Is McKenzie in or out as coach?
‘At the end of the day, it’s what makes most sense for the team and myself personally’
Will he be back as coach, or won’t he?
That’s the question facing Kitchener Rangers general manager and bench boss Mike McKenzie, who has pulled double duty the past season and a half.
McKenzie took over from skipper Jay McKee during the 2019-20 season only to see the playoffs and the following season wiped out due to the pandemic.
The GM returned this past season to run the bench for his first full campaign and guided the Rangers to the playoffs, where the team upset the second-ranked London Knights in the opening round before being eliminated by the Windsor Spitfires in the Western Conference semifinals.
But the coaching gig was supposed to be temporary.
The Rangers were on the hunt for a new coach — and had a long list of candidates — after the 2019-20 season but put the search on hold due to the uncertainty surrounding the league over COVID-19.
Now that things are getting back to normal, that search could resume.
“No decision has been made on that front yet,” said McKenzie. “It’s something we’ll talk about and we’ll see how the next few weeks go.”
McKenzie added he’s “at peace” with whatever decision the club makes.
“At the end of the day, it’s what makes most sense for the team and myself personally,” he said.
As of now, the rest of the bench staff — assistants Dennis Wideman and Brennan Menard, development coach Brandon Merli and goalie coach Jordan DeKort — remain with the club.
McKenzie was one of five coachGMs in the league this past season.
Import uncertainty
The Canadian Hockey League’s import draft runs July 1 and the Rangers have several options. The team has protected Czech goalie Pavel Cajan on its overage import list but the keeper is drawing interest from NHL teams. Forward Filip Mesar is also on the team’s protected list but spent last season playing in a men’s league back home. The high-scoring 18-year-old is pegged as a firstor second-round pick in this year’s NHL draft and very much in the Rangers’ plans, if he decides to report. That means the team will pick at least one player in the draft — maybe two. CHL clubs are allowed two imports on their roster. The Rangers no longer have the rights to Swedish defenceman Calle Odelius (second round, 2021).
Freshmen return
The Rangers held their rookie camp earlier this month for the first time in three years. Typically, freshmen from this year’s squad would join the unsigned draft picks and free agents invited to the three-day affair, but that didn’t happen this year since the Rangers were still competing in the playoffs. Free agent forward William Mitchell (Wellington Dukes) led the way with three goals in the intrasquad games.
Hage impresses
Michael Hage, this year’s firstround draft pick (ninth overall), attended the rookie camp and scored a pair of goals in one scrimmage. The Mississauga native has signed a tender agreement to play for the Chicago Steel in the United States Hockey League next season but could always change his mind. That he showed up was a positive sign. “He wanted to come to rookie camp to get that experience,” said McKenzie. “We were happy about that and thought he showed really well. It was good to get to know him better.” The Rangers have yet to sign any players from this year’s draft class.
Ice chips
New Jersey native Cole Longacre (second round, 2022) wanted to attend Kitchener’s rookie camp. However, he couldn’t cross the border because he’s waiting on a new passport. … Forward Jesse Fishman continues to make progress from a knee injury that forced him to miss all of this past season. The 19-year-old is expected to be ready to go when training camp rolls around. … Cajan, forwards Joseph Serpa, Mitch Martin and Reid Valade and defenceman Simon Motew are getting attention from NHL teams ahead of rookie development camps, which run in the summer. … Former Rangers defenceman Dylan Di Perna is representing Italy at this year’s men’s world hockey championships in Finland, while ex-forward Adam Liska is on the Slovakian national squad.