Logan Brown, Kole Sherwood, Givani Smith, Connor Bunnaman and Adam Mascherin.
It all pointed to a down year. But, so far, that hasn’t been the case.
“I told these guys that they remind me of the Vegas Golden Knights of last year,” said McKee, referring to the NHL expansion club that rode a roster of castoffs all the way to the Stanley Cup final in its first season. “They’re just a bunch of guys that didn’t have opportunities that they’re going to have this year.”
It’s a good analogy as the comeback stories do indeed run deep on East Avenue.
Netminder Luke Richardson is producing the OHL’s best numbers after years of being stuck behind older goalies.
Defenceman Justin MacPherson, acquired from Niagara as an emergency fill-in for NHL-drafted Giovanni Vallati, who requested a trade, has just as many points (four) as the Winnipeg Jets prospect.
Former depth line forwards Jonathan Yantsis, Eric Guest and Nick McHugh are thriving with increased minutes. Swedish import Rickard Hugg has embraced top-line status. And Greg Meireles is delivering on the promise that made him an OHL first-round draft pick three years back.
And the list goes on.
“The guys that are stepping up are guys that we’ve always had faith in,” said Rangers general manager Mike McKenzie. “It’s just that last year … we had an older group and they were caught in that middle ground a little bit. Now they’re older and there are more opportunities, and they’re seizing it.”
Six teams are tied for first in the OHL with six points, but only Kitchener and Sarnia are undefeated at 3-0.
The Rangers get the nod over the Sting for top billing since they have scored more goals (15) while allowing a ridiculously low four goals.
“We have a really good squad this year,” said McHugh. “I think we’re really underrated.”
Kitchener has gone 3-0 to kick off the season two others times in the past decade (2010-11 and ’16-17) but has never won four straight to start the year.
The team has a chance to do that Friday when it hosts the Saginaw Spirit at the Aud.