Game Preview: Saginaw Spirit at Kitchener Rangers
OHL Saginaw Spirit

Game Preview: Saginaw Spirit at Kitchener Rangers

Published on January 16, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


Kitchener, Ont. - The Saginaw Spirit (15-19-3-4) begins a six-game road trip on Friday, January 15, facing off against the Kitchener Rangers (25-11-3-1) at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.

Today's Game:

Puck drop is at 7:00 pm.

Broadcast:

Radio: 100.5 FM WSGW, WSGW.com

TV: FloHockey

Last Game:

In a thrilling overtime comeback, the Spirit finished their weekend on a high note with a 3-2 win over the Windsor Spitfires last Saturday. Stepan Shurygin earned the first star of the game for his 38-save night. The Spitfires took a 2-0 lead early in the third period, but the Spirit pushed back, with Nikita Klepov giving the Spirit their first point of the night, and Dima Zhilkin scoring with less than two minutes left to send the game to overtime. The lone shot by the Spirit at 1:45 in overtime was enough, as Carson Harmer sent the puck into the back of the net to secure the win for Saginaw. Klepov, Zhilkin, and Harmer all ended the night with a goal and an assist.

Kitchener took a 7-4 win over the Owen Sound Attack on Saturday night, fueled by a Tanner Lam hat trick and a three-point night (2G-1A) from Jack Pridham. The Rangers had 49 total shots on net; the Attack stayed in the fight, never allowing the Rangers to get larger than a two-goal lead until the final minutes of the game. Sam O'Reilly and Gabriel Chiarot both recorded their first goals in a Kitchener Rangers uniform.

This Season:

This marks the fourth meeting between the Rangers and the Spirit, with Kitchener leading the season series 3-0-0-0. The Rangers took a 3-1 win over the Spirit on October 11 and a 5-2 win on November 7. The last time these two teams met back in December, a Spirit comeback took the game to overtime, but the Rangers took the extra point in the shootout, winning 5-4.

Players to Watch:

Egor Barabanov and Nikita Klepov are both coming off outstanding performances at the 2026 Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game to help lead Team West to a 4-3 victory. Klepov was named the Team West Player of the Game after a team-leading three-point night (1G-2A). Klepov hit the 50 point mark (23G-27A) in Saginaw's overtime win over Windsor. Klepov leads all OHL rookies in goals and sits at second amongst rookies in points, good for fifth overall in the league.

Barabanov scored in the Top Prospects Game as well and sits right behind Klepov in Saginaw's scoring race (17G-32-49P). He has a team-best four points (1G-3A) against the Rangers this season and leads Saginaw with 19 powerplay points.

Saturday's overtime hero, Carson Harmer, has been on a hot streak as of late for the Spirit. He has points in each of his last five games, with eight (2G-6A) in that time. Harmer has moved up to fifth on the team in scoring on the season with a total of 28 points (12G-16A). He has scored in two of three games against the Rangers this season with a goal and an assist.

Saginaw's NHL Drafted Players: Jacob Cloutier (WPG)

Dylan Edwards came to the Rangers roster in a trade with Erie, already tied for second on the team with 47 points (20G-27A). Since joining Kitchener, Edwards has eight points in eight games, and was averaging a point per game with Erie before the trade. This season marks the overage winger's third-consecutive 20-goal season, after a 34-point (22G-12A) 2023-24 campaign and a career-high 56-point (20G-36A) 2024-25 season. Edwards is less than ten points away and on pace for a career-high season.

Jack Pridham is tied with Edwards for second on the team with 47 points (25G-22A) and is the team's leading goal scorer. Pridham has had multi-point games in his last two games, with two assists against Oshawa and a goal and two assists against Owen Sound. He scored a hat trick in the Rangers' last meeting with the Spirit, adding to his five total points (4G-1A) against the Spirit this season.

Kitchener's NHL Drafted Players: Luke Ellinas (OTT), Gabriel Chiarot (VAN), Sam O'Reilly (TBL), Jack Pridham (CHI), Christian Humphreys (COL), Matthew Hlacar (TOR), Luca Romano (NYI), Cameron Reid (NSH), Andrew MacNeil (MTL), Christian Kirsch (SJ), Matthew Andonovski (OTT), Jared Woolley (LAK)

Check out the Saginaw Spirit Statistics

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from January 16, 2026


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