Tonight the Rangers raise the J. Ross Robertson Cup and Memorial Cup championship banners and open the season at home against Owen Sound, so the AudBalls bring back Rogers TV voices Dan Polischuk and Jason Hagholm, the show's first-ever returning guests, for the full season preview. They relive the championship run out of Everett and Kelowna, note Sam O'Reilly's Memorial Cup MVP, and hear Jason pick Jack Pridham as his own tournament standout. From there it's Pridham's late playoff surge, Luca Romano's something-to-prove season, who wears the letters, new pickup Dmitri Toporowski arriving from the pro ranks, and breakout picks Haeden Ellis, Weston Cameron and Avry Anstis. Dan and Jason size up how new bench boss Jeff Kyrzakos fills Jussi Ahokas' huge shoes with his own spin, and a predictions round closes it out with one of the hottest takes Jason says he's heard in a while. As Jason puts it: don't get too high. See you at the Aud.

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0:00 Cold open: new hats and Temu knockoff jokes

1:04 Welcoming back Dan Polischuk and Jason Hagholm

2:13 Reliving the Memorial Cup: Everett, Kelowna, and picking Pridham for MVP

6:50 Pridham catches fire, and Luca Romano's something-to-prove year

11:26 Breakout watch: Haeden Ellis, Weston Cameron, and Avry Anstis

13:44 Who wears the letters: Romano, Bilecki, Lam, and MacNiel

19:50 Dmitri Toporowski arrives from the pro ranks

22:02 New imports and the disrespectful power rankings

24:15 Alex Forrest, the Sutherland Cup winner still growing into his frame

27:30 The culture shift after winning it all, and the Oscar Hemming tinfoil hat

33:15 Jeff Kyrzakos fills huge shoes with his own spin

40:57 Jason Schaubel's time to be the guy

45:18 Predictions: goals, assists, penalty minutes, and the hottest hot take

1:01:23 Merch drop: the shop opens today, closes October 5

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Cut by Ottawa, cut by Kitchener, cut by London, then signed as an undrafted walk-on and finishing as a Memorial Cup champion: Matthew Hlacar's story is the one the AudBalls have wanted to tell since he first dropped the gloves at the Aud. Now a Brantford Bulldog, he sits down to relive the 10-guys rule Ando preached, the deadline that made the room believe, the Sault Ste. Marie shootout winner that lives in AudPod lore, and the dad who begged him not to get suspended before the hotel was paid off. Plus Muay Thai at Darkside, favourite dance partner Ryder Boulton (now a teammate), the Arky mattress prank, and whether he is ready to walk into the visitors' room at the Aud.

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Chapters

0:00 — Cold open: undrafted to Memorial Cup champion

0:49 — Thoughts with Matthew Mayich

2:05 — Brad Flynn, the 13th forward, and leaning into the physical game

4:28 — Cut by Ottawa, Kitchener and London, then signed

5:42 — We got 10 guys: Ando’s rule and the toughest room in the league

7:00 — The deadline, Woolley, and we didn’t load up for nothing

8:03 — A Brantford Bulldog now, a Hamilton kid close to home

9:02 — Tossed from the game, then sitting in the stands with dad

10:29 — Silky hands: the Sault Ste. Marie shootout winner

12:19 — Tom Wilson, Lucic, and staying engaged as a healthy scratch

15:30 — Brandon Merli’s skates, Brantford’s assault bike, and Muay Thai at Darkside

19:00 — Favourite dance partner Boulton, and the new fight rules

21:12 — Saying goodbye to the group, and the jersey wall

22:45 — Joining Brantford: it’s the best of the best

24:11 — Roommates, Avry Anstis, and the Arky mattress story

27:40 — Woolley, the London Knights, and celebrating the Cup

32:03 — Sign-off: walking into the visitors’ room at the Aud

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He walks through the trade that pulled him out of Sarnia as a 17-year-old, the billet family that became a second home, and the secret foodie TikTok nobody was supposed to find. He also breaks down the overtime poke check that saved the Robertson Cup run, the Flint celebration that got him tossed, and why he’s in no rush to trade 97 games of OHL hockey for a partial NCAA schedule, even with Bowling Green waiting. Bittersweet doesn’t begin to cover it: the guy who anchored the Rangers blue line for three years is off to college, and this one’s a goodbye as much as a victory lap.

