Bruins Prospect Jakub Lauko Leads Huskies To Memorial Cup

BostonBruins.com - The night before the Bruins took the ice for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, one of the organization's recent draft picks achieved junior hockey glory. Jakub Lauko, a third-round pick in 2018, and his QMJHL squad, the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, defeated the Halifax Mooseheads to claim the Memorial Cup.

The 19-year-old center turned heads in the tournament, leading all players with eight points in five games by way of two goals and six assists. Rouyn-Noranda rallied from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game, and early in the third Lauko made the play to take the lead. Lauko carried the puck into the offensive zone, cut back and dished a smooth pass that led to the game-winning goal, while also securing his spot as the top scorer in the tournament.

"I still don't believe it," he said in an on-ice interview following the game. "We showed a lot of character today. We were down 2-0, and we made a big comeback and won. It's [an] incredible feeling."
Lauko's success in the tournament should not have come as a surprise to anyone, since the Czech forward led all QMJHL rookies with six goals, seven assists and 13 points in the regular season. He credited most of his personal accolades to his teammates and the chemistry that they had.
"The guys made it fun for me during the whole season, and I just played hard during this tournament," he said. "It's good, but the most important thing is we won the whole tournament, and we are the best team in Canada."