Steelheads enter new era with 52-goal scorer Carson RehkopfThe Brampton Steelheads made the biggest splash of the summer so far, adding Seattle Kraken prospect, Canadian National Junior Team representative and 52-goal scorer Carson Rehkopf in a trade with the Kitchener Rangers on Tuesday.
Rehkopf came at a cost, with the Rangers securing 10 draft picks in exchange including second round picks in 2025, 2026 and 2027 as well as a pair of third round picks in 2025 and one in 2028.
A 19-year-old from Vaughan, Ont., Rehkopf returns in the conversation with Owen Sound Attack winger Colby Barlow as the league’s purest goal-scorer. The 6-foot-1, 195Ib. left-shot had 95 points (52-43–95) in 60 games last season, contributing to an OHL total of 187 points (100-87–187) over 193 career regular season games.
“We are thrilled to add Carson to our lineup,” said Steelheads head coach and GM James Richmond. “One of the premier forwards in all three zones of the ice and a proven 50-goal scorer. He’s one of the top players in the OHL and undoubtedly will help our team get to where we want to go. We’d like to welcome Carson and his family to the Steelheads.”
Rehkopf was a second round (50th overall) pick of the Seattle Kraken in the 2023 NHL Draft and turned in an elite 18-year-old season in the OHL, finishing with 15 multi-goal performances including four hat-tricks. He represented Canada at the 2024 IIHF World Juniors and is a former Hlinka Gretzky Cup gold medalist with Canada in 2022.
“We will miss Carson and wish him the best of luck in Brampton,” said Kitchener Rangers GM Mike McKenzie. “He has been an integral part of our team for the last three seasons, and we have seen him grow so much as a player and person in that time, so it is never easy to make a decision like this.”
Rehkopf recently participated in Canada’s World Junior Summer Showcase camp that was held in Windsor and Plymouth last week. He joins the Steelheads as they embark on a new chapter in Brampton for the 2024-25 season.
“We feel it is the best decision for the future of the organization, and adding this many draft picks will give us the flexibility to continue using these picks to draft good young players or use them via trade at some point should we want to acquire a player,” McKenzie added. “We still expect our team to be very competitive this season with the group we have and look forward to seeing some of our younger players take on larger roles.”
