77: Season Preview with Jason Hagholm and Dan Polischuk

0:00Justin: Hey, Andrew.

0:01Andrew: Hey, Justin.

0:02Justin: Hey, Dan.

0:03Dan Polischuk: Hey, Justin.

0:05Justin: Hey, Jason.

0:06Jason Hagholm: Hey, Justin.

0:08Andrew: Hey, guys.

0:08Justin: Nice hat, guys. Yeah.

0:12Jason Hagholm: Look at this swag.

0:13Dan Polischuk: I know.

0:14Justin: Yeah.

0:15Dan Polischuk: Welcome to the AudPod, where we're talking Kitchener Rangers hockey with the AudBalls themselves, Andrew and Justin.

0:25Jason Hagholm: Take it away, fellas.

0:27Justin: Official AudPod merch on sale right now. Ooh, plug early.

0:34Andrew: How did you guys get that?

0:35Dan Polischuk: No, I'm—

0:35Andrew: I've got an early leak here. Those are— are those knockoffs? I feel like those might be DHgate knockoffs, not the actual—

0:44Dan Polischuk: The Temu version, right?

0:46Andrew: Temu, yes. Shout out Temu. We're Temu partners now. So if you want to buy something off of Temu, we have a code. We have a code. Perfect. You're just layups already.

0:57Justin: Don't buy these hats off Temu because these are legit.

1:00Andrew: Yeah, don't get the hats off Temu.

1:01Justin: Buy them off our store.

1:04Andrew: Or don't buy them. That's okay too. We're not— the podcast is free, I guess. But the guests, the guests, they are very valuable. They are. We should be paying them, but we have no money. But we did give them hats, so it kind of— it works out. We are here with Dan Polischuk and Jason Hagholm from the Rogers broadcast booth, the voices of the Rangers on television. Boys, thank you for joining us.

1:35Dan Polischuk: Excited to be back.

1:36Jason Hagholm: Pleasure to have you.

1:37Andrew: Yes. Returning, I should say, a second, a second time. Have— is that, is that a first?

1:43Justin: This is our first returning guest.

1:45Dan Polischuk: Wow. Wow.

1:47Andrew: There you go.

1:48Justin: It was supposed to be Trent Swick and Jackson Parsons first, but guess who it is?

1:53Dan Polischuk: Guess who it is?

1:54Jason Hagholm: You know, I mean, it's Rangers. You're trying to make pro hockey versus when you're talking about junior hockey, you know?

2:01Dan Polischuk: Yeah. Easier access.

2:02Jason Hagholm: We'll get them.

2:04Andrew: We'll get them, but we got you guys here now and I couldn't be happier. I think—

2:09Justin: We ended the season with you and now we'll—

2:11Jason Hagholm: Yeah.

2:12Justin: Let's preview the season with you.

2:13Andrew: And before we get to it, we actually were talking about going into the Memorial Cup the last time that we talked to you both. Jason, obviously you joined us on a few of those like instant reaction pods, but let's just reminisce a little bit about the tournament that was the national championship for major junior in Canada, the Rangers kind of walked through that tournament. I mean, they had to fight. They definitely had to fight, but they kind of walked through those opponents and everyone kind of said that Everett was going to be unbeatable. Let's just, let's just, you know, get your take on, on what went so perfect for that team? And was it just the perfect storm of everyone peaking at the same time, or was that team just head and shoulders above those other 3 teams?

3:06Dan Polischuk: You take the lead, Jason, on this one.

3:09Jason Hagholm: I think it was really just they were that damn good. They were just that much better than everyone. They had it balanced at all facets of the game. Their offense was great. Their defense could shut anyone down. And they got the best goaltending they had all year long from Christian Kirsch in that tournament when you needed him to be the best goaltender coming on through. I mean, everyone just stepped up. I mean, they took it to teams, they took it to Kelowna in the opening game that, you know, the 3 of us, Justin and Andrew, we watched together. It was a glorious time at One Moose Winooski's to watch a domination like that. They took it to Everett in the first game against them. They had to survive after a back-to-back against Chicoutimi, but they still proved they can win those close games that they had all season long. And then when the championship was on the line, they dominated a team that everyone thought was going to be that much better than them. And it just showed like the perfect culmination for this season. Everyone stepped up, you know, guys like Sam O'Reilly we've talked about many times, Jared Woolley, Luke Ellinas gets the opening goal of the Memorial Cup Final. I mean, everyone was just doing their part. And yeah, I think this just proved this was probably one of, if not the best Kitchener Rangers team in franchise history.

4:26Dan Polischuk: Yeah. From a skill standpoint and from just a balance standpoint throughout the lines 1 through 4, and you look at the D pairings too, and you mentioned Luke Ellinas' name too, the fact that he started the year but essentially didn't play all year and you get him back for, for that final home stretch to, to bring the Memorial Cup home. And he's got fresh legs. He's obviously looking for something to prove here too. He was knocking on the door for a while trying to get back into action. So to add a player of his caliber, even when the team's already rolling, that just put them over the top in my view. And once Matt Andonovski came back on the back end, we talked a little bit about that the last time we were on the pod, just the boost he provided on the back end to just round everything out. So It goes back to my earlier point. I think it's just the balance from the top guys to the 4th line. And you saw how they were rolling all 4 lines and credit to the coaching staff. And again, it all starts with the architect, Mike McKenzie.

5:24Justin: Absolutely. And like, okay, just because we want to throw flowers at all things that we can throw flowers of, who was— Sam O'Reilly obviously won the MVP. Who was your standout MVP of the Memorial Cup?

5:41Jason Hagholm: I think you got to go Jack Pridham, a guy we were like, oh, when's he going to score? He had, what, 5 goals in 4 games, showcased why he was the top goal scorer for Kitchener, finished 2nd in points and goals in the OHL last year. Like, he came alive when Kitchener needed him to come alive. And really in that 3rd period where he sealed the deal on that 5-on-3 power play to begin the 3rd period against Everett in the Memorial Cup Final. I mean, when he put that puck in the back of the net, you're like, okay, this team's going to— they got to close out this period because, you know, it's junior hockey. Anything can happen. But they're just, you know, 18 minutes away from being Memorial Cup champions.

6:18Dan Polischuk: Yeah, I can't really argue with that. What, 9 points in the 4 games too? And it was kind of a homecoming party for him too, having played out BC for, for that spurt. So, and I can recall it was a bit of a slow start to the postseason for him as well. Everyone was wondering when are the goals going to come? And I guess it was worth the wait when finally he was able to get those 5 tallies in the 4 games or over the 4 games.

6:42Jason Hagholm: Yeah.

6:42Justin: I have no recollection of negative feelings during the postseason run. Everything was perfect. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

6:50Andrew: I mean, that's the, that's the funny thing about how, how you said it's probably the greatest Rangers team in the franchise's history was when you had the leading goal scorer not popping off the way that I think everyone expected him to in the postseason, and they were still just steamrolling through. That was unbelievable. And then once you got to, to the Memorial Cup and he just, he just caught fire, like you knew that there had to be the— the only thing that you could probably say is, well, you know, Prids is— he's still a point-a-game player, but the goals aren't coming. That positively regressed and bang. You know, four and four and oh they they take it and and win it all. And and he's yeah definitely like I I felt like it obviously Sam O'Reilly had the historic run, but I think between Jack Pridham and Christian Kirsch, I thought that you kind of almost had that three-headed monster for Kitchener in that Memorial Cup run. And I think that's a perfect segue because all of these guys are gone. We we're talking about the overager problem. I think it was probably. Probably in like in in February or March, we're talking about the overager problem and how there were like twelve guys slated to become overagers. And I guess what happens when your team wins, they all get to jump to the next level, which is amazing. We talked to Carson Campbell a couple weeks ago, and he just said, you know, if we didn't win, I would have stayed. And when we won, it was clear that I had to take you know. take this opportunity to further his game. And I think that's the right move. But yeah, let's, let's talk a little bit about how do the guys who have stuck around and have that championship pedigree, what's it like now, do you think, for them being, you know, the leaders on this team, but also walking into a dressing room where you've got, you know, 10 to 12 guys that are just gone now?

