Rangers’ Hall’s surgery means season done

Moments before the Kitchener Rangers began their push for an OHL Championship, their fans got bad news.

Twenty minutes before puck-drop, the team released a statement saying defenceman Connor Hall’s season was over.

“It’s a tough break for us as a team, but for also Connor,” said Rangers’ general manager Mike McKenzie. “He’s been an absolute warrior for us. It’s a huge loss for our team and a huge loss for Connor.”

The Cambridge native played 47 games this year for Kitchener – a career-high – despite, again, struggling with shoulder injuries.

“At some point, you have to look out for Connor’s long-term health,” said McKenzie on 570 News during the second intermission of the Rangers’ first playoff game. “He’s still a 19-year-old kid. We want to make sure, and Connor wants to make sure, and his family and his agent, he’s not going to be 25-years-old and not even be able to lift his shoulder.”

The defenceman was playing with Waterloo’s Logan Stanley on the team’s top pairing and was logging major minutes 5-on-5 and on the penalty-kill. He was this year’s Rangers’ honouree for Best Defensive Ability.

“He still will be a huge part of this team moving forward. He’ll be around the room a lot, and keeping the players spirit high,” said McKenzie.

The Rangers are hoping the Pittsburgh Penguins third-round selection in 2016 will be back next year in the OHL for his overage season.

He remains unsigned by the Penguins, and if he isn’t signed by June 1^st, he becomes an NHL free-agent.