The Kitchener Rangers have promoted one of their own to lead the Memorial Cup champions next season. Jeff Kyrzakos was announced as the team’s new head coach during a press conference on Wednesday morning with the team’s governor and COO Joe Birch, as well as general manager Mike McKenzie. The 41-year-old first joined the Rangers ahead of the 2023/2024 season as an associate coach and assistant general manager. He worked alongside bench boss Jussi Ahokas, who was named the head coach of the Colorado Eagles, the American Hockey League’s affiliate for the Colorado Avalanche, on July 17. “This organization for me is a special one. I think it’s the best in the CHL for a variety of reasons,” Kyrzakos said. “I think being familiar with it for three years makes it a little different, but it makes me appreciate it even more.” “When I came here three years ago it was probably in the back of my mind as a potential next step. And I don’t think any of us run to the illusions that Jussi was going to be here for ten years or anything like that. We knew it was a stepping stone for him. And this is maybe something that could have happened sooner elsewhere, but the opportunity to have it here in Kitchener was worth waiting for,” he said. Before joining the Rangers, Kyrzakos spent seven seasons with the Mississauga Steelheads as the team’s assistant coach and assistant general manager. “We hired a coach from Europe last time, and that was something different. And we hired a coach from within this time and that’s something different. So, we’re looking for someone that’s gonna continue on the path we’re on and develop our players, create a winning culture, make the rink a fun place to play, but also an accountable and hard-working place,” McKenzie said. “There is familiarity and that’s a piece of the puzzle. There is definitely value in keeping things on a similar track to what we’ve been doing for our players. But at the end of the day, Jeff is a guy that communicates really well. He’s a guy that is passionate about what he does. He has good relationships with the players. He understands the game. His X’s and O’s are good. So, he checked all those boxes for us and we’re excited to have him be promoted today.” Kyrzakos also has experience on the ice. He played with the Owen Sound Attack in 2005/2006 and racked up seven years of professional hockey experience before retiring in 2013 to begin his coaching career. “You have good people if others come calling and asking. And that did occur at one point this year. So, we knew we had something special, if Jussi ever departed. And so, the timing was perfect,” Birch said. Now, a Memorial Cup Champion, Kyrzakos said he’s planning to bring the same mentality to the upcoming season. “Very similar to the way we played. Fast, hard hockey, guys who compete every night and guys who are proud to wear the Rangers jersey,” Kyrzakos said. “Jeff is the natural fit” “Jeff is an OHL guy through and through. He’s paid his dues. He has a championship pedigree now, being behind the bench. Jussi really made it a group project for lack of a better term,” Andrew Merrigan, host of Kitchener Rangers podcast The AudPod, said. “I think Jeff is the natural fit. I think he’s a natural leader. I think he’s an offensive mind. And I think ultimately, we can see that this kind of this Jussi mentality will continue.” Upcoming season Despite losing several key players for the upcoming season, the organization believes the team can still make an impact. “We believe, although we’re losing some high-powered players and some depth and experience, we’re also returning a great core group of young players who have gained all this experience through our championship run,” Birch said. “I think the one thing that we do know is that we have a really hungry group. We have a group with tremendous experience. We have a group that want to make their own mark,” Birch said. “Usually when you win the league or win a championship, everyone automatically assumes it’s going to be a rebuilding year. And you’re going to go back down to the bottom. And I think for us, we’re back to being underdogs and back to being a team similar to three years ago, when these guys first came in and Jeff and Brad [Flynn] and all those guys were hired. It reminds me a little bit of that year where no one’s really pegging us to do much. We have a bit of a younger team, and we’re going to look to surprise people and take care of business. But it’s one game at a time. It’s a long year,” McKenzie said. Kyrzakos is now the 26th head coach in Kitchener Rangers history.
