2023 Memorial Cup Preview: Everything you need to know

The 2023 KIA Memorial Cup will be held in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada, from May 25-June 4. The Memorial Cup is an annual Canadian Hockey League (CHL) tournament comprising of four teams, the WHL Champion, the OHL Champion, the QMJHL Champion and a host team.

The host team for this year’s installment of the tournament is the Kamloops Blazers, a major junior hockey franchise with a rich history in junior hockey’s most prestigious tournament. The host team cycles through all three leagues; the Saint John Sea Dogs hosted and won the tournament in 2022, while the Saginaw Spirit will host the 2024 version. All four clubs battle it out for the Memorial Cup in a four-team round-robin format.

Here’s a look at the four competing teams: 

• (Host) – Kamloops Blazers (10-4)
• (WHL Champion) – Seattle Thunderbirds (16-3)
• (OHL Champion) –  Peterborough Petes (16-7)
• (QMJHL Champion) – Quebec Remparts (16-2)

With the festivities set to kick off in Kamloops this week, here is your preview for all four teams participating in the tournament.

Kamloops Blazers

Captain: Logan Stankoven (Dallas Stars)
Head Coach: Shaun Clouston
General Manager: Shaun Clouston
WHL Championships: 6
Memorial Cup Championships: 3

Top 5 playoff scorers:

Logan Stankoven (Stars) – 30 points
Olen Zellweger (Ducks) – 29 points
Matthew Seminoff  (Stars) – 19 points
Caedan Bankier (Wild) – 18 points
Ryan Hofer (Capitals) – 15 points

The Blazers have won the Memorial Cup three times, with six total appearances dating back to 1984. Now, as hosts for the first time since 1994-95 when they won the Cup and swept the league with the likes of Jarome Iginla, Shane Doan, Darcy Tucker, and Tyson Nash, the Blazers look to add another championship to their trophy case.

They are spearheaded by Dallas Stars prospect, hometown hero, and team captain Logan Stankoven. Stankoven has been a force in the WHL the last few seasons, taking home both the WHL and CHL Player of the Year honors after registering 104 points in 59 games last season. This year, Stankoven tallied 97 points in 48 games.

As the season went on, the Blazers added to their roster by trading for some top-end players. They acquired Jakub Demek (Vegas Golden Knights) from the Edmonton Oil Kings, who won the WHL title a year ago. Then, the Blazers pulled off what could be considered one of the most prominent trades in CHL history, acquiring Olen Zellweger (Anaheim Ducks) and Ryan Hofer (Washington Capitals) from the Everett Silvertips in exchange for four players and 10 draft picks. Zellweger won the WHL Defenseman of the Year honors for a second straight year this past season, and tallied 22 goals and 52 points in 32 games with the Blazers. Hofer is a rugged forward who brings size and grit, registering 17 goals, 32 points and 48 penalty minutes in 30 games.

The Blazers are compiled of nine NHL Draft picks, which include Stankoven, Zellweger, Hofer, Demek, Caedan Bankier and Kyle Masters (Minnesota Wild), Fraser Minten (Toronto Maple Leafs), Daylan Kuefler (New York Islanders), Matthew Seminoff (Dallas Stars). They also have two players ranked in the Central Scouting system for the 2023 NHL Draft, forward Connor Levis and goaltender Dylan Ernst. Ernst put up a .906 save percentage and a record of 38-10-2-2 in 53 games this season. 

The Blazers captured their third straight B.C. Division Championship, and were second in the Western Conference behind the powerhouse Seattle Thunderbirds. The Blazers matched against the Vancouver Giants in the first round, sweeping the series 4-0 before doing the same thing against Portland. They advanced to their second straight Western Conference final for a rematch against the Thunderbirds, who defeated the Blazers in six games.

Stankoven led the postseason charge with 30 points in 14 games, and Zellweger notched a team-leading 11 goals and 29 points in 14 games. Despite being eliminated in the conference finals, Stankoven and Zellweger still sit in the first and second slots among WHL points leaders.

Seattle Thunderbirds

Captain: Lucas Ciona (Calgary Flames)
Head Coach: Matt O’Dette
General Manager: Bill LaForge
WHL Championships: 2
Memorial Cup Championships: 0

Top 5 playoff scorers:

Dylan Guenther (Coyotes) – 28 points
Brad Lambert (Jets)  – 26 points
Jared Davidson (Canadiens) – 23 points
Jeremy Hanzel – 22 points
Reid Schaefer (Predators) – 19 points

One year after losing in the WHL final to the Edmonton Oil Kings, the powerhouse Seattle Thunderbirds made it their mission to win it all this season. After defeating the Winnipeg Ice in five games, they managed to finish at least one part of the task.

The Thunderbirds hosted the tournament in 1991-92, but lost in the semifinal game to the Blazers, who defeated Sault St. Marie and hoisted the Memorial Cup. The last time they competed in the tournament was in 2017 after the Thunderbirds won the WHL championship for the first time in the clubs’ history, with Matthew Barzal leading the way.

This season, the Thunderbirds put together a roster that could be considered one of the most complete teams in WHL history. The Birds are led by hulking captain Lucas Ciona, one of the players who was a part of the team who lost to the Oil Kings in last year’s final.

Other notable players on the roster were star-studded defenseman Kevin Korchinski (Chicago Blackhawks), Jared Davidson (Montreal Canadiens), Jordan Gustafson (Vegas Golden Knights), Reid Schaefer (Nashville Predators) and Thomas Millic, Canada’s starting goalie at the 2023 World Junior Championship. 