8:54Dan Polischuk: Well, I think it's one of those things where he's definitely in a different situation from a guy like Luca Romano, for instance, where it was a down year for Luca. I think we can all agree on that. And obviously an important part still of the championship-winning team. But I'm sure there was a bit, you know, of him, you know, him thinking like, I could have brought a bit more, not really knowing fully what the situation was this year, whether it was injury or injury recovery. The injury and just dealing with the remnants of the injury that he had there midway through and not just really feeling 100%. I think he's still got something to prove here with the Islanders brass and otherwise. So I think he's come back with a chip on his shoulder, whereas a guy like Campbell, he certainly played out of his skates all through the playoffs and into the Memorial Cup where credit the defense to shout out to them, 6 goals against over those 4 games. Like, come on, how ridiculous is that when you talk about how stingy they were? Right. So Yeah, I wholly agree with what you were saying, agreeing with Carson moving on to the next level. But Luca, maybe just a bit more development there and just to round out his game. And who knows, maybe part of that is seeing a letter on his jersey with— and specifically the letter C.

10:02Jason Hagholm: Yeah, I am already expecting Luca Romano to have a massive year for the Kitchener Rangers. I've seen him before one of the Blue and white scrimmages, really working on his shot. He scored a goal with that beautiful shot. He may have the best shot in the OHL right now.

10:21Dan Polischuk: Yeah.

10:22Jason Hagholm: He scored a goal against Erie in the preseason like that, similar to how he scored in Game 4 of the OHL final against Barrie. Just put that absolute laser past Ben Hrebik and started the momentum going the right way for Kitchener. So you've already seen him too at these prospect challenges with the New York Islanders, pick up a big assist. I think he's going to really take his game to the next level. And to Dan's point, he may be wearing the letter C sooner rather than later. But I also look at some guys that were on this team, injuries or bringing in new pieces. Like, I think Weston Cameron is someone that's just going to explode this year. You can see he's already playing with poise, with confidence, with a little bit of swagger in the preseason. And that's going to bode over. Like, remember, this guy scored an overtime-winning goal in like his 4th game in the OHL against London.

11:11Dan Polischuk: Oh yeah.

11:11Jason Hagholm: And then he got hurt and was out for a month.

11:13Andrew: Yeah.

11:14Jason Hagholm: And had some small roles and filling in because obviously then the team made some of those trades. So I'm expecting him to step up. And there's other guys too that were around that I expect to grow leaps and bounds.

11:26Andrew: Yeah. I mean, I got to jump in here and talk about Haeden Ellis. Haeden Ellis seems to be lighting it up in preseason. Justin, you were down and you saw Haeden Ellis skating and mentioned it to me that he looks, he looks faster than ever. He looks like he didn't— you said he, he didn't skip a leg day all summer. And, and, and I think that he's a player, you know, when you, you have sometimes they're a little bit smaller, they play a little fewer minutes because the team is so deep. These are the type of guys now with experience that you could see like taking that next step. I have, I have a lot of confidence in Haeden Ellis. I feel like he, he carries himself really well off the ice. He seems like he's very focused on the ice. I think he could be a leader this year for the Kitchener Rangers. And I agree with your assessment, Weston Cameron, as well. I think the other guy, if you use the term explode, I think it's Avry Anstis. I think Avry Anstis is going to have a massive year for this Kitchener Rangers team. I'm really excited to see what he can do. with more opportunity because he was one of those guys that you were like, I think he's too good to be sitting for, you know, for only playing 6 minutes a game or less. And but at the same time, like, it's like he's this type of player that you kind of want on a top 2 line because that's the type of player he is. He's not a, he's not a 4th line grinder, but he, he did what he had to do to just I'm pretty excited about Jason Schaubel too.

13:02Justin: I think along with Weston Cameron and Avry Anstis, getting these 3 guys more, more games, more minutes, more high-leverage time on ice, I think is going to be pretty exciting for this team. And yeah, as they move up the depth chart. So yeah, this, this is a, you know, obviously 10 or 12 guys left this team or however many it is. But there's some really exciting players on this team still, and I can't wait to watch them blossom this season. So— oh, go ahead, Dan.

13:38Dan Polischuk: No, I was just going to say, but I'll let you kind of segue first because I think I'm predicting what you're going to go with.

13:44Justin: So maybe not. But if I don't, just cut in with what you're going to say. But what I was going to say was, so Dan kind of gave away a little bit of what he's thinking about this, but Who do you see as our leadership group here for, for this year?

13:56Dan Polischuk: Well, yeah, I'd say Luca Romano, to me, odds on to be this year's captain. But whether they wait to see how things progress with other players at NHL camps. But even then, I'd still say that it's his kind of role to lose. But I guess in terms of more as to what makes him, you know, the natural choice in my view anyways, it's just obviously the offensive capability. The experience he's had at the next level, just even attending camps, bringing that back and being that player that teammates can lean on to know what it takes because he's at least got that little bit of experience too. He knows how to develop and play the right way. It's just a matter of going out and doing it. But at the end of the day, I don't necessarily see him being the rah-rah type of leader. It just doesn't seem like that personality aligns with that, but it's a lead by example sort of thing. So That's where I just kind of put the importance on what he's able to put on the stat sheet and how he goes about doing things game in, game out. That'll be kind of the way he leads, especially this younger group.

15:00Justin: That's not dissimilar from Cam Reid either. He wasn't a— I don't think he was a rah-rah captain. He was a— he was like, let's get out there and do it. Like, I'm going to show you what I want in my team. Sorry, Jason. I think—

15:12Jason Hagholm: I think too, like Luca last year, the role he had to play kind of Win those faceoffs, be a little bit more of a defensive offensive player. Like, he's really becoming a well-rounded player because, yeah, he was drafted in the first round in 2023, you know, 11th overall, right behind Cam Reid, where he's supposed to be the offensive guy. Cam's going to be the defensive guy. Cam kind of picked up his offensive skills later on in his time here with Kitchener, obviously becoming the captain. I think that's what makes Lucas such a great choice. He's really becoming an all-rounded player. He's been in the system the longest, really, out of anyone here. He has to at some point be given the C. He knows now, and also he knows what it takes to now win a championship. He was in every single playoff game in a Memorial Cup run. So I'd expect him to be the captain. I'd expect, you know, newly minted Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick Alexander Bilecki to get an A on his sweater. Because that was a guy that, you know, we were talking about before the Memorial Cup. He'd grown defensively, offensively in the playoffs. He even had a better Memorial Cup for the Kitchener Rangers in helping them bring home the Memorial Cup to Kitchener. Gets drafted by Toronto in a spot that he loves. And you can just tell like how much confidence and poise he has going into this season. And I'd even throw a letter at Tanner Lam. Tanner's a guy that, you know, Maybe he's been passed over by some NHL teams, but he's been here in Kitchener just as long as Luca Romano has. He scored some big goals. And you remember when a lot of those guys were away at camps last year, Tanner had an amazing 2-point, 2-goal night opening night against Brantford, including an overtime winner. He just closed out the preseason with a goal with 1 second left against Barrie. So, I mean, we still got Barrie's number, at least in the finals or in the preseason.

17:01Justin: Yeah.

