The 104th Memorial Cup tournament to determine the champion of the Canadian Hockey League will take place at Dow Event Center in Saginaw, Michigan, beginning May 24 and conclude with the championship game June 2.
The four-team, round-robin tournament includes the host team, Saginaw of the Ontario Hockey League, along with OHL champion London, Western Hockey League champion Moose Jaw, and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League champion Drummondville.
Saginaw is playing in the Memorial Cup for the first time since the franchise began play in 2002. Among the players to reach the NHL from Saginaw are defenseman Filip Hronek of the Vancouver Canucks, and forwards Cole Perfetti of the Winnipeg Jets, Owen Tippett of the Philadelphia Flyers, Brandon Saad of the St. Louis Blues and the New York Rangers' Vincent Trocheck, whose No. 89 is the only jersey retired by the Spirit.
The host team has won 11 times since the current four-team round-robin format was adopted in 1983, most recently in 2022 when QMJHL champion Saint John defeated OHL champion Hamilton 6-3 in the championship game. In the past 39 tournaments, the WHL has won 16 times, the OHL 12 times, and the QMJHL 11 times. The tournament was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Here's a closer look at the participating teams:
SAGINAW SPIRIT
Coach: Chris Lazary
Memorial Cup championships: None since moving to Saginaw in 2002.
How they got here: Saginaw received an automatic berth as tournament host. The Spirit finished second in the OHL standings with 102 points (50-16-2), then lost to London in six games in the Western Conference Final. Defenseman Zayne Parekh, a projected top-10 pick in the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft, set Saginaw records for goals (33) and points (96) by a defenseman in 66 regular-season games. He had 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in 13 OHL playoff games.
NHL prospects: Forwards Owen Beck (Montreal Canadiens, No. 33, 2022 NHL Draft), Matyas Sapovaliv (Vegas Golden Knights, No. 48, 2022 Draft), Hunter Haight (Minnesota Wild, No. 47, 2022 Draft), Joey Willis (Nashville Predators, No. 111, 2023 NHL Draft), Josh Bloom (Buffalo Sabres, No. 95, 2021 NHL Draft; traded to Vancouver Canucks, Feb. 27, 2023), Ethan Hay (Tampa Bay Lightning, No. 211, 2023 Draft); defensemen Rodwin Dionicio (Anaheim Ducks, No. 129, 2023 NHL Draft), Jorian Donovan (Ottawa Senators, No. 136, 2022 Draft); goalie Nolan Lalonde (Columbus Blue Jackets, signed Oct. 2, 2022).
2024 draft-eligible prospects: (NHL Central Scouting final ranking in parenthesis): Defenseman Zayne Parekh (No. 5, North American skaters).
LONDON KNIGHTS
Coach: Dale Hunter
Memorial Cup championships: Two (2005, 2016)
How they got here: London went 16-2 in the OHL playoffs to win the J. Ross Robertson Cup as league champion, capped by a four-game sweep of Oshawa in the best-of-7 championship series. The Knights averaged 4.89 goals per game during the playoffs and Toronto Maple Leafs forward prospect Easton Cowan won the Wayne Gretzky 99 award as the most valuable player of the OHL playoffs after leading the league with 34 points (10 goals, 24 assists) in 18 postseason games. London is making its sixth Memorial Cup appearance since 2005.
NHL prospects: Forwards Easton Cowan (Toronto Maple Leafs, No. 28, 2023 Draft), Kasper Halttunen (San Jose Sharks, No. 36, 2023 Draft), Jacob Julien (Winnipeg Jets, No. 146, 2023 Draft), Kaleb Lawrence (Los Angeles Kings, No. 215, 2022 Draft), Max McCue (Columbus Blue Jackets, signed March 1), Denver Barkey (Philadelphia Flyers, No. 95, 2023 Draft), Landon Sim (St. Louis Blues, No. 184, 2022 Draft); defensemen Isaiah George (New York Islanders, No. 98, 2022 Draft), Oliver Bonk (Philadelphia Flyers, No. 22, 2023 Draft), Jackson Edward (Boston Bruins, No. 200, 2022 Draft).
2024 draft-eligible prospects: Forwards Sam O'Reilly (No. 24, North American skaters), Ruslan Gazizov (No. 192 North American skaters); defensemen Sam Dickinson (No. 7, North American skaters), Jared Woolley (No. 73, North American skaters).
