The ‘secret’s out’ on Rangers rearguard
KITCHENER — It was Donovan Sebrango’s skating that stood out.
Kitchener Rangers general manager and coach Mike McKenzie couldn’t keep his eyes off the Kingston rearguard while scouting for players ahead of the 2018 Ontario Hockey League draft.
“It was pretty easy to see how talented and gifted he was,” recalled McKenzie. “All our scouts liked him. We knew he was a solid prospect.”
The Rangers selected Sebrango in the second round of that draft from the Canadian International Hockey Academy, a hockey school east of Ottawa.
But the team’s interest really perked up when they saw him about a month later against the league’s top prospects in the OHL Gold Cup.
“We were like ‘whoa,’ he might have another level here and be a top-round pick in the NHL,” said McKenzie.
About two years later, Sebrango is making good on that promise.
The 18-year-old was ranked 59th among North American skaters on NHL Central Scouting’s midterm draft rankings, which were released Monday.
He’s also slated to suit up for Team Red in the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game on Thursday in Hamilton. The annual event pits the best draft-eligible players from the Canadian Hockey League against one another before a bevy of NHL scouts.
“I’m a little nervous,” said Sebrango. “But it should be a great experience just to be around all those good players and to learn from them.”
Sebrango has been solid from the get-go for the Rangers.
“It’s not like he’s a guy that came in and had growing pains,” said McKenzie. “There has never been a stretch where he hasn’t been good.”
The six-footer doesn’t light up the scoreboard but he’s mobile, smart, responsible at both ends of the rink and plays with a controlled physical edge. Those elements have piqued the interest of NHL scouts. “I think he used to be underrated by the NHL scouting fraternity but now the secret’s out,” said McKenzie. “I think people are going to be very surprised where he gets drafted after speaking to a lot of NHL guys.”
Sebrango isn’t getting caught up in all the draft hype. He’ll be happy to land on any NHL club, though he is an Ottawa Senators fan.
For now, he’s just trying to keep a healthy balance between the draft and his role with the surging Rangers.
“I’m trying not to put too much pressure on it because that’s when things can go wrong,” Sebrango said. “I just want to relax and have some fun and enjoy the experience.”