17:02Jason Hagholm: But I would give Tanner Lam a letter. I think he's been here enough that he can Lead by example with his play. I think maybe that may be Jeff Kyrzakos' system with the leaders. It's maybe not be the rah-rah kind of guy. Let's just lead by example. Let's just show what we can do on the ice and, you know, put that for the, for the next group of Rangers.

17:19Justin: We also know that Jeff Kyrzakos is not a rah-rah guy. No, no, we know him from— Maybe if Brad Flynn was head coach, things would be a little different.

17:28Andrew: But maybe, maybe. Yeah.

17:31Jason Hagholm: The—

17:32Andrew: I think those are great choices. I think there's a— there's, you know, to be perfectly honest, I think there's a few guys that could wear A's throughout the season. And I think they're all part of that group that was here last year.

17:45Justin: Right.

17:45Andrew: I think Andrew MacNiel is probably a dark horse to get an A. I think he kind of fits that, that Rangers mentality. Show up, work hard, you know, fight when you got to fight. And block shots. And he's that kind of like, you know, he could, he could really step into that Carson Campbell role and they're going to be expecting him to. And that's going to be a lot of work for him because, as we saw, Carson Campbell's development wasn't linear. Carson Campbell, you know, stepped up as he had to and got better and better. But it's one of those things with those defensive defensemen, you don't necessarily see it in the box score. You see it if you watch the games as we do, but you just, you kind of, you have to think that, you know, scouts aren't in there day, you know, game in and game out. So it's kind of a more of a body of work. And then you look at like a run like that and Carson Campbell goes next level. Andrew MacNiel is going to kind of have to eat a lot of those minutes and play a lot of those minutes and obviously Bilecki on the other side. But I think, I think that's realistically You know, the guys that are going to get a look at the the the A's. I guess Cameron Arquette's been wearing one as well. He's another guy again. He was here. So yeah, I can't imagine any of the new players would work their way into an A outside of an injury this early in the season. But you never know, which is a perfect segue if I do say so myself to some of these new guys that are bringing in one in particular, a real. Real interesting talking point all across junior hockey is Dmitri Toporowski coming in from pro hockey. That's right. He's coming in from the 4th highest— and I know you guys know that, but I'm talking to the listeners right now— the 4th highest pro league in North America right now, the SPHL. And he's coming back to junior. What do you make of this, boys?

19:46Jason Hagholm: What a That's what I mean.

19:50Dan Polischuk: Yeah. Well, I talk about potential, and you kind of alluded to it. I wouldn't be all too surprised if he has an A on his jersey too, coming in as a 20-year-old too. He's been around, obviously, from an experience standpoint. And like you just set up, having played in the pro ranks, essentially, he could be that guy to push some of these youngsters to really get the best out of them and just be that guy that's going to be there for you. be that presence in the room as, like I said, a 20-year-old and a big, you know, heavy-hitting two-way defenseman.

20:21Jason Hagholm: Yeah, I've seen him in a couple of the preseason games that I got to see, and you can see he kind of just fits in with all that experience playing pro, coming back to junior. And he also seems like a very smart hockey IQ player, but someone that's going to bring that grit that I think this Kitchener Rangers team's going to need without having something like your Andonovskis or your Carson Campbells or your Matthew Hlacars. They're not here anymore. So Toporowski here is going to have to be that guy for the Kitchener Rangers. And it's a role that I think he seems very— that he can fit into. I mean, that was his game playing pro or even playing junior before that. He picked up a lot of penalty minutes.

21:02Dan Polischuk: 102 minutes. I was just kind of reading before we hopped on with Quad City yesterday or last year. Yeah, it's, I guess, the next Ando, if you will. Jared Woolley, this, that sandpaper on the back end that they need to replace.

21:15Justin: Without knowing those penalty minutes, when I, when I saw him in the preseason, like he does play with like when Ando came back from, from the Senators or from the, yeah, from the Senators in Belleville, he was, he, he looked like he had a lot more confidence and he was a lot grittier in a more clean way. I don't know if that's the best way to say that, but he did. That's, that's how this guy, he came across to me. I mean, 102 penalty minutes is a lot, so we'll see. Maybe he'll lead the league in penalty minutes, which is always exciting for a Kitchener Ranger to have that position. One of the other players I saw in the preseason that was really interesting to me was Andreev. What do you guys know about him and what have you seen out of him in the first few games?

22:02Jason Hagholm: I think he's fit in nicely. I think a lot of these import picks, I think Andreev has fit in well. I think Jiri Gombar looks like he's been here like 2 years already in Kitchener. So I think that's a great sign.

22:15Andrew: Yeah, he's put his weight in.

22:16Jason Hagholm: He had a good Hlinka Gretzky before coming to Kitchener. I think that's— he's just another big cog in the defense that's going to take this team to another level. Charlie Puglisi looks excellent already as a Kitchener Ranger. He scored the goal of the preseason at the showcase Labor Day weekend, a beautiful like spinorama goal and just slipped it on in on the empty side of the cage. I mean, I think when you look at this Rangers team, I think a lot of people look at the power rankings that just came out today. Kitchener is 11th. I think it's a little disrespectful for how this team is going to be. I know we don't have the names that we had last year. I know that there's some— a lot of turnover and there's a new coach, what have you. But I think this is a team that it's going to be fine. They've got players that seem like they mesh into this system already. And I think this is a Rangers team that's going to come out and compete and compete starting opening night.

23:14Justin: You know what? I didn't see the power rankings that come out today, but, you know, this is— I've had a bone to pick with the OHL power rankings. for a long time. So it's good. Bring it on, OHL. I'm here.

23:26Andrew: I mean, this is, this is the thing though, is like there's a bunch of guys who are, who are kind of like starting lineup guys for the first time. But, you know, we've got a guy like Kaden Schneider who's going to come in and play hockey this year, a lot more hockey than he's played. But he's been practicing against Jack Pridham and Sam O'Reilly, you know, for the last, last year, last 2 years. You know, playing in the dressing room around, around Cameron Reid. Like, this is like, this is like an ideal situation where you have guys stepping in. It's like, you know, he's an older player. He can come in and play right away and he's got the experience. Another guy who benefited so much from being on that run is— we haven't spoken about him, but I want to. I want to hear your take on him. What kind of a year do you think Alex Forrest is going to have?

24:15Justin: Oh yeah.

24:16Dan Polischuk: I'm glad you brought him up because I think this kid is going to be special. And he obviously turned some heads winning the Sutherland Cup with Cambridge last year and setting a new defenseman scoring record with that franchise. So not to say that he's going to jump right in and put up those sort of numbers at the OHL level because it's tough to do. But I think he's got a good head on his shoulders that that transition— he's not going to be in over his head with the transition to the next level here too. And I talk about, you know, future leaders on this team. I definitely see him as being one of those.

24:59Jason Hagholm: He has a bit of that Cam Reid feel to him where there's a lot of expectations, but the moment doesn't seem too big for him. He just wants to go play his game and he plays a very quality defensive game. He's very aggressive. I've seen him really lay the body around in some of those preseason games, which is great to see. He's going to be— I think he's just such a great asset to have because not only did he win a Sutherland Cup playing a big role with Cambridge, but he was around guys that just won an OHL championship and a Memorial Cup. So all he did was win and he brings a winning culture. An even more winning culture into already a winning culture. So that just screams excellent stuff for the Kitchener Rangers then, which is why I think you can't sleep on this Rangers team because yeah, maybe the offense may be down a tad just because some of the guys are getting, you know, big jumps up on the lines. But the defense is the bread and butter, the foundation of Kitchener Rangers hockey the past few years. And they got a lot of pieces that you can just plug in there. And they can seem— they seem like they're excited to be in Kitchener. They're excited to be a part of this program. And I think that's what makes this team, I think, going to really turn some heads. And once again, the power rankings, I am a little astonished. It's like, I know different people, but did the Rangers like fall off a cliff or something like that? No, they didn't. So put some respect on your reigning and defending Memorial Cup and OHL champion Kitchener Rangers.

