Brandon, Kelowna, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat and Spokane submit bids for 2026 Memorial Cup

The Canadian Hockey League has announced that five teams out of the Western Hockey League have applied to host the 2026 Memorial Cup.

With the Brandon Wheat Kings, Kelowna Rockets, Lethbridge Hurricanes, Medicine Hat Tigers, and Spokane Chiefs all looking to host the Canadian major junior championship, it marks the biggest field of applicants since six QMJHL teams applied for the 2009 event.

All four WHL divisions are represented, with Spokane looking to become the second consecutive American-based team to host it after Saginaw held and won the 2024 tournament this past spring. The five applicants will pitch their case to the CHL over the next few weeks, and the league will make a final decision in December.

The host team will earn an automatic invitation into the four-team tournament, with the other three representatives comprising the three CHL league champions. If the hosts manage to win the WHL title, the other finalist will qualify for the tournament.

Spokane (1998), Kelowna (2004), and Brandon (2010) have all previously hosted the tournament, while Lethbridge and Medicine Hat are hoping to do so for the first time. Of the five teams, three of them – Medicine Hat (twice), Spokane (twice) and Kelowna (once) – have won the tournament, while Brandon and Lethbridge are chasing their first.

Notable players who could participate in the tournament include top 2026 NHL Draft prospect Gavin McKenna (Medicine Hat), Columbus’ Cayden Lindstrom (Medicine Hat), Utah’s Tij Iginla (Kelowna), Toronto’s Noah Chadwick (Lethbridge), Nashville’s Miguel Marques (Nashville), Seattle’s Berkly Catton (Spokane) and 2025 NHL Draft prospect Roger McQueen (Brandon).

The 2025 Memorial Cup will be played in Rimouski, Quebec this coming spring.