Generals, Rangers face off in CHL action on TSN
Published
The Kitchener Rangers and Oshawa Generals face off for the first time tonight since December 2019 as both teams look to get back on track.
Rangers captain Francesco Pinelli is expected to return to the lineup after missing the last two weeks with an upper-body injury. He has 21 goals and 43 points in 27 games this season.
Forward Mitchell Martin is also projected to make his return after missing the past 21 games an upper-body injury since Nov. 8. He had 15 points in 13 games before the injury and had 40 points as a rookie in 2021-22.
Montreal Canadiens first-round pick (26th overall) Filip Mesar is coming off a two-assist effort on Jan. 7 against the Flint Firebirds and is looking for his first goal since returning from the World Juniors where he represented Slovakia. He has 10 goals and 24 points in 19 games this season.
Ottawa Senators prospect defenceman Tomas Hamara, who is fresh off earning silver with Czechia at the World Juniors, has two goals and 11 points in 25 games this season. He was selected 87th overall by Ottawa in the 2022 draft.
Forward Danny Zhilkin, a Winnipeg Jets third-round pick, was acquired from the Guelph Storm on Jan. 2 in exchange for forward Jesse Fishman and six draft picks. He has two goals in three games since joining the Rangers.
For the Generals, they acquired goaltender Jacob Oster from the Guelph Storm just before the trade deadline. He has a .847 save percentage and a 4.63 goals-against average in 26 games this season. He has yet to make his Oshawa debut.
Calum Ritchie, a projected first-round pick for the 2023 NHL Draft, is second in team scoring this season with 12 goals and 31 points in 36 games this season.
Kitchener is ninth in the Western Conference standings with 32 points while Oshawa is ninth in the East with 30 points.
In their last 10 matchups, the Rangers are 5-4-1 against the Generals.