26:26Dan Polischuk: I guess the only knock, going back to Forrest just for a second too, is It's not so much of a knock, it's just he'll grow into his size. He's the only defenseman on the roster currently that's under 6 feet, and they've got him listed at 157 pounds in terms of his weight, right? So he's, he's going to need to fill out a bit more, I think, to endure the rigors of a full OHL season. And that's no disrespect to the Junior B level, but, you know, they've got the right people in place organizationally to make sure that happens. So That all can be handled if he puts some work in, and I imagine he will. But yeah, that would be the only part that, you know, you might see some growing pains.

27:04Justin: You can't get in there without nothing. Did he technically win 3 championships? Was he with the team when they won?

27:10Dan Polischuk: Yeah.

27:10Justin: So yeah, he's a, he's an all-timer at this point.

27:13Andrew: Yeah, that's unbelievable.

27:15Justin: Yeah.

27:15Andrew: Yeah. If he accomplishes nothing else, which he will, if he accomplishes nothing else, what a story he has to tell about being a, you know, a junior hockey player. But he absolutely—

27:25Dan Polischuk: He's starting to feel his hands like Tom Brady pretty soon. Exactly right.

27:29Andrew: Yeah, he's going to have the picture.

27:30Justin: Yeah.

27:30Andrew: And hopefully he gets another one before he leaves. I had a lot of people, and I think Justin did too, make jokes when we had our small children at the Fan Fest being like, I hope that they don't— it's not 18 years before they get to see one. And I have, I have good— I have high hopes. I know it's very hard to win, especially, I mean, just at least an OHL championship. It's very hard to win. But I did get the vibe that this leadership group in the front office got the bug that winning feels really good and winning at all costs is worth it. What is your take on that? Did you feel a little bit of a culture shift after maybe some years of pains and, and having the wrong guys come in and And then finding, you know, you know, this Finnish coach that kind of turned the league upside down a little bit. And now, you know, his heir apparent was here for that. Talk a little bit for us about what it's like for what you think the front office and the executive leadership are thinking now, having gotten a taste of, you know, glory.

28:40Jason Hagholm: Well, when you get a taste of something, you don't want just a taste. You want to continue to devour on on that success. And we even heard it from Mike McKenzie during Jeff Kyrzakos's introductory press conference as Kitchener Rangers head coach. They want to kind of be like a new version of the London Knights. They want to compete for championships year after year. It was too long for us to— for Kitchener as a city, for the Rangers as an organization to be having the run that they had. And I think they know that they have the ability to do that. And I would not be surprised if once we get settled a little in this season, you know, maybe some guys decide to leave NCAA hockey because it wasn't the choice for them. If this is a team that makes some moves and brings some guys in, maybe gets some guys back from NHL camps, I— you can't just look at this roster on opening night and think that's going to be everything. Mike McKenzie's got a lot of tricks up his sleeves. I know. And he proved it at the trade deadline last year. Maybe he doesn't even need to make some trades this year, but I would not be surprised to see this team kind of go for it again. And why not? Especially with Guelph hosting Memorial Cup. London looks to be really good in our— like, this division is going to be— it's going to be a bloodbath. I think this is going to— this division is always the toughest division in junior hockey. Erie looks a little— a lot better, especially with their goaltending situation even more secured. Owen Sound, I think, has a little bit of spunk in them as well with, you know, new ownership, a new coach, getting Pierce Mbuyi back. I think I would not be shocked if Kitchener is one of those teams that makes a serious run to go after it.

30:15Dan Polischuk: I personally think there's multiple factors as to why they went all in as they did. And part of it's, you know, getting denied the Memorial Cup, quite frankly. And, you know, that certainly was, I think, the nail in the coffin, if you will, in terms of like sealing what their game plan was going to be. And obviously that was pretty— made pretty clear by Mike McKenzie at the celebratory party there at City Hall after he came onto the podium and made that pretty clear to everyone once they found out. He's like, we're going all in, right? But at the end of the day, there's 2 factors for me. This organization, the following it has, this fan base is Too dedicated not to have a proven winner every year, to have a to go through that cyclical run. And yeah, there were some especially some years as a late where you might make the argument. Yeah, they're waiting for that third, fourth year to kind of make a run at it. Why can't we follow that London Knights model is my question, and always has been. Why can't we be in that Western Conference OHL Championship conversation every year? And I think you know this what we the Rangers fan base, the city, the region experienced last year. They're just going to be clamoring for more. So the demand is there for it. So to meet that expectation and, you know, when you're talking dollars and cents, having those extra games and, you know, the money that comes into the coffers, certainly there is the proof in the pudding as to why you should be putting that kind of quality onto the ice all the time. The last point I'll make, too, is the environment that we're in with the NCAA rules and whatnot, too. Guys aren't going to wait necessarily 4 years to find out what kind of squad you're going to have. You're almost having to go in and really make a go for it. And if not every year, every second year, because ultimately they're packing their bags if they're not seeing a pathway to an OHL championship and taking that NIL money and heading down south. So that whole environment, you know, it just— I think it's propelling us a new way forward as an organization, as an organization, as an organization. Excuse me.

32:13Justin: All I really heard from Jason was that he thinks Oscar Hemming is coming back this season.

32:18Dan Polischuk: Oh, we've been talking about tinfoil hats.

32:23Justin: Yeah.

32:23Jason Hagholm: His hat is coming off.

32:25Justin: Yeah. No, I don't—

32:26Dan Polischuk: Tinfoil's going on.

32:28Andrew: Yeah, that's, that's one I'd love to see, but I don't, I don't, I don't see it particularly happening, unfortunately for all of us.

32:37Dan Polischuk: But Boston College is going to do all they can, right?

32:39Andrew: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. And yeah, they have that money so they can. But—

32:45Justin: Andrew, when did you become the wet blanket of this podcast?

32:49Andrew: Seriously. I just listen. I just don't— you know what? I just— I love the AudPodience. I just don't— I also— I answer the DMs, Justin. I answer the DMs. Okay, so I'm not trying to spread false rumors and have to be like, we just literally have a podcast. We're not insiders. No one— no one tells us anything. Jason and Dan told you guys everything that they told us.

33:14Justin: So it's—

33:15Andrew: that's, that's, that's the bottom line with this. But some people still think maybe we're connected somehow. And I'm— I— yeah, no, we are. We are definitely not. So I apologize for being the wet blanket. I just don't— I just don't want to have those interactions. Well, I think that's kind of been a great little wrap on the roster and coming into it. We, we touched briefly on, you know, the new coaching staff. I'm curious about what your take is on how does somebody like Jeff Kyrzakos step in there and put his own spin on things? How does he, you know, obviously conform to the Rangers culture, which is always going to be there? And I think everybody embraces it. And everyone that we've spoken to definitely, you know, kind of hammers that home as being part of being a part of this organization. But I think it's just like it's huge shoes. I mean, he was right there. He saw it all firsthand and got to experience it. But what do you think his strategy is going to be like with a younger group and coming in and kind of being like, well, you know, I'm, I'm the bench boss now. This is my team. How, how is he going to do things?

