After all three of the championship series’ ended in sweeps in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), the field is finally set for the 2024 Memorial Cup, which will be held in Saginaw, Michigan. All four teams had stellar seasons so far and have been carried by a handful of high-level prospects and 2024 draft-eligible players.
So, the real question now is who fans should be watching and how the teams participating in the Memorial Cup made it there.
London Knights (Ontario Hockey League)
6th Memorial Cup appearance
2-time Memorial Cup Champions (2005, 2016)
The OHL champions, the London Knights are spearheaded by a roster full of NHL prospects. After finishing the regular season as the league’s best team with a 50-14-4 record, the Knights eased their way through the playoffs, only losing twice to the Saginaw Spirit.
Offensively, the Knights have been led by Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan. Cowan earned the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player award for the regular season after putting up 96 points and being a nonstop force on the penalty kill (including seven shorthanded goals). Cowan did not show any signs of slowing down in the playoffs, leading the Knights in scoring again, with 34 points in 18 games and earning himself OHL Playoffs MVP.
But Cowan is not the only player who has been lights out for the Knights. Upfront, he’s been joined by Philadelphia Flyers prospect Denver Barkey, San Jose Sharks prospect Kasper Halttunen, and Ruslan Gazizov. On the back end, 2024 draft-eligible defenseman Sam Dickinson has led the way, while goaltender Michael Simpson again put up a strong regular and postseason showing for the Knights.
With their roster, the Knights will easily be considered the favourites heading into the Memorial Cup.
Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
First appearance in the Memorial Cup
After finishing second in the OHL behind the Knights, the Saginaw Spirit came up short in a series comeback attempt against their Western Conference rivals in the Western Conference Finals. But luckily for them (and junior hockey fans), they still secured a place in the Memorial Cup thanks to being the host city this year. They also have a strong roster, but their biggest and most consistent offensive force has come from the back end in 2024 draft-eligible defenseman Zayne Parekh.
Related: Catching Up with Saginaw Spirit Defenseman Zayne Parekh
Parekh set a few Spirit records as a defenseman and has been an absolute force in the offensive zone. Besides him, general manager Dave Drinkill went out and made numerous moves throughout the season to build a team that will be competitive in the Memorial Cup tournament. Additions like Montreal Canadiens prospect Owen Beck, Anaheim Ducks prospect Rodwin Dionicio, and Alex Christopoulos played a massive role for the Spirit this season.
With the new additions and returning players like Michael Misa, Vegas Golden Knights prospect Matyas Sapovaliv, and goaltender Andrew Oke, the team set an organizational record for wins this season. However, one underrated player for the Spirit is Columbus Blue Jackets prospect goaltender Nolan Lalonde. Lalonde helped carry the Spirit through the playoffs after Oke went down with an injury early on. The hope, though, is that Oke will be ready for the Memorial Cup and will be able to come back and pick up where he left off after a strong regular season.
With some added time off after losing their series to the Knights, the Spirit should be heading into the Memorial Cup rested and hopefully back to full health, looking to make some noise as the host team.
Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)
Fourth Memorial Cup appearance
After making quick work of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) playoffs, only losing three games, the Drummondville Voltigeurs are back in the Memorial Cup field. They are led by a handful of NHL prospects, including Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Ethan Gauthier, Buffalo Sabres prospect Vsevolod Komarov (who also won honours as the league’s best defenseman), and Arizona Coyotes prospect Maveric Lamoureux.
With Gauthier and Komarov having solid campaigns, the Voltigeurs had a strong season overall, finishing first in the Central Division and second in the league behind the Baie-Comeau Drakkar, who they beat in the championship series to earn their berth in the Memorial Cup. With the hopeful return of Lamoureux after missing all of the QMJHL playoffs with injury, the Voltigeurs could get a massive boost to an already strong and hot team heading into the Memorial Cup.
Moose Jaw Warriors (Western Hockey League)
First appearance in the Memorial Cup
Another team making its first appearance in the Memorial Cup, the Moose Jaw Warriors, are led by the three-headed monster of Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Brayden Yager, Seattle Kraken prospect Jagger Firkus, and Blue Jackets prospect Denton Mateychuk (WHL defenseman of the year winner). These three led the Warriors in the regular season and now in the playoffs, with all three in the top three in playoff points. Mateychuk’s strong postseason was rewarded with playoff MVP honours after tallying 30 points.
The Warriors are another team, like the Spirit, who also got a boost from some in-season acquisitions. Brayden Schuurman and Buffalo Sabres prospect Matthew Savoie joined the team via trades and made a massive impact. Between the pipes, Jackson Unger has been rock solid and carried the workload all season for the WHL champions. The team will look to become the first WHL team to win the Memorial Cup since the 2014 tournament when the Edmonton Oil Kings earned the honours of CHL champs.
The Best of the Best in The CHL’s Best Tournament
The 2024 Memorial Cup boasts four of the CHL’s best teams, all loaded with talent for fans to keep an eye on. If all things go as planned, the tournament could become one of the best, most “star-studded” tournaments in recent memory.
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