Kitchener Rangers 2024-25 Season Thread, Part II

[All the Answers]

Kitchener plays London December 15th. London will likely be missing 4-5 guys to WJC camps at that time. Hopefully the remainder can still do a number on the Rangers to convince MM to pump the brakes on any thoughts of making acquisitions for this year. Maybe Chromiak gets an invite but I can't see anyone else from Kitchener making a push (Sale not included). If Kitchener loses against that lineup for London that should be more than enough info to make a wise decision... please.

 

[I Mac 80]

I’m praying that out GM was watching the game tonight. The only reason it wasn’t 7 or 8 was Parsons. He was spectacular. I’ve been saying sell the vets since day one and stay the course. There is absolutely zero chance we beat that team in a 7 game series. They are veteran team who know how to win and how to play the way that their coach wants them to play. They are without a doubt the team to beat and that team is not us. I would trade Ando, Swick and maybe Parsons if someone wants to upgrade their goaltending. Take back mostly picks except for maybe a veteran tender to mentor our young guy and then play the kids. We have really talented kids that need to play and get used to the league. Do this and we really could be set up to give it a run for a couple of years and not just one.

 

[Sane Knights Fan]

Their heads are big enough, don't make them any bigger. According to their forum the Knights are the team of the millennium and are going to bring the Rangers down to earth tonight. If this does'nt happen there won't be enough crow to go around in London LOL

Typical Rangers fan always optimistic until…
Lol

 

[RangerNation]

Typical Rangers fan always optimistic until…
Lol

You should probably read the rest of this forum to find a typical Rangers fan.

 

[Sane Knights Fan]

No, that was not a bad played game at all, frustrating to watch from fans yes, they had to play the defensive game against London, or it could have been a blow out. Kitchener played a great team defense game, I am sure the coaches are very happy with their efforts tonight, this game speaks a lot for Kitchener's future

I think your wrong there , Kitcheners goaltending was great there defense gave up to many great chances too many shots and there defense gave away the puck continually in there own end on the boards , Chromiak especially

 

[Fastpace]

I think your wrong there , Kitcheners goaltending was great there defense gave up to many great chances too many shots and there defense gave away the puck continually in there own end on the boards , Chromiak especially

This is exactly what playing defensive hockey is all about, they gave up a lot, and London did not score a lot. That appeared to be Kitchener's game plan from the beginning, keeping the low score, meaning they had a chance to tie and even win the game near the end. We all know how well Kitchener has played offensively up to now, it's obvious of the change, to play a run and gun game against a strong London team would have been suicidal for the Rangers. Maybe I am wrong, but that is my take on the game.

 

[EvenSteven]

Kitchener plays London December 15th. London will likely be missing 4-5 guys to WJC camps at that time. Hopefully the remainder can still do a number on the Rangers to convince MM to pump the brakes on any thoughts of making acquisitions for this year. Maybe Chromiak gets an invite but I can't see anyone else from Kitchener making a push (Sale not included). If Kitchener loses against that lineup for London that should be more than enough info to make a wise decision... please.

MM shouldn’t need that Dec 15 game to make his decision. Tonight was enough.

Geez. Their 3rd line would be the #1 line on some teams in this league this year.

Development wise, we are where the Knights were two years ago. Next year we’ll be where the Knights were last year. In 26-27 we’ll be where the Knights are this year.

 

[rangersblues]

There weren't many puck battles tonight. London simply beat the Rangers to almost every loose puck with their dominant speed. Definitely a learning experience for our players and hopefully our GM to see where the bar should be to be a great OHL team.

 

[EvenSteven]

Very true on all fronts. We could get lucky and one of them may be amazing as a young goalie next year and we won't have to upgrade which would be nice but if we truly want to compete next year we need competent goaltending.

Could we also see a scenario where Brampton feels as though they need Parsons and Ando and decide to trade us one of their older goalies for the rest of the year and then a 2 part trade happens next year where we get Ivankovich?

Agreed. Except on the Ivankovic part. As much as I’d love to have him here, I doubt they part with him.

