Mike McKenzie (born April 29, 1986) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who last played for the Ontario Reign in the ECHL during the 2011–12 season.
On March 24, 2010, McKenzie was signed to an Amateur Tryout with the Albany River Rats of the American Hockey League.
McKenzie made his professional hockey debut on April 3, 2010, as he recorded his first career AHL point, an assist on a goal scored by Brad Herauf, in a 4-2 victory over the Adirondack Phantoms.
On March 22, 2011, McKenzie scored his first career AHL goal against Michael Leighton of the Adirondack Phantoms in a 5-2 victory.
He made his Aeros debut on December 6, 2011, as McKenzie earned an assist on a goal by Joey Martin in a 6-1 win over the San Antonio Rampage.
[1] In his first season with the Rangers in 2012-13, Kitchener finished the year with a 39-20-9 record, earning 87 points and fourth place in the Western Conference.
Kitchener missed the post-season, as the club finished in ninth place in the Western Conference with a 22-41-5 record, earning 49 points.
Kitchener saw some improvement in 2014-15, as the team earned a 32-26-10 record, finishing in sixth place in the Western Conference with 74 points, and returning to the post-season.
[2] The Rangers had a very successful season in 2015-16, as the club earned a 44-17-7 record, accumulating 95 points and a fourth place finish in the Western Conference.
In the post-season, the Rangers defeated the Guelph Storm and Sarnia Sting before matching up with the heavily favoured Sault Ste.
In 2018-19, the Rangers slid back in the standings, as the club finished the season with a 34-30-4 record, earning 72 points and fifth place in the Western Conference.
[4][5] In his first game as head coach of the Rangers on November 28, Kitchener defeated the Erie Otters 5-4 in a shootout, as McKenzie earned his first career OHL victory.
During the 2021-22 season with Kitchener struggling, the club traded away defenseman Arber Xhekaj to the Hamilton Bulldogs for Navrin Mutter and five draft picks.
On June 27, 2022, McKenzie stepped down as head coach of the team, as he shifted his focus to general manager duties.
During the season, McKenzie made some trades, acquiring overage goaltender Marco Costantini from the Hamilton Bulldogs, Lleyton Moore from the Oshawa Generals, Francesco Arcuri from the Kingston Frontenacs and Danny Zhilkin from the Guelph Storm.
In their first round matchup, Kitchener defeated the heavily favoured and top seeded Windsor Spitfires in a four game sweep.