By Aaron Bell
The Kitchener Rangers are enjoying a renaissance after missing the Ontario Hockey League playoffs last season.
It didn't take long for the Rangers to re-load. They lost a lot of veteran players after winning the OHL championship and advancing to the championship game of the MasterCard Memorial Cup on home ice in 2008 and that cost the Rangers a shot at the playoffs last year.
The Rangers have quickly rebuilt their squad from scratch under GM/coach Steve Spott and have jumped out to a 6-0-0-1 start to the season, including a 4-2 win over the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds on home ice on Thanksgiving Monday.
"It was just a team game," veteran forward Michael Catenacci said about beating the Greyhounds, who went into last weekend without a loss. "Everyone was chipping it in and going after it. No turnovers at the blueline. The main thing is hard work and play as a team. We're going to keep winning games if we play as a team."
The Rangers have relied heavily on their top unit of Jeff Skinner, Jason Akeson and Chris McKinnon. The trio were together last season and are paying dividends early this season. Akeson is the Rangers' top scorer with six goals and 17 points in seven games while MacKinnon has four goals and 14 points and Skinner has chipped in eight goals and 11 points.
"It's like Reese's Pieces, no one knows how it works but it tastes good," MacKinnon said. Our line works well too.
"Last year we spent a lot of time together so there is great chemistry. Everyone has their part on the line and we're good friends off the ice. I'm really excited to be on that line and hopefully we can keep it going."
Rookie Jeremy Morin has also been a big part of that success so far.
The 18-year-old native of Auburn, NY joined the Rangers this year from the U.S. Development Program. He already has nine goals and 13 points in seven games with the Rangers. Morin enjoyed a tremendous week last week scoring a hat trick against the Owen Sound Attack on Friday and following up with a four goal effort on Monday in a 4-2 win over the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
Morin has keyed some secondary scoring that the Rangers had been looking for.
"I think we're just getting pucks on net - that's the main thing that we're focusing on," Morin said. "We're getting pucks on net and they're going in."
Seguin, the Whaler's top pick in the 2008 OHL Priority Selection, is coming off a tremendous rookie season where he scored 21 goals and 67 points in 61 games. He followed up with five goals and 16 points in 11 playoff games and was anxious to have a good start to his second season.
Consider that goal accomplished. Seguin leads all OHL scorers with 14 goals and 25 points in 10 games this season.
He has already enjoyed seven multiple point games this season and rebounded nicely from being held off the score sheet against the London Knights on Friday by scored three goals and five points against the Sudbury Wolves on Saturday.
Seguin was named Boston Pizza OHL Player of the Week for his efforts.
