The Kitchener Rangers are celebrating a successful year financially ahead of the start of the new season, marking an organizational best of $7.77 million in revenue during the 2024-2025 season.
“We’re very healthy,” said Rangers Chief Operating Officer Joe Birch. “I had a bit of a mandate and a goal to get us back to pre-pandemic levels. I can safely say that we’re there. To the credit of our amazing business staff, they did some really awesome things.”
Birch noted that ticket sales are the main driver for that revenue growth, followed by the impressive work being done behind the scenes with their sales team.
However, the landscape of the Ontario Hockey League has changed significantly over the last 12 months, leading to an adjustment to the way teams manage their rosters.
Last November, the NCAA Division 1 Council voted to allow players who have played in one of the three CHL leagues to suit up for American college sides, giving them more options to choose where they want to develop as players and as people on their journey toward the NHL.
From that, the Kitchener Rangers have been able to grow the size of their roster, but more players also mean more expenses.
“Our roster size is now bigger, we travelled more often… So a three-hour road trip we would go in, added extra hotel nights, there’s more equipment costs, more meals, more billets,” said Birch.
Birch also noted that a larger roster gives the team more opportunities for success.