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Chapters

0:01 — Cold open: welcoming Soupy to the show

1:44 — A whirlwind season, and goodbye to the D-core

3:43 — Traded from Sarnia: the call, and day one at the Aud

7:25 — The secret foodie TikTok and Kitchener’s best eats

9:19 — Billet family life, and the Ellinas connection

11:01 — The Bowling Green decision and no rush to leave the OHL

15:22 — The Flint celebration and getting tossed

17:30 — Battling an injury from the press box

18:55 — Building the championship D-core: Wolfe, Ellinas, and the steals

21:34 — Standing up for the boys, and the Memorial Cup fight

26:07 — The overtime poke check that won the Robertson Cup

30:37 — Cameron Reid, career highs, and saying goodbye
 

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Under Review rolls on with the one that started it all. Before Ando was a Memorial Cup champion and the OHL's 2026 Teammate of the Year, he was the very first guest ever to sit down with the AudBalls. Justin opens with a look at where the Andalorian has landed since, then the full June 2025 conversation re-airs: the werewolf answer that should have sunk his Ottawa draft interview, the fight he arranged in warm-ups that made the Aud the loudest he's ever heard it, and the view from inside the room during the Windsor reverse sweep. What a lovely human being. Enjoy.

Originally aired June 20, 2025 as "Can We Call You Ando?"

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⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Under Review: Justin on Ando, one year later

01:31 June 2025 re-air: our very first guest

02:32 Can we call you Ando?

03:16 Framed: the worst music taste on the team

04:39 Parry Sound, Bobby Orr, and why he wears 5

05:57 An OHLer's offseason and signing with Ottawa

08:45 The werewolf draft interview

12:14 Not a Leafs fan anymore, family and billet life

15:43 Funniest guys in the room and bus karaoke

18:24 The playoff run: the Flint fight and the Windsor reverse sweep

23:46 Leading the young guys as captain

26:47 The OT winner and joining Ellinas in Ottawa

28:34 Wrapping up: an honour for the inaugural guest

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Brad Flynn once put up 253 penalty minutes in 37 games, and now he's the newly promoted associate coach of your Memorial Cup champion Kitchener Rangers. The AudBalls sit down with the Brad Boy himself to talk growing up in Nova Scotia playing against a chubby-cheeked Sidney Crosby, the coaching road from Swan River to Red Deer to Kitchener, and the SummerSlam '91 promo that got him tossed in Peterborough. He gets emotional about the black aces who were the fabric of the championship run, and he puts Rangers Nation right next to Green Bay and Liverpool. Get into it.

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Website | theaudpod.com

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⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 Cold open: Brad reads his own intro

0:26 Growing up Flynn: a Hall of Fame dad and New Glasgow roots

6:20 Playing with Sidney Crosby (and why Nova Scotia makes stars)

10:23 The case for university hockey, and the NCAA debate

18:02 Oscar Hemming and the Hell's Bells draft walkout

19:13 The coaching road: Swan River to Red Deer to Kitchener

24:37 The ejections: standing up for his guys

28:41 253 penalty minutes: the enforcer years

33:52 The defence corps, the black aces and the secret sauce

40:45 New season, new bench: associate coach Flynn

42:58 Old-school wrestling, rapid fire and gratitude

48:23 Post-show: Brad Boys 3, Hockey Podcast Network news and thank-yous

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On this episode of The AudPod, we sit down with Head Coach Jeff Kyrzakos for an in-depth conversation on everything happening behind the bench and inside the locker room!

We dive into:

 The Memorial Cup Run: Looking back at last season's high-stakes journey.

 Stepping Into the Role: What the transition to head coaching duties has really been like.

 Game-Day Quirks: Jeff breaks down his personal superstitions and routines.

 Managing the Room: What it’s actually like spending most of the year around twenty 16-to-20-year-olds.

 Looking Ahead: Expectations, goals, and mindset for the upcoming season.

