After 83 games this season, there is one final spin on the sheet in Gabriel Chiarot’s 2025-26 season, and he wants to close out the year by raising the Memorial Cup.
The Vancouver Canucks’ sixth-round pick in the 2025 draft joined the Kitchener Rangers at the trade deadline, and the team has been a runaway locomotive that keeps gaining momentum with every big game that they play.
“There’s so much belief in this room,” said Chiarot. “When we are playing our game, we know we are the best team in the tournament.”
Chiarot came up big for his Rangers in the biggest matchup of the tournament. The Rangers matched up against the powerhouse Everett Silvertips in their second game of the tournament and left the ice with a commanding, 6-2 victory.
“It was a good feeling beating them. They’re a good team, and we obviously thought they were the best out of the other two there that we played against,” he said.
“It was really good to get to win, and we know what we need to do to get the win.”
A relentless forecheck and commitment to playing more physical than their opposition are two key pieces of the Rangers’ recipe for success. These two traits fit well with Chiarot’s skillset, and he is thriving in his role.
Chiarot also knows the value of getting big games like this under his belt as a 19-year-old for his development. These high-stakes games teach a young player the drive needed to achieve greatness.
“Knowing how to play in playoff-style hockey and having a deep playoff run with these big moments is something I’m going to carry with me throughout my whole career,” said Chiarot.
