KITCHENER - Dingy arenas and bad coffee never scared Mike McKenzie.

"I know some people would say how could you spend eight hours in a cold rink watching hockey all day?" he said. "For me, it's an interest. It suits me."

McKenzie will be roosting in the rafters with more regularity for the Kitchener Rangers in the wake of the last week's changes to the front office.

The 29-year-old was promoted to assistant general manager as part of the shakeup that saw associate Mike Van Ryn take over the bench and Jay McKee and Daniel Tkaczuk come in to flank the skipper.

"I have a lot of interest in the management side," said McKenzie, who spent the past three years as an assistant coach. "For me it was the perfect time to step into it. We've got a lot of people in place here that can succeed in roles that they're perfect for."

McKenzie cut his teeth with the St. Mike's Buzzers and was drafted by the Saginaw Spirit but opted to play wing for St. Lawrence University on a scholarship. He had a knack for the net and nose for the books at the New York school and left with a degree in history.

After a couple of years on the minor pro circuit he landed at the Aud under former coach/GM Steve Spott.

The Whitby native has always been active on the scouting side with the Rangers but will see his duties ramped up in his new role. That means working with head scout Ray Hollowell, evaluating players, talking trades, dealing with drafts and finding gems at outposts across Ontario.

"He has a very good mind," said Rangers' general manager Murray Hiebert. "He has a bright future in this game."

McKenzie uses hockey analytics but also relies on his eyes. He counts the Detroit Red Wings as one of his model franchises, reads up on successful sports minds and studies championship teams across all sports.

"I think the biggest thing is that you need to have a plan and you need to stick with it," he said. "There is a lot of pressure but you've got to be true to yourself.

"Everyone always wants to try and hit the home run and that comes around now and again but if you slowly improve that adds up year after year."

So expect patience and calculated risks out of McKenzie as assistant GM. And plenty more trips to cold rinks.