34:28Jason Hagholm: I think he's going to do things the same way that I guess Jussi did, just with his own spin on it. I mean, he's part of a winning culture in Kitchener ever since he's been there. He was a great coach as an assistant coach with Mississauga, helping Mississauga get the most players they've ever had get drafted into the NHL. I think this is, like we said before, this is a great guy to take the next step. It was the perfect successor for Jussi Ahokas being Jeff Kyrzakos. And I think he will find his own way. He's still, I think, you know, trying to find his footing as a head coach in the Ontario Hockey League. I think the preseason's a great aspect for him that he got to do that. Now that the real season is about to begin, I think we'll, we'll see what that team truly looks like. I'm not expecting it to look too much different, but you know that Jeff is going to put his own little tweaks on it. And I think I'm excited to see what those tweaks are.

35:22Dan Polischuk: Yeah, we all know, and you can tell how he, he exudes the energy on the bench. It was always a contrast between Jussi And then Jeff, he was always kind of more the bad cop, if you will, when letting the referees know he wasn't agreeing with something. But it was cool to see that passion essentially. And I think that's going to have a trickle-down effect to his players essentially. Everyone will think this team is going to take a step back. And, you know, I think you'll make that argument saying, well, hold on a second here. It could be a different looking team, not necessarily take a big step back. But at the end of the day, we're going to be playing with passion and play for that crest on the jersey. And it sounds cliché and maybe it is a little bit, but I think that passion that he's exuded is just going to come back down to his players in terms of playing the right way. And, you know, he was involved in so many aspects of team success last year from, you know, like I said, different areas. So and not to mention the experience he's gained, as Justin mentioned, over the decade as an assistant. too. So the knowledge is there. It's just, yeah, it's— I think at the end of the day, it's just playing the right way and playing with the energy that they need to, to pick up points on any given night.

36:36Justin: There's something to be said about, you know, having a fan base that is also super passionate. Like, it adds to— it adds to what they put out on the ice, right? Like, if there's passionate people behind them, I think that the, you know, they play harder too. And we saw that a lot throughout the season. So I think, you know, yes, there's some changes, but I think Ultimately, Rangers fans come out and these, these kids know that they're there and they, they want to play. And we saw that at Fan Fest and we saw that at even like the white and blue scrimmages. Like there were tons of people there. Like people are just passionate about this team. So I think, I think if at the bare minimum there's going to be good energy going into this season and I think that, I think there's a, there's a bump that comes from that. The AudPod bump. I'm sorry, the fan bump.

37:23Dan Polischuk: Justin.

37:25Andrew: Yeah, yeah, you're, you're, you're Justin, you're like reading my mind because I think when I was going to talk about the imports, you brought up the imports and now you're, you're talking about the supporters. I was going to pose a question and it might be a— it's a tough question, but to Jason and Dan, if the Rangers aren't as powerful and struggle a little bit, let's say in the first 10 games, which could easily happen, and it doesn't mean the season is over by any means, but what would you tell the average Rangers fan, if the team struggles mightily coming out in the first 10 games, what would you say that the average fan can look for for the next 10 games, getting us to about, you know, a third of the season through?

38:10Jason Hagholm: I would tell the fan base, calm down. The sky's not falling. Season doesn't really begin in the Ontario Hockey League till after Christmas. And after the trade deadline, as Kitchener Rangers fans found out, just calm down. That's really what I would tell people. Let's calm down if we're off to a slow start because there's a lot of youth on this team, which they could— they could get off to a slow start. But it's all about finding your footing. You just got to go through the motions. And this is a coaching staff that's basically the same and just won an OHL and Memorial Cup, just without Jussi Ahokas here anymore. You know, your two assistant coaches are still there, and and Jeff is now the head coach. Brad Flynn's still there. You know, Nick Spaling won a Sutherland Cup with Cambridge and is now on this coaching staff. So they will figure things out if things go bad. I honestly think it's going to be a hot start for the Kitchener Rangers, and it's going to be maybe how do they maintain that and not you know flame out like an Owen Sound did last year. They got off to a really hot start, and then they became Kind of sellers at the trade deadline.

39:18Dan Polischuk: Jason, I wish I had gone first. That was— you set me up perfectly because I agree with you on the latter too. I think with this team wanting to prove or have something to prove that they're going to come out really well in the first, I don't know, 10, 15 games. But it's just, again, maintaining that over the course of the season to put them in a decent playoff spot, which I think they are a playoff team. At the very least, take a playoff series, if not a bit more too, based on who they could add at a deadline or throughout the season like we saw via trade or whatnot. But yeah, that's, that's kind of the way I see it. But your point's well taken too. It just, you got to realize at the end of the day, we're watching teenagers play hockey. So there's going to be growing pains and that's just the nature of it too. It's, this is, they've got talent on this roster and They're going to go through some growing pains like every other team does, but I think those will be short-lived.

40:16Andrew: I appreciate that. Realistically, I was just— I'm just going to clip it and use those answers for the DMs if they struggle or if, or if it goes well. That's all I'm, all I'm concerned about right now is the DMs. No, I'm joking. That was, that was, that was brilliant. Yeah, I think a lot of times because we just have such hardcore fans that you know, the emotions swing. But you look like last year there was a lot of people, including myself at some points, where I felt like they needed to turn up the grit. They needed to add a little sandpaper. And by the end of the whole thing, I was like, that's the toughest junior hockey team I've ever seen in my life. So I wouldn't ever question the toughness of that team. It was incredible.

40:57Jason Hagholm: I think we should talk about Jason Schaubel a lot more because he's our number one goaltender. He's been the backup between, you know, a guy that was goaltender of the year, not only the OHL but all of the Canadian Hockey League. And then now he was behind a guy that helped win Kitchener an OHL championship and Memorial Cup. And, you know, Jason, when he played last year, there was even moments where fans thought he should be the number one goalie going into the playoffs. Obviously, they made the right choice with Christian Kirsch and didn't doubt on him. But I've already seen like a different level of compete in Jason Schaubel. Like, this is my time. I've earned the opportunity. I had to pay my dues. I'm ready. And I think he's going to have a great season. He's off at, you know, Blackhawks or was at Blackhawks prospect camp getting a Frazier invite there. No better place to learn than a great organization like that with a lot of young quality prospects in their pipeline in Chicago. I think we're going to see an incredible version of Jason Schaubel. And his story feels a little same trajectory of Jackson Parsons, where it was Jackson's time he did struggle. And of course, he had an injury that kept him out from the year he was supposed to be the guy. But then he came back and was, you know, the best goalie in all of junior hockey. So I'm excited for Jason. I'm not saying he'll be the best goalie in junior hockey, but that trajectory is, I think, there for Jason with him now truly being the number one guy over the next few years.

42:20Dan Polischuk: Yeah. And he had spurts where he was very good when, you know, maybe Kirsch gave him the opportunity and when Kirsch was gone at the World Juniors too, where he was the guy. Right. So, and earned Goalie of the Week honors from what I can remember. So it's another example there, I think, of a guy that's, you know, taking the bull by the horns and the opportunity is there now. And I think he's set up for success.

42:47Justin: Quite frankly, I think the best, the best thing about Jason Schaubel is every time we've seen him play consecutive games, he just gets better. Like, he just seems like the guy that he just needs more time. The more time he does, the better he gets. And, and I, I don't— I've, I've never really seen a downside of him. Like, he was young. That was his only downside, was that he was a little inexperienced when he started, as all players are.

43:12Dan Polischuk: And we're going back to kind of a Jackson Parsons style goaltender in terms of size too, where he's on paper 6 feet, listed at 6 feet, right? Versus a Christian Kirsch who is more of a, you know, prototypical large framed goaltender. Right. So, but the athleticism is there. So again, another reason why I think he can be successful.

43:31Jason Hagholm: And a guy not afraid to fight. And a guy not afraid to fight either.

43:35Andrew: It's true. It's true.