Trade them Parsons and Ando for a bucket of picks. Have them throw in 06 G- Gibbons to make room for Parsons. I haven’t seen much of Gibbons, but he was the second goalie taken in the draft after Leenders. Erie moved him to make room for the import. He never was going to steal the #1 job from Ivankovic. Maybe there’s a starter there waiting to break out.

A goalie drafted that high might finally breakthrough in his 19 year old year. That allows us to go into camp next year with he, Schaubel and Edwards competing for roster spots.

Brampton only paid 4th and 6th for Gibbons. He’d be a cheap part of the package coming our way. Brampton’s “cast off” if you will.

 

[bobber]

No, that was not a bad played game at all, frustrating to watch from fans yes, they had to play the defensive game against London, or it could have been a blow out. Kitchener played a great team defense game, I am sure the coaches are very happy with their efforts tonight, this game speaks a lot for Kitchener's future

Listening to Jussi after the game he wasn't at all happy with the performance.
He praised Parsons. He isn't a coach that hands out compliments to easy but you could see he held back from saying something negative. He hit the nail on the head saying the Rangers weren't physical enough and waiting to react far too much.
London is a veteran team. Guelph gave them a handful in their last game. Rangers could have been better.

 

[Gondrex]

Felt to tame for a kitch-London game.

Hunter hockey doesn't start until the 2nd half and into the playoffs - physical, in-your-face, psychological hockey......and the ton of talent to go with it. By the way, putting Medvedev in net was a typical smart move by their bench boss - no downside. Only upside.
Kitchener could never have done that with Schaubel. Wouldn't have been fair to the kid.

There are going to be a lot of sellers in the Western Conf. this season. Erie may be the only team that may spend (?), and I'm not even sure what they have in the way of assets. On the downside, a lot of sellers means a lot of players potentially available to the handful of "brave" buying teams. The plus side is that any team that is going to go in will require a lot of moves to take on a deep Knights team. For instance, as mentioned previously, Brampton is mostly a one-line team. Also, their trade-Leenders-keep-Ivankovic/Gibbons-as-a-back-up experiment is going to have to now go to plan B. Gibbons swapped for another goaltender is likely....at least in my mind.

It would be absolutely foolish for Kitchener to spend in attempt to battle with perhaps an Erie, Windsor, or Saginaw for a chance to grab a 3rd place seeding in a hope to avoid London until a West final. My greatest fear is that once / if Ellis comes to this team, that would be 8 - yes eight - '07's from the 2023 draft......a number of which would be available to MM for spending in a vain attempt to claim the West. I have no idea where he is going to go with this.

 

[Gondrex]

Agreed. Except on the Ivankovic part. As much as I’d love to have him here, I doubt they part with him.

Trade them Parsons and Ando for a bucket of picks. Have them throw in 06 G- Gibbons to make room for Parsons. I haven’t seen much of Gibbons, but he was the second goalie taken in the draft after Leenders. Erie moved him to make room for the import. He never was going to steal the #1 job from Ivankovic. Maybe there’s a starter there waiting to break out.

A goalie drafted that high might finally breakthrough in his 19 year old year. That allows us to go into camp next year with he, Schaubel and Edwards competing for roster spots.

Brampton only paid 4th and 6th for Gibbons. He’d be a cheap part of the package coming our way. Brampton’s “cast off” if you will.

Just seeing your post now ES. Agreed. There is close to a zero chance they trade Ivankovic. Why would they? They had the very impressive Ivankovic-Leender duo a few months ago and pretty much had to trade one of them. So they trade Leenders, which was controversial enough, and then trade Ivankovic ? Quite honestly that would make no sense at all. Like I said above, Gibbons likely gets replaced, although who knows. Maybe they stick it out.

 

[Jives]

Hunter hockey doesn't start until the 2nd half and into the playoffs - physical, in-your-face, psychological hockey......and the ton of talent to go with it. By the way, putting Medvedev in net was a typical smart move by their bench boss - no downside. Only upside.
Kitchener could never have done that with Schaubel. Wouldn't have been fair to the kid.

