Mike McKenzie (ice hockey)
Mike McKenzie | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 29, 1986 Whitby, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Ice hockey player (retired), coach, general manager |
| Years active | 2006–2012 (player), 2012–present (coach/GM) |
| Known for | General manager of the Kitchener Rangers |
Mike McKenzie (born April 29, 1986) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player who last competed with the Ontario Reign during the 2011–12 ECHL season. He is the son of TSN hockey commentator Bob McKenzie and currently holds the position of general manager for the Kitchener Rangers in the Ontario Hockey League.
St. Lawrence Saints (2006-2010)
McKenzie began his collegiate hockey career in 2006 with the St. Lawrence Saints competing in the NCAA. As a freshman, he tallied 12 goals and amassed 25 points over 31 games, contributing to the team's capture of the Cleary Cup as ECAC regular season champions.
During his sophomore campaign (2007-08), he posted seven goals and 20 points across 34 games for the rebuilding Saints squad and earned a spot on the ECAC All-Academic Team. His junior year (2008-09) marked an improvement with 16 goals and 34 points in 38 contests, leading his team in scoring while securing a second straight All-Academic distinction.
In his senior season (2009-10), serving as an alternate captain, McKenzie recorded 14 goals and 35 points over 41 games, ranking second on the team in scoring. Across his four-year tenure, he accumulated a total of 49 goals and 114 points in 165 appearances.
Albany River Rats (2009-2010)
On March 24, 2010, McKenzie inked an Amateur Tryout agreement with the Albany River Rats, the primary minor league affiliate of the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes. He made his professional debut on April 3, assisting on a goal in a 4-2 victory against the Adirondack Phantoms. During the 2009-10 season, McKenzie participated in three AHL games and contributed one assist.
Charlotte Checkers (2010-2012)
McKenzie signed a one-year deal with the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League, affiliated with the Carolina Hurricanes, on August 3, 2010. After training camp, he was assigned to their ECHL affiliate, the Florida Everblades, where he notched 18 goals and totaled 38 points over 55 games before earning a call-up back to Charlotte. On March 22, 2011, he scored his inaugural AHL goal against goaltender Michael Leighton of the Adirondack Phantoms. He completed that season having played 14 games with Charlotte and registering one goal. In December 2010, McKenzie was honored as ECHL Rookie of the Month after compiling nine goals and 17 points in just 14 outings.
The Checkers renewed his contract; however, McKenzie began the 2011-12 campaign with Florida again, producing five goals and 15 points through 19 games before being traded to the Houston Aeros in December of that year.
Houston Aeros (2011-2012)
Following his trade, McKenzie joined the Houston Aeros, AHL affiliate of the Minnesota Wild. He made his debut on December 6, 2011, assisting on a goal during a commanding 6-1 win over the San Antonio Rampage. Over the course of 19 games with Houston, he scored once and tallied three points. Near season’s end, he was assigned to the ECHL’s Ontario Reign, where he added one goal in five contests. On March 31, 2012, McKenzie publicly announced his retirement from professional hockey.
Kitchener Rangers (2012–present)
On June 7, 2012, McKenzie joined the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League as an assistant coach, serving under head coach Steve Spott. During his inaugural season (2012–13), the Rangers secured fourth place in the Western Conference with 87 points but were eliminated in the conference semi-finals. Following Spott’s exit, McKenzie continued in his assistant coaching role under the new head coach, Troy Smith.
The 2013–14 campaign was challenging for Kitchener as they underwent a rebuilding process, finishing ninth and missing the playoffs. The subsequent season showed progress with a sixth-place finish and a postseason berth, though they were ousted in the first round by the London Knights. Afterward, Smith was replaced by Mike Van Ryn, with McKenzie maintaining his assistant coach position and taking on additional duties as assistant general manager.
In 2015–16, Kitchener achieved a solid 95-point season and advanced to the second round of the playoffs before being swept by London. Following Van Ryn’s resignation at season’s end, Jay McKee was appointed head coach while McKenzie remained as assistant coach. The 2016–17 season saw the Rangers finish sixth but suffer a first-round playoff exit. Subsequent to that season, McKenzie was elevated to general manager after Murray Hiebert’s departure.