43:37Dan Polischuk: Yeah.

43:37Justin: He's already, he's already a Kitchener Rangers legend. Yeah, it's true. It's true.

43:43Jason Hagholm: Yeah.

43:43Andrew: I mean, Schaubel, it's, it's been a long time coming, I think, for Jason Schaubel. He, he's been very patient and now he's going to inherit a team that obviously, like we've, we've been talking about, is it's kind of a younger and an upstart team. But I think that, you know, he will rise to the occasion and I'm really excited to see what kind of development. Obviously, his, his goalie coach is moving on, but I have faith that, that the Rangers coaching staff, as a whole will all— will make sure that he's, he's even more ready than he would be anyway. I think that he's going through, uh, right now he's in Chicago training camp, so, uh, that's pretty exciting, the rookie camp in Chicago. So he's getting a little bit of taste of, you know, the pros, and I think that's just got to add to his, his confidence level. And, uh, and obviously, like, he, he's seen what it takes to be a championship-level goaltender, you know, 2 years over, basically. So with that said, I want to move on to the prediction aspect of this. Normally we do over-unders, but I— that gets a little boring when we've got 4 people weighing in on over-unders. So what we're going to do is we're going to try and come to a consensus for our predictions. So this will be interesting, or it might be really easy because we might be all on the same wavelength. All right. The first prediction, and I think we're all going to have the same answer. I don't think anybody's going to argue too much about this one, which is why it's a layup. The most goals scored this year by a Kitchener Rangers player will be—

45:18Jason Hagholm: Well, let's see. Probably I'm going to say Luca Romano. It has to be Luca Romano. I think for the team to have success, it has to be Luca. Luca has to be between 30 and 35 goals, maybe even 40 goals. This season for Kitchener to have the six the season I think they want.

45:36Andrew: Okay, so our first Dan weigh in. But right now we've got 35 to 40 goals Luca Romano.

45:44Dan Polischuk: Well, I'm gonna steal Jason's line. I'm gonna say Tanner La La La La La Lamb. Okay. Yeah.

45:53Andrew: Okay. Okay.

45:54Justin: Revenge tour part two.

45:56Andrew: Tanner Lamb.

45:56Justin: Tanner Lamb.

45:57Dan Polischuk: I think he's gonna find that second gear and work those soft mitts of his. to dangle around the opposition and yeah, pull up that goal.

46:05Jason Hagholm: And from a broadcast standpoint, God, I hope he does.

46:07Andrew: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

46:10Justin: You'll really get to milk highlight reels.

46:11Andrew: You'll really get to milk that.

46:12Dan Polischuk: Yeah.

46:12Andrew: And you'll get that, you'll get those, you'll get those clips, those, those on the board.

46:17Dan Polischuk: It might be a t-shirt by the end of the season.

46:18Andrew: There you go. There you go. Okay.

46:22Justin: We can talk to us.

46:23Dan Polischuk: Yeah.

46:25Justin: Yeah.

46:25Andrew: Yeah.

46:26Jason Hagholm: Maybe a nice hat too.

46:28Justin: There you go. There you go.

46:30Andrew: Just la la la la la. And then just a Lamb. Yeah, I can see it right now. Okay, so we got Romano and Lamb. Justin, what are you thinking?

46:38Justin: Oh, I'm going way off the board here. Luke Ellinas, 40 goals.

46:43Andrew: Comes back and leads the team.

46:46Justin: Insane.

46:47Andrew: We're not getting a consensus here already. That's— that's—

46:50Justin: that's definitely not—

46:50Andrew: that's definitely obvious to me. Yeah, I'm going to go, I'm going to go Avry Anstis. So we're the anti, the anti consensus here. Oh, we've got all 4. I'm going with the dark horse, Avry Anstis, but that's 4. I'm guessing, I'm guessing the odds—

47:11Justin: You're writing these all down.

47:12Andrew: I'm guessing the bookies— well, guess not. Guess what? It's being recorded, so I don't need to write anything down. Anyone can write it down. I'm guessing the odds-on favorite would be Luca Romano, followed by Tanner Lam and then Luke Ellinas. And then the longest odds would be Avry Anstis. But we aren't a gambling podcast and we don't support that and we don't take gambling money. So that's a whole other conversation. No, we've actually turned it down.

47:39Justin: We've turned it down multiple times.

47:41Andrew: Yeah, multiple times. We've taken the moral high ground and Paying for the hats out of our pocket.

47:47Dan Polischuk: Tip of the AudPod hat to you boys.

47:50Justin: Yeah. Okay.

47:52Andrew: All right. Now, this one, I think is a— I thought that would be more of a consensus. Most assists. Who's going to have the most apples? And, and as a side note, who do you think will have the Apple of the Year? The vaunted Apple of the Year the AudPod likes to hand out in December.

48:12Dan Polischuk: Major award.

48:13Andrew: Yeah.

48:13Jason Hagholm: I'm going to go with Tanner Lam on that one. I think Tanner's a very good puck distributor. You know, maybe he doesn't find the back of the net as much as Dan thinks he will, but I still think he's going to set up his teammates and he's got some filthy hands, so he'll find someone at the side of the net or in the slot and get them a beautiful goal. And probably he should walk away with that Apple of the Year award, the vaunted Apple of the Year award from the AudPod.

48:40Dan Polischuk: I'm flipping-flopping with Jason then because I'm with Romano on this one. I think his vision is going to be on full display this year too, even more so than it has. Finding those wingers. And obviously I assume he's going to be having Lamb to his right side there this season with probably with regularity. So that could be a dangerous duo on that top line potentially.

49:05Justin: Well, I, I'm, I'm going to continue to not stay with the consensus at all. I'm going to go Alexander Bilecki. I think he's going after the Hunter Brzustewicz award this year. The, or the, not the award, the, the record. The record.

49:22Andrew: The record.

49:22Justin: The assist record. And I think he won the Apple of the Year last year, did he not? So I think back-to-back award is what he's going to get.

49:31Dan Polischuk: Wow.

49:31Justin: Wow.

49:31Andrew: We'll have to— we might have to make him a little trophy if that's the case and give it to Gord.

49:36Justin: No more trophies.

49:36Andrew: Give it to Gord.

49:37Dan Polischuk: Yeah, that's true.

49:37Andrew: Okay. I'm going off the board here and I'm going with Charlie Puglisi, all because I think he had like, you know, a really nice assist in an NHL training camp highlight. And I, and I'm like, you know what? If he's got hands like that, I think that there could be a lot of that this year. And I'm, I'm I'm going off the board. So we're the anti-consensus here. You know, you just got to roll with the bit. Okay. Now, now I think we will get a consensus. Most penalty minutes this year. Everybody say it at the same time.

50:15Jason Hagholm: Toporowski.

50:16Justin: I was like, I don't know. I still don't know how to say it. Yeah. Yeah.

50:22Dan Polischuk: I'm still on the Andrew MacNiel train on that one. Oh, okay. So I'm You know, it's— he's going to put up his totals, but I think the big man, the Montreal Canadiens prospect, is going to have a year in that regard.

50:32Justin: He does have that Hulk puncher punch.

50:36Andrew: He does.

50:36Dan Polischuk: He does. I'm just saying. I'm just saying. And he wants to prove something to the big club there too, right?

50:41Andrew: Yes. Yeah. Yeah.

50:42Justin: How does— how does the new fighting rule affect that though? Because, you know, that's penalty minutes. You get a lot of those from fighting and now there's new rules.

50:49Jason Hagholm: Plays a factor in it, but I'm sure each team's thought about it, but you all have— everyone has a plan about what they want to do until they get out on the ice and they're teenagers.

51:00Andrew: Until they get punched in the face.