If you enjoy the episode, make sure to LIKE, COMMENT, and SUBSCRIBE for more Kitchener Rangers coverage every week!

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Website | theaudpod.com

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⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Welcome Jeff Kyrzakos

00:53 Mudbugs Championship Stories

02:01 Joining Kitchener Rangers

03:44 Memorial Cup Bid Pivot

04:42 New Season Game Plan

06:54 Handling Expectations

09:22 Barrie Series Grit

11:55 Building Team Leadership

14:51 Trade Additions Chemistry

19:07 Coaching Style After Jussi

23:47 Accidental Player Coach

26:21 Preparing Kids For Pro

29:10 Life Skills Reality Check

30:45 Gen Z Slang Talk

31:56 Unplugging From Hockey

32:38 No Offseason Schedule

34:07 Dirty Dangles Debate

35:14 Morning Skate Traditions

36:28 Playoff Superstitions

38:52 Pizza And Media Snacks

40:00 Six Point Game Grudge

43:14 Post Interview Debrief

44:28 Jussi Moves On

46:02 Pod Shoutouts And Updates

46:53 New Baby Girl Congrats

48:09 Signing Off

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Dylan Edwards pulls up a chair for the full interview and gets into all of it: the trade to Kitchener, walking into a new room, and figuring out Jussi Ahokas behind the bench. Then it gets personal, playing alongside his brother in Erie, lining up against him, and the strange hockey truth that some of your fiercest rivals end up your closest teammates. We get the Memorial Cup stories and finally the real story behind that bloody face during the J. Ross Robertson Cup celebration. And because it's summer, he's out there painting the garage. 

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We recorded this interview with Jack Pridham last summer, when the big question was whether he'd even come back to Kitchener. He told us he wanted to win. Spoiler: he did. Memorial Cup and everything. We're bringing this one back so you can hear the whole story fresh, knowing how it ends. Jack walks us through the NCAA rule change that sent him sprinting out of West Kelowna, the rookie lap at the Aud that started a little too early, the Michigan goal, and the penalty shot in Game 6 vs Windsor that the Aud will never forget. One of our favourite conversations, and it only hits harder now.

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0:00 Justin Flies Solo: Intro & Replay Framing

0:33 Updates: Memorial Cup, Tampa Bay Trade & University of Denver

1:22 Interview Begins

1:57 The NCAA Rule Change & Coming to Kitchener

3:42 Drafted by Multiple Leagues & the BU Commit

5:34 Settling Into the Rangers

6:44 The Ando/Matt Story

8:05 Chicago Blackhawks Draft

8:34 Meeting Humphreys at the NHL Combine in Buffalo

10:00 Chicago Development Camps

10:57 Mentors & Deciding to Decommit from BU

13:39 What Made This Rangers Team Gel

16:14 First Game at the Aud & The Rookie Lap

17:36 The Playoffs Atmosphere

18:27 Packing Up Kelowna in Half a Day

21:33 The Michigan Goal

24:18 Wicky's Humor & Locker Room Culture

26:42 Playing for Jussi Ahokas

28:12 The Penalty Shot in Game 6 vs Windsor

29:56 The Reverse Sweep: Down 3-0

32:10 Individual Awards vs Just Wanting to Win

33:20 Wrap Up

34:29 Post-Interview Reactions

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Season Finale: OHL and Memorial Cup Champions

Well the boys have done it! What a ride it has been! 22 games later they only lost 2 and came home with not one but both of the biggest prizes, OHL and Memorial Cup Champions. This is also the last AudPod of the season, although we won't be here weekly for the summer we do have a few things planned so stay tuned and subscribe so you don't miss out!

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Memorial Cup Champions. Kitchener Rangers win the 2026 Memorial Cup.

The Kitchener Rangers are Memorial Cup champions. The AudBalls watched it from the Aud with the whole community buzzing, and now they're here to break it all down in the final CarPod of the season. A 6-2 demolition of the Everett Silvertips in the Final, a double championship season complete, and Sam O'Reilly named Tournament MVP after a four-point night to close it out. This team was always built for this.

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