The Kitchener Rangers have acquired another Free Agent with the signing of '06 defender Max Dirracolo, who will make his OHL debut in his hometown of Barrie, ON.
The Kitchener Rangers have signed free agent defenceman Max Dirracolo, who will make his OHL debut tonight against the Barrie Colts in his hometown.
The Rangers say Dirracolo will wear #25 for the blue, red, and white, as they are in need of some defensive depth due to recent trades.
Kitchener has traded away defencemen Roman Schmidt and Tomas Hamara in the past month or so.
This is not the first time that the Rangers have signed a free agent, something not many OHL organizations do.
Arber Xhekaj — current Montreal Canadiens defender — and current Ranger Adrian Misaljevic are two examples of free agents who have come in and succeeded with this organization. Both were signed by Kitchener after being passed on in the OHL Priority Selection, and the U18 Draft. This is a similar case for Dirracolo.
Max Dirracolo — the 6-foot-4, 216-pound seventeen-year-old — has been playing with the OJHL's Toronto Patriots, where he has been a force from the back end.
Dirracolo is very mobile for a bigger defender, he possesses an accurate first pass and is a physical force in high-traffic areas. He's been playing on the top pair for the Patriots, and on their second powerplay unit.
The Barrie, Ontario-native played his minor hockey with the Barrie Colts, and coincidentally, he will be making his OHL debut with the team he grew up watching.
Dirracolo can play a reliable role for the Rangers, and add some size and physicality to their D-core. Dirracolo is a mature player that should translate seamlessly to the major junior level.
There is a chance for Dirracolo to add his name to the great list of successful Rangers' free agent signings. That all begins tonight with his first game against the Barrie Colts — in his hometown.