51:01Justin: All right. Everybody has a plan.

51:03Jason Hagholm: To quote one Mike Tyson. Yes.

51:04Andrew: Yes. I was, I was, I was going to, I was going to say, I think Weston Cameron has a lot of fights, but probably less fights this year being more relied upon as an offensive player and also just because of the new rule. Yeah. So those were my big 3 for predictions. But our final prediction is where do you think this team finishes in the standings?

51:28Jason Hagholm: Like, I think this is a Kitchener Rangers team.

51:32Andrew: Regular season.

51:33Jason Hagholm: Yeah, I think this team finishes at least between 4th and 5th in the Western Conference. I think they get off to a good start. They may have a lull here or there. That should be expected. But I think this will be a very competitive team that continues to surprise people. Who knows who's going to be added or come back to this team? Goaltending seems fine. Defense seems like it'll continue to be really solid. I would not expect this team to miss that much of a beat heading into this 2026-27 season.

52:04Dan Polischuk: Yeah, I'm bullish on them too. I have them reaching that 40-win plateau again. I think there's just— there's a lot of pieces here to work with. It's not like the barn is empty, right? Or the shelves are empty. You've got some pieces here. And this is a squad that, again, I'd be surprised if they couldn't go on a bit of a heater at the end of the year too, and then could go on a decent run in the playoffs. The players have been around. They know what it takes now. That's the biggest thing they've been through. They've run the gamut. They know the grind. And those are key guys too that are going to be big contributors.

52:39Justin: I'm putting them in, in 3rd in the West. And I'm also putting that Guelph isn't making the playoffs.

52:46Dan Polischuk: So that's— Okay. What a hot take.

52:52Justin: Here we go.

52:53Jason Hagholm: The hottest of hot takes I've heard in quite a while.

52:56Justin: Yeah.

52:58Andrew: And because I'm the biggest Rangers fan, I'm putting them first. So that's—

53:04Justin: Come on. Because Guelph isn't making the playoffs. Yeah.

53:11Andrew: So I agree. I think that, I think that realistically, I think that all of, you know, the 3 takes, I think they're all outside of Guelph not making the playoffs. I mean, I'm hoping for that, but, but I do think that they're a good team this year. But I think that, yeah, I think that they might struggle to win the division just because the division is the hardest division to win, I think, in junior hockey. But I think that they'll be right there and, and, and I think it could radically change like we saw. Like, you don't know who's coming back. Like, Justin, I think that's a great take that, that Ellinas could lead the team in goals if he comes back. I think that's— I think points per game, I think he will be the best points per game player. And, and, and, you know, Jason and Dan, you both said about the NCAA, I mean, we got Christian Humphreys midseason. We had no idea what kind of a player that was going to be that came back and, and just became so iconic and a part of the Rangers culture and a part of the run and, and such an important offensive player. So much could happen. I think that the future is really bright and I think the, the, the known unknowns that we're heading towards are exciting and positive. And I think that Rangers fans should be very optimistic and I think Like you said, they should be calm because hey, we're champions. We're champions. Let's just enjoy the fact that we are the defending champions and that you know tonight, the day that this podcast releases, we are going to be unveiling a new banner and that's going to be up there forever. And we all got to experience that. And I think that that's the best thing about this year is that you get to just say, man, what a team that was! And I'm excited that. We're not, you know, we haven't been fully, you know, for lack of a better term, neutered by the fact that we lost all these guys because it's a quality organization and we have— we still have the mastermind, Mike McKenzie. So on that note, I really— I want to thank you guys. Is there anything else you'd like to say about the Rangers this year? And of course, we'd love to have you back throughout the year. Especially being able to talk virtually. But we'd love to also do an in-person episode at some point just because it was so much fun riffing with you guys the last time. But is there anything else you'd like to add to the AudPod as the season preview?

55:43Jason Hagholm: Just don't get too high. I mean, I think the thing is for Ranger fans, that last season was last season. After the banner gets dropped on Friday night, we've got to focus into the future. And I think this future is very bright for this team. We already talked about, you know, goaltending should be fine. Defense will be great. They got a lot of good pieces up front. I'm just excited to see what ends up happening. And I would not— I would— my dream scenario is if it's the Western Conference Finals, Guelph-Kitchener, with the Kitchener Rangers coming away with the series win. I think that would be the greatest thing to happen other than winning a Memorial Cup and an OHL championship. Still a long ways to go to get there, but I think that would just add another fire into this Highway 7 rivalry because, you know, we see Guelph about 8 times a year. We're going to see them a lot once we get— the weather gets a little bit colder. So I'm excited to see what this season unfolds. But as always, guys, thanks for the time. Dan, your thoughts to wind things down?

56:41Dan Polischuk: Yeah, well, that's really well said, Jason. And I think everyone can say Truthfully, the Fridays can't come soon enough. And thankfully we're here already, right? It's start of a new season. You know, just enjoy it. Quite frankly, you're defending OHL and Memorial Cup champions and get behind the squad, you know, as you always do. And just know and be reassured for the fact that, you know, the organization in general is wanting to do it all over again as much as the fan base does. So You know, show that support on Fridays, the Sundays, and I guess the odd Tuesday nights as well. It was amazing to experience last year. Let's just keep going with it.

57:26Justin: Well, Andrew, what's your final take?

57:28Andrew: My final take? My final take is that we're just so lucky to be a part of the best fan base in junior hockey. And I think honestly, just in sports in North America. It's, it's one of the coolest things ever. And the fact that we're 2 years into this, this is our 3rd season of the AudPod and we have 2 phenomenal broadcasters with great hockey minds and great takes wearing our hat on our pod. That means the world. Everything's been super positive and I'm super excited to see people potentially walking around the Aud in one of these. That's bizarre to me, but exciting. And I just want to say thank you to both the two of you gentlemen, but also everybody in Rangers Nation, because I don't think that this— I mean, winning is fun, but winning with you guys was the most fun.

58:24Dan Polischuk: Well, that's really inspiring. And truthfully, I got to throw flowers at you guys too. You mentioned year 3 that you're entering and What you've done too, out of your own time and out of your pocket, you know, to to promote the team, the league, and you know, give every like players, the coaching staff, and us another platform to communicate the passion that we all have for Kitchener Rangers hockey has been phenomenal. And congratulations to you as well for adding a new member to your family. And you're both dads as well as you know, I'm a two-time girl dad. And Jason, you have a dog, so you're practically a parent now too, right?

59:02Jason Hagholm: So the fact that you have a cat.

59:05Justin: You baby that hat.

59:06Dan Polischuk: But that's all to say that the dedication shown for you guys taking the time out to do this on the regular, it's to be commended. So well done.

59:15Justin: Yes.

59:18Jason Hagholm: Thank you for all the hard work you've done pushing not only the Kitchener Rangers, but the OHL and junior hockey as a whole. I think it's always great to see you guys around. Sometimes you guys' seats are close enough to us that we can see your reactions. As the game goes on. Yeah, you guys are around though, but it's always great to see you. I mean, and as well, maybe we'll catch up at the brand new restaurant at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, which is open until 11:30 each and every day.

59:46Andrew: All right, well, we all—

59:48Dan Polischuk: just off the— just off here, uh, before last call, so it'll be beautiful.

59:51Andrew: Yeah, we'll, we'll have to meet there and, uh, and have a, uh, uh, a wobbly pop or two.

59:57Dan Polischuk: For sure. Club 51 is where it's at now.

60:00Justin: Nice.

60:01Jason Hagholm: The ultimate club.

60:04Dan Polischuk: Yes.

