On Tuesday morning, the Kitchener Rangers were back at it after opening their training camp with a scrimmage on Monday evening. The first of the two scrimmages the Rangers had scheduled finished in an 8-4 victory for Team Blue, which is headlined by NHL prospects Cameron Reid, Christian Kirsch, Christian Humphreys, Matthew Hlcar, and Andrew MacNeil.
Related: Reacting to Day 1 of Kitchener Rangers Training Camp
Earlier, at The Hockey Writers, we looked at a few players who stood out on day one of training camp. Now, with Team Blue winning the Rangers’ second scrimmage 5-2, it is time to look at who and what stood out on day two of camp.
Rangers’ Defense Core Is Loaded
After day one, I focused a lot on Reid, who the Nashville Predators drafted with the 21st overall pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. He stood out again in Tuesday’s scrimmage, with his skating ability; you notice him every time he is on the ice. But, 19 minutes into the second scrimmage, I had numerous names already written in my notes, and by the end of the game, just about every defenseman had a standout moment.
Returning Rangers Kaiden Schneider and Montreal Canadiens sixth-round draft pick, Andrew MacNeil, both looked strong again on day two. The two took multiple shifts together for Team Blue on Tuesday, and when they were on the ice together, very little pressure was put on. They kept players on the perimeter and moved the puck quickly off turnovers. For Team White, Jacob Xu and Jakub Chromiak both played well and made plays at both ends of the ice.
The standout for Team White was Alexander Bilecki, as he broke the ice for his team on a shot from the top of the circle that went bar down to tie the game 1-1. Throughout the game, Bilecki made numerous plays by jumping up in the rush or initiating the rush with his feet.
Bilecki scored three goals and had 11 assists for 14 points in 45 games in his rookie season for the Rangers. After watching him stand out on Tuesday, he could be ready to take on a larger role with the Rangers this season.
Goaltenders Steal the Show
In day one’s recap, we looked at the Rangers’ new goaltender, Christian Kirsch, who they selected in the first round of this year’s Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Import Draft. In their first scrimmage, he was impressive in the first period that he played. He is a monster in the net and combines that with excellent athleticism to square up to shooters and take away a ton of net. On the second day of camp, we saw him have another strong performance, with the only goal he let in being a shot that went bar down after he had made a flurry of saves. At the other end, Jason Schaubel, a Rangers backup goaltender from last season, also looked good again after facing a bulk of the action in the first 20 minutes of this game.
However, in the second period of Tuesday’s scrimmage, Owen Edwards and Mason Hriczov stole the show. After the first period, during which both teams suppressed the majority of scoring chances, the play opened up in the second period. Chances went back and forth in both directions. At one end, Edwards was facing several shots; he was square to all, showed reasonable rebound control, and tracked the puck well. At the other end, Hriczov made a couple of high-danger saves flying across the crease and kicking out the pad to take away goals.
Edwards has spent the last two seasons playing at the junior B level in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. He spent his first junior season with the Elmira Sugar Kings and posted a 17-50-0 record and a .878 save percentage (SV%). Last season, he played with a Komoka Kings team that went 5-42-3, and Edwards still managed to improve his save percentage to .888.
The Rangers drafted Hriczov in the 13th round of the 2025 OHL Priority Selection draft. He was born in New Jersey, and played his minor hockey season at the under-15 level with the New Jersey Rockets, where he went 5-0 with a 0.40 goals-against average and a .978 SV% in their playoff run to finish the season. Hriczov also has two high school seasons under his belt, where he has a .931 SV% across 36 games.
Tanner Lam Dominates
We talked about Tanner Lam as a standout on day one, and with the Rangers having over 40 players at camp, I wanted to talk about as many as I could, but it would be impossible to discuss this scrimmage without mentioning him again. After scoring the first goal in Monday’s game, Lam set the pace again, opening the scoring less than a minute into the first period. Lam then scored again less than one minute into the third period to tie the game 2-2. He then capped off the hat-trick after finding a loose puck at the side of the net, which he scooped up and pulled off the Michigan for the goal.
In the two Rangers training camp scrimmages, Lam scored five goals. Last season, he was much more of a playmaking threat, having 40 assists and 13 goals. If this goal-scoring carries over into the regular season, he will be a dynamic weapon for the Rangers. Not only does he bring the offence, but he also disrupts plays on the forecheck and in the defensive end to create the offensive chances.
With the Rangers already boasting many talented goal scorers, including Jack Pridham, a Chicago Blackhawks prospect, Luca Romano, a New York Islanders prospect, and Lucas Ellinas, an Ottawa Senators prospect, they were poised to be a talented offensive team. Add Lam in there as a dual threat, and the Rangers’ top six forwards will be dominant.
Rangers Should Have High Expectations
After going 47-15-4-2 last season, and having eight NHL prospects and 18 returning players at camp, the expectations were always going to be high this season. At their core, the Rangers have all of their impact players in place; the forward core is excellent and can come at you in waves. The blue line is full of tremendous skaters that shut down chances and move pucks. Despite losing Jackson Parsons to the American Hockey League, the Rangers look to have another strong goaltending tandem between Kirsch and Schaubel, as well as a few depth options.
My final takeaway from these training camp scrimmages: This team is going to be fun to watch this season, and that starts with preseason kicking off on Friday, Aug. 31, as the Rangers are set to match up with the Brantford Bulldogs, who finished first in the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Eastern Conference last season.
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