There are going to be a lot of sellers in the Western Conf. this season. Erie may be the only team that may spend (?), and I'm not even sure what they have in the way of assets. On the downside, a lot of sellers means a lot of players potentially available to the handful of "brave" buying teams. The plus side is that any team that is going to go in will require a lot of moves to take on a deep Knights team. For instance, as mentioned previously, Brampton is mostly a one-line team. Also, their trade-Leenders-keep-Ivankovic/Gibbons-as-a-back-up experiment is going to have to now go to plan B. Gibbons swapped for another goaltender is likely....at least in my mind.

It would be absolutely foolish for Kitchener to spend in attempt to battle with perhaps an Erie, Windsor, or Saginaw for a chance to grab a 3rd place seeding in a hope to avoid London until a West final. My greatest fear is that once / if Ellis comes to this team, that would be 8 - yes eight - '07's from the 2023 draft......a number of which would be available to MM for spending in a vain attempt to claim the West. I have no idea where he is going to go with this.

If a lot of sellers and MM has fair value for anyone then he should probably take the deal on the table before that offer disappears because X team found a different option.

I think the 8 2007 should be more of a warning that this team is far too young to compete with a team with 12 NHL draft picks then giving him the go ahead to make vet additions. I’d love to see Ellis and Xu (still thinking Valentini shows up) as that would more force MM to sell to make room for the young kids then add more vets.

 

[EvenSteven]

As far as my earlier thought on picking up an 05 OA starter on the cheap going into next year:

I did a quick glance around the league. There may not be one available the quality of a Costantini or Simpson. Slim pickings.

More reason to explore moving Parsons and bringing back a Gibbons or the equivalent in hopes that he could develop into a #1 next year.

 

[Gondrex]

Typical Rangers fan always optimistic until…
Lol

I don't think it's fair to use that "typical" blanket statement.
In reality, most Ranger fans knew very well what the team was up against.

 

[EvenSteven]

I think the 8 2007 should be more of a warning that this team is far too young to compete with a team with 12 NHL draft picks then giving him the go ahead to make vet additions. I’d love to see Ellis and Xu (still thinking Valentini shows up) as that would more force MM to sell to make room for the young kids then add more vets.

I think the 8 2007 possibility also allows MM to move out an 07 or two for value if he feels those particular 07’s would be bumped by quality 08’s going forward. That might allow MM to move Ando and maybe just one OA while keeping the remaining OA’s to at least stay competitive this year.

Lots of bingo balls in the air these days after this CHL/NCAA ruling.

 

[East Avenue Bully]

There are going to be a lot of sellers in the Western Conf. this season. Erie may be the only team that may spend (?), and I'm not even sure what they have in the way of assets. On the downside, a lot of sellers means a lot of players potentially available to the handful of "brave" buying teams. The plus side is that any team that is going to go in will require a lot of moves to take on a deep Knights team. For instance, as mentioned previously, Brampton is mostly a one-line team. Also, their trade-Leenders-keep-Ivankovic/Gibbons-as-a-back-up experiment is going to have to now go to plan B. Gibbons swapped for another goaltender is likely....at least in my mind.

I'd add Saginaw to Erie as buyers this year in the West. Misa is having a year.

 

[Fastpace]

Listening to Jussi after the game he wasn't at all happy with the performance.
He praised Parsons. He isn't a coach that hands out compliments to easy but you could see he held back from saying something negative. He hit the nail on the head saying the Rangers weren't physical enough and waiting to react far too much.
London is a veteran team. Guelph gave them a handful in there last game. Rangers could have been better.

You are bringing some great points ! Coach Ahokas is really smart, he also knows the psychology of the game, I am sure internally, he has got to be happy of his team defensive performance. The Rangers pushed London all night, rushing their passes and shots, making it difficult for them to work comfortably.