60:04Justin: And we all know that Friday night, uh, we're, we're gonna be raising some banners. Um, but more importantly, on Friday, uh, our merch will be for sale. So, uh, you've been seeing us wear these hats.

60:19Andrew: Yes.

60:20Justin: Uh, tonight, if you've been watching the video. There's also a t-shirt and there's some stickers.

60:27Dan Polischuk: Yeah, we got the sneak peek. Thank you for the sneak peek. And if I were to say to, you know, fans and listeners everywhere, get on there and get it before it's gone because it looks really sharp.

60:35Jason Hagholm: There's also Pogs coming and maybe some AudPod gum.

60:40Justin: Pogs and gum. Whatever the people want, we will figure out how to do it.

60:46Jason Hagholm: I'm so sorry now. People are going to be like, when is the Pogs and AudPod gum coming? I kind of want the Pogs now.

60:52Dan Polischuk: Yeah, I think the Pogs from As long as there's a slammer included in each set, I'm game for that.

60:59Andrew: We've lost so much of our audience. So much of our audience has no idea what we're talking about.

61:04Dan Polischuk: But all of them are calling us nerds at this point.

61:06Justin: Yeah, yeah, yeah. The people of our age will know what we're talking about and all their kids will be like, what the is a pog? Yeah. What the 6'7 is a pog? And AudPogs.

61:19Andrew: AudPogs. This has gone completely off the rails.

61:23Justin: Okay, I'm still going to talk about the merch. The merch is on sale today. Now go to theaudpod.com. The shop is there. This is a limited release. So we're— this is a— this is what they call in the fashion industry a drop. So we're dropping some merch. There's a— you can buy as much as you want, which I think is not what a drop is. And then, and then on October 5th, the store is going to close. Oh, good. Thank you, Jason.

61:54Jason Hagholm: Yeah, you had it right.

61:55Andrew: Yeah, it's— we're doing basically a preorder in the sense of whatever we— whatever you order, that's what we order and that's what gets delivered to you. And there will— there won't be more. That's, that's it. That's what we're doing. We're not— we're not— we won't just have a store open throughout the year. That's not going to happen. It's a lot of work to sell merch. Like, like, like our guest said, we take time out of our, our, our obvious Obviously busy lives to do this, and we can't operate a store all the time. So this is the best way we can do it. We'd love to get everybody that wants a hat, a hat, but we, we have a limited window. So if you want one, order one.

62:32Justin: Not limited hats.

62:33Andrew: Not limited hats, but once the window closes, no more hats, no more, no more t-shirts, no more. Well, we might be able to get a sticker here and there.

62:42Justin: Andrew, stop promising things. But Jason already has us on the hook.

62:46Andrew: But yeah, but, but Pogs, Pogs will be available 24/7 and next day delivery for sure.

62:55Justin: Worldwide.

62:57Dan Polischuk: But not only a podcast local to Kitchener, you want to shout out the local business you're dealing with for that merch store too?

63:03Justin: Oh, of course.

63:04Jason Hagholm: Yes.

63:04Justin: Yeah, we've been dealing with Civilian Screen Printing.

63:07Dan Polischuk: Which I love to hear, by the way, too.

63:09Justin: Yeah, Civilian. We— I'm wearing a Civilian unofficial Kitchener Rangers Civilian shirt tonight. I love the Civilian stuff. I think it's super high quality. It's the best. And they do a great job with it and they don't cut corners in any way, shape, or form. And we think Em is awesome over at Civilian because mostly we've dealt with her and, and, and they do great work. So you also know that when you're getting these hats and these t-shirts, really high quality stuff. So Civilian screen printing for all your screen printing needs. This is a local ad.

63:44Dan Polischuk: Always about buying local.

63:45Andrew: Yeah.

63:46Jason Hagholm: I mean, quality merch for a high quality podcast.

63:49Andrew: That was, that was important to us. We wanted to get with Civilian because we saw how good the Rangers merch was. So I appreciate you throwing that up there for us to promote because, yeah, and not only that, Civilian has been unreal through the whole process. Very easy to deal with. We would Yeah, we fully recommend dealing with them. Obviously not just the fact that they do the Rangers stuff, just that they're a great company to deal with.

64:15Justin: Speaking of the merch, we got to jump to our thank-yous. Of course, we have to thank Ken Born, Director of Branding and Marketing, who is the reason the merch also exists.

64:25Andrew: Exactly.

64:26Justin: He did all the work on it.

64:28Andrew: He did.

64:28Justin: So thank you to Papa Born for doing that and buying us beers when we picked up the hats.

64:33Andrew: That's true. And he tried to buy a hat too, which was just totally bonkers.

64:40Justin: Yeah.

64:41Andrew: The guy who designs the hat and, and, and, you know, buys the beer when we pick up the hats, he doesn't need to buy a hat. That's, that's for sure.

64:49Justin: He gets a hat. Yeah. We got to, we got to shout out the prodigal producer Liam.

64:54Andrew: The phenom.

64:54Justin: We got to— what? Oh, Tim. Tim.

64:59Andrew: You can't forget Tim.

65:00Justin: Tim is editing all these episodes.

65:02Andrew: Tim edits all these episodes and works full-time and has children and a wife and a dog.

65:09Justin: He might have 2 jobs right now.

65:10Andrew: Yeah, he might. But yeah, he does all this work for us and yeah, he doesn't even have a hat yet, does he?

65:17Justin: No, not yet. We haven't seen him.

65:19Andrew: We're slacking.

65:20Dan Polischuk: Yeah. Well, apologies in advance for the rambling then, Tim, but thanks for bearing with us.

65:24Justin: He's just going to cut it all anyway.

65:25Andrew: We're going to get him a pog though. We'll get him a pog, that's for sure.

65:28Dan Polischuk: Yeah, he gets a slammer. For free.

65:33Justin: And of course, shout out to JJ, who does our—

65:35Andrew: Yes, our intro.

65:36Justin: Intro to our— to the podcast and also was sporting a hat in official Kitchener Rangers pictures on Instagram.

65:44Andrew: So yes, I know the Rangers put her up in their story and in a post and it was like framed perfectly. And I was like, who do we know on the inside who's doing that? I have no idea. It's just good karma.

65:55Jason Hagholm: It's just good karma.

65:56Justin: Yeah. Good karma. Yeah. And who else do we thank? Oh, thank you to the Hockey Podcast Network for having us as we're on their network now.

66:05Andrew: So, yes. And finally, one last time, thank you to our guests, Dan Polischuk and Jason Hagholm, who, who are going to be obviously your Rogers voices of the Rangers this year. Always do a phenomenal job. And Jason, I hope that, I hope that You say la la la la Lamb many times this season. And, you know, and maybe so much so that you have to go on vocal rest on off days. OK, that's, that's what I—

66:35Jason Hagholm: The Fisherman's friends are always thrilled about that as well. I think the Lamb family would be thrilled about that as well.

66:45Dan Polischuk: Yeah.

66:46Jason Hagholm: Their son's having a great season.

66:48Dan Polischuk: Yeah. Yeah.

66:48Jason Hagholm: Let's hope we say many other people's names as well. Yes. Not just Tanner, but yes, many as in that we can.

66:54Dan Polischuk: Just lots of goals.

66:54Jason Hagholm: Let's try and hopefully, you know, let's, if it all works out, we can have the spring into the summer like we had in 2026 into 2027.

67:02Dan Polischuk: Yes. Yeah. Almost having summer hockey. That was pretty cool.

67:05Andrew: That was fun. That was fun.

67:06Dan Polischuk: It was great.

67:08Justin: And Andrew, as always, you can find all 4 of us on Friday night for the banner raising.

67:16Andrew: At... The Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.

67:19Justin: And as Jason said, don't get too high. See you at the Aud.