Kitchener Rangers sign Adam Valentini to the team
The Kitchener Rangers have added a new player to their roster.
Adam Valentini, a 17-year-old forward from the Toronto area, officially signed with the team on Thursday.
He just finished a season with the Chicago Steel, part of the United States Hockey League (USHL). Valentini also played with Canada White at the U17 World Hockey Championships where he racked up four goals and five assists in nine games.
'With his skill, hockey sense and offensive creativity we expect him to make an immediate impact with our team,' Mike McKenzie, general manager for the Rangers, said in a media release. 'He has always been a top tier player in his age group and when his rights became available last summer, we knew we had to do our best to acquire him and try to get him to Kitchener.'
The Rangers acquired those rights after a trade last September with the Brampton Steelheads.
The deal was sealed thanks to a recent rule change. Players with the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) are eligible, as of Aug. 1, to take part in NCAA hockey programs.
'That definitely opened up more options for me,' Valentini told CTV News. 'Kitchener is such a first-class organization. I think it's what suited me best. I want to play here and can't wait to get things going.'
He said he was in the crowd when the Rangers took on the Windsor Spitfires in the OHL playoffs, and is looking forward to donning the red, blue and white.
Valentini will be wearing number 92 when he reports to training camp in August.
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