He has additional work to accomplish, specifically an offense against the powerful. This (the offense) will come, but it is imperative that he ensures that it does not compromise the defense of his team. Jussi is almost there with his entire team when it comes to teaching young players how to defend.

 

[Buttsy]

Lots of bingo balls in the air these days after this CHL/NCAA ruling.

This makes for an interesting season as there seems to be a lot of OHL calibre players sitting on rosters fighting for playing time? My point is who will be buying and how much will these trade able assets bring in return? I honestly think it’s going to be a massive buyers market and a lot of players teams want to move are not going to be moved. London right now has probably 5 lines they could ice and will have to make some decisions about who to drop to Jr B who to trade and who to cut loose. Bit of an odd season in my mind?

 

[Rangers True Blue]

No, that was not a bad played game at all, frustrating to watch from fans yes, they had to play the defensive game against London, or it could have been a blow out. Kitchener played a great team defense game, I am sure the coaches are very happy with their efforts tonight, this game speaks a lot for Kitchener's future

Jussi is rarely happy and I believe he said that the boys were standing around watching. I have to agree with that statement. While not getting enough shots off in the first, they did play their system and picked the puck of London more than once. But in the 2nd through the 3rd, they did not play their game despite comments on London dominating.

Absolutely, Rangers fell back into a defensive mode and Parsons saved their bacon more than once. But Rangers top lines did not step up like they should have and frankly, London had many sloppy passes etc that we all should know will clean up along the way much like last season.

London are expected to be a top team this season and they will be. Rangers were considered near the bottom which, again IMO, Jussi and the coaches have them up near the top but realistically, maybe they win a round one. That's great experience for the boys and a glimpse of what's yet to come for the fans.

Stick to the plan, MM. No wavering. Trade for picks, take the wrath of uneducated and delusional fans, and position the team for the future.

 

[Buttsy]

Jussi and the coaches have them up near the top but realistically, maybe they win a round one.

Jussi came in with a pretty sweet resume but I must admit I was a bit nervous as I wasn’t sold on him. BUT he is quickly winning me over but more importantly he is demonstrating this guy can coach. In fairness looking at the Rangers roster and the sell off early of their best player it’s impressive where he has this team in the standings!

 

[LostRangers]

I'd add Saginaw to Erie as buyers this year in the West. Misa is having a year.

Don’t think Saginaw have the assets to buy.

 

[EvenSteven]

I'd add Saginaw to Erie as buyers this year in the West. Misa is having a year.

Buyers with no ammo.

I’m wondering if they shouldn’t listen to offers on Misa.

No guarantees he returns next year depending on where he is drafted.

 

[Buttsy]

That is what inexperience does, but what a classic game this was, the Rangers played a great defensive game against an older experience team.

LOL, watching the post game interview of the Rangers Coach I’m thinking this wasn’t the game plan nor was he happy with the way his team played. Of course other than the goaltender who was brilliant back there especially with his rebound control.

 

[LostRangers]

Jussi is rarely happy and I believe he said that the boys were standing around watching. I have to agree with that statement. While not getting enough shots off in the first, they did play their system and picked the puck of London more than once. But in the 2nd through the 3rd, they did not play their game despite comments on London dominating.

Absolutely, Rangers fell back into a defensive mode and Parsons saved their bacon more than once. But Rangers top lines did not step up like they should have and frankly, London had many sloppy passes etc that we all should know will clean up along the way much like last season.

London are expected to be a top team this season and they will be. Rangers were considered near the bottom which, again IMO, Jussi and the coaches have them up near the top but realistically, maybe they win a round one. That's great experience for the boys and a glimpse of what's yet to come for the fans.

Stick to the plan, MM. No wavering. Trade for picks, take the wrath of uneducated and delusional fans, and position the team for the future.

The one positive I did see was that some of our young guns stepped up as the game played on. Lam, Reid and Romano all started slow but made plays as the game wore on. Not so for our two OA skaters. Thought that was the worst effort of the season for Swick and Missile.
Hope this means a better show in games moving forward, starting this weekend. We need some trades for more assets and then look for some size and speed.