As general manager in 2017–18, McKenzie executed significant trades to bring in players such as Kole Sherwood, Logan Stanley, and Logan Brown. These moves helped Kitchener finish atop the Midwest Division for the first time since 2007–08. The team progressed to the Western Conference finals but ultimately fell in a seven-game series to the favored Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
The following year, 2018–19, saw a decline as Kitchener dropped to fifth place and was swept in the opening playoff round. Prior to the 2019–20 season, McKenzie bolstered goaltending by acquiring Jacob Ingham and added veteran forward depth through players like Liam Hawel. Despite these reinforcements, the team started slowly with a 7-10-2-2 record. On November 25, 2019, McKenzie took over as interim head coach from Jay McKee. Under his guidance, Kitchener rebounded strongly to finish second in their division with a 40-16-5-2 overall record before playoffs were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. McKenzie confirmed his intention to continue as head coach for the following season.
During the 2020 OHL Priority Selection, Kitchener drafted twins Andrew Leblanc and Jacob Leblanc, while selecting Czech goaltender Pavel Cajan in the CHL Import Draft. The entire 2020–21 OHL season was subsequently cancelled amid pandemic concerns.
In 2021, defenseman Carson Rehkopf was added through the draft. The 2021–22 season proved difficult as Kitchener finished seventh in their conference with a 30-31-5-2 record. During this period, McKenzie traded defenseman Arber Xhekaj for future assets. The Rangers upset top-seeded London Knights in a seven-game series but were defeated by Windsor Spitfires in the conference semifinals. On June 27, 2022, McKenzie resigned from his head coaching role to concentrate exclusively on general manager responsibilities; Chris Dennis was appointed as head coach.
Entering the 2022–23 season with heightened expectations, McKenzie made several trades acquiring overage players including goaltender Marco Costantini and forwards Lleyton Moore, Francesco Arcuri, and Danny Zhilkin. Nevertheless, Kitchener struggled throughout much of the campaign, holding a sub-.500 record and sitting eighth by February. On February 10, McKenzie dismissed Dennis and resumed head coaching duties for the remainder of the year. Under his leadership, Kitchener posted a 12-5-4-0 record and qualified for postseason play where they swept top-seeded Windsor but were eliminated in five games by the London Knights during the conference semifinals.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2002–03 | Oshawa Legionaires | OPJHL | 47 | 19 | 17 | 36 | 26 | 12 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 28 | ||
| 2003–04 | Oshawa Legionaires | OPJHL | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Bowmanville Eagles | OPJHL | 12 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 20 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 37 | ||
| 2004–05 | St. Michael's Buzzers | OPJHL | 45 | 23 | 26 | 49 | 81 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 42 | ||
| 2005–06 | St. Michael's Buzzers | OPJHL | 40 | 39 | 38 | 77 | 110 | 25 | 13 | 19 | 32 | 60 | ||
| 2006–07 | St. Lawrence Saints | ECAC | 31 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | St. Lawrence Saints | ECAC | 34 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | St. Lawrence Saints | ECAC | 38 | 16 | 18 | 34 | 60 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | St. Lawrence Saints | ECAC | 41 | 14 | 21 | 35 | 60 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Florida Everblades | ECHL | 55 | 18 | 20 | 38 | 62 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Charlotte Checkers | AHL | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Florida Everblades | ECHL | 19 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Ontario Reign | ECHL | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Houston Aeros | AHL | 19 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| AHL totals | 36 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| ECHL totals | 79 | 20 | 34 | 54 | 84 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
Ontario Hockey League
| Team | Year | Regular season | Post season | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | OTL | SO | Pts | Finish | Result | ||
| Kitchener Rangers | 2019–20 | 33 |6 |3 |0 |69 |2nd in Midwest |Playoffs cancelled | |||||||
| Kitchener Rangers | 2021–22 | 30 |31 |5 |2 |67 |4th in Midwest |Won conference quarter-finals (4-3 vs. LDN) Lost conference semi-finals (1-4 vs. WSR) | |||||||
| Kitchener Rangers | 2022–23 | 12 |5 |4 |0 |28 |4th in Midwest |Won conference quarter-finals (4-0 vs. WSR) Lost conference semi-finals (1-4 vs. LDN) | |||||||
| OHL Total | 131 | 75 | 42 | 12 | 2 | 164 |
Overall record: No J. Ross Robertson Cup titles (10-11, .476 winning percentage) | ||
Distinguished Awards and Recognitions
- 2007-2008: Selected for NCAA (ECAC) All-Academic Team
- 2008-2009: Named to NCAA (ECAC) All-Academic Team
- 2010-2011: Earned ECHL Rookie of the Month honors (December)
External links
- 1986 births
- Living people
- Albany River Rats players
- Canadian ice hockey left wingers
- Charlotte Checkers (2010–) players
- Florida Everblades players
- Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
- Ice hockey people from Whitby, Ontario
- St. Lawrence Saints men's ice hockey players
- 21st-century Canadian sportsmen