Seven Kitchener Rangers will hit the ice this week for National Hockey League teams as they begin their training camps ahead of the upcoming season.
Centre Francesco Pinelli will be in camp with the Los Angeles Kings while defenceman Roman Schmidt will go camping with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Defenceman Tomas Hamara, who recently signed on with the Rangers, will also be joining the Ottawa Senators at their camp.
Four other players, Mitchell Martin (Detroit Red Wings), Simon Motew (Washington Capitals), Joseph Serpa (Chicago Blackhawks) and Reid Valade (Ottawa Senators), who played for the Rangers last season, are also headed to NHL camps after being invited as free agents.
Six of the seven players are slated to play in various NHL rookie tournaments which will kick off Thursday with Hamara and Valade being with the Senators at the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo, N.Y, and Martin heading with the Red Wings to the NHL Prospects Tournament in Traverse City, Mich.
A day later, Pinelli will suit up for the Kings at the NHL Rookie Faceoff in San Jose, Calif., while Schmidt will be with the Lightning at the Prospect Showcase in Raleigh, N.C., and Serpa will play for the Blackhawks at the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase in Chicago.