The Thunderbirds loaded up this season by adding Dylan Guenther (Arizona Coyotes) and Luke Prokop (Nashville Predators), while also making deals to acquire Blackhawks prospects Colton Dach and Nolan Allan and Finnish forward Brad Lambert (Winnipeg Jets) from the Saskatoon Blades. Those deals solidified the Birds as a significant contender for the championship. Guenther leads the charge in the postseason with 16 goals and 28 points in 19 games, Lambert trailing just three points behind and leading the team with 20 assists. Millic has posted 1.95 goals against average and a .933 save percentage through 19 postseason games.

The Birds have a total of 10 NHL-drafted prospects, and another four players – Gracyn Sawchyn and Nico Myatovic, and goaltenders Millic and Scott Ratzlaff – cracked the NHL’s North American Central Scouting list for the 2023 NHL Draft.

The Thunderbirds swept the Kelowna Rockets in the first round of the WHL playoffs, then swept the Prince George Cougars to advance to the Western Conference final quickly. They faced off against the Blazers and defeated them in six games to go to a second straight WHL championship series. This time their opponent was the Winnipeg Ice, led by Matthew Savoie, Conor Geekie and 2023 top prospect Zach Benson. Despite a Game 1 loss to the Ice, the Birds could hold themselves together and bounced back for four straight wins, capturing their second Ed Chynoweth Cup.

Peterborough Petes

Captain: Shawn Spearing
Head Coach: Rob Wilson
General Manager: Mike Oke
OHL Championships: 10
Memorial Cup Championships: 1

For the 10th time in franchise history and the first time since 2005-06, the Peterborough Petes were crowned the J. Ross Robertson Cup champions as they defeated the London Knights 2-1 in Game 6. Goaltender Michael Simpson was named the OHL Playoffs MVP.

The Petes were led this season by Tucker Robertson (Seattle Kraken), Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers), Owen Beck (Montreal Canadiens), Connor Lockhart (Vancouver Canucks) and Jon-Randall Avon (Philadelphia Flyers). Robertson notched 36 goals and 90 points, and both Robertson and Lockhart surpassed the 50-assist mark this season.

The Petes bolstered their team up at the 2023 OHL trade deadline, making two blockbuster deals to acquire Beck from the Mississauga Steelheads and Avery Hayes and Gavin White (Dallas Stars) from the Hamilton Bulldogs. There are a total of eight NHL-drafted prospects on the Petes, including Robertson, Othmann, Beck, Lockhart, Avon, White, Brian Zanetti (Philadelphia Flyers) and Chase Stillman (New Jersey Devils).

In 30 games with the Petes, Beck tallied seven goals and 25 points, while Hayes notched 16 goals and 36 points in 32 games since his arrival. In net, Simpson played a remarkable 51 games, posting a 2.73 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage. 

The Petes matched up against the Sudbury Wolves in the first round and swept them with ease. They then beat the Ottawa 67’s in the second round 4-2 before beating North Bay in the conference final. During the championship series, Peterborough beat the Knights 4-2 on Sunday to be crowned champions for the first time since 2006. Othmann led the Petes with 25 points, Robertson with 22, and Simpson posted a .918 save percentage through 23 games.

Quebec Remparts

Captain: Theo Rochette
Head Coach: Patrick Roy
General Manager: Patrick Roy
QMJHL Championships: 6
Memorial Cup Championships: 2

Top 5 playoff scorers:

Justin Robidas (Hurricanes) – 27 points
Theo Rochette – 21 points
James Malatesta (Blue Jackets) – 20 points
Zachary Bolduc (Blues) – 19 points
Nathan Gaucher (Ducks) – 16 points

For a fourth time in modern franchise history, the Quebec Remparts are headed to the Memorial Cup tournament. The Remparts dominated the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. They ultimately defeated the Halifax Mooseheads in a dramatic game six, with Pier-Olivier Roy scoring the go-ahead goal in the dying minute to give the Remparts a 5-4 victory and capture the Gilles-Courteau Trophy for the first time since 1976. Forward James Malatesta was named the QMJHL Playoff MVP.

The Remparts lost in Game 7 to the Rimouski Oceanic last time they were in the QMJHL final in 2014-15. The Remparts won the Memorial Cup in 2005-06 with a squad featuring head coach Roy and San Jose Sharks veteran Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Alexander Radulov and Angelo Esposito.

This year’s version of the Remparts is led by Bolduc and Rochette, who each scored 100 points this season. Gaucher, Robidas, Malatesta, Roy, and defenseman Nicolas Savoie have all played vital roles all season long in the success of the Remparts. Robidas, the son of former NHLer Stephane Robidas, was acquired from the Val-d’Or Foreurs at the QMJHL Trade Deadline. He notched 36 points in 36 games with Quebec this season. 

The Remparts have a total of seven NHL-drafted prospects compiled on their roster, including Bolduc, Gaucher, Malatesta, Robidas, Buffalo Sabres prospect Vsevolod Komarov, Arizona Coyotes prospect Jeremy Langlois and Florida Panthers prospect Evan Nause. Goaltender William Rousseau has posted 2.22 goals against average and a .915 save percentage through 18 playoff games.

Much like the top teams in the WHL, the Remparts swept their way through the playoffs until facing a chainsaw that is the Halifax Mooseheads. Luckily, they came out on top over the weekend, sending them to the Canadian championship series.

Schedule:

Friday, May 26, Kamloops vs. Quebec
Saturday, May 27, Seattle vs. Peterborough
Sunday, May 28, Kamloops vs. Peterborough
Monday, May 29, Seattle vs. Quebec
Tuesday, May 30, Peterborough vs. Quebec
Wednesday, May 31, Kamloops vs. Seattle
Thursday, June 1, TBD vs. TBD
Friday, June 2, TBD vs. TBD
Sunday, June 4, TBD vs. TBD