Canucks Prospects Take the Stage at Memorial Cup

The Memorial Cup gets underway tomorrow, with two Vancouver Canucks prospects set to compete for junior hockey’s biggest prize.  

Kitchener Rangers forward Gabriel Chiarot and Kelowna Rockets defenceman Parker Alcos are representing at the tournament after helping their clubs reach the four-team championship tournament. 

The field is set with the OHL champion Rangers, WHL champion Everett Silvertips, QMJHL champion Chicoutimi Sagueneens, and host team Kelowna Rockets. 

The Rockets earned an automatic berth into the tournament as hosts, and were eliminated by the Silvertips in the WHL playoffs earlier this year. The Rangers punched their ticket after capturing the OHL championship in a hard-fought series against the Barrie Colts. 

Opening ceremonies take place Thursday, May 22nd, with tournament action beginning Friday, May 23rd, at 6:00 p.m. PT. Chiarot and Alcos will face off in the opening game of the tournament, giving Canucks fans an early look at two prospects on one of junior hockey’s biggest stages. 

Chiarot arrives at the Memorial Cup with his Kitchener teammates with momentum and confidence after the Rangers’ 16-2 run through the OHL playoffs. Kitchener swept the Barrie Colts to clinch the title, and Chiarot said they enjoyed the win for a couple of days before getting back to work. 

“We definitely capped off a good season, and it's tough to celebrate when you have the Memorial Cup going on, because once you win one, you want to win more,” Chiarot said. “It's definitely a great feeling, and memories that will last a lifetime.” 

Locking in a spot for another tournament on the big stage is another milestone for the 19-year-old. 

“I'm pretty pumped up for it, and now it's my second time in Kelowna after the Canucks training camp there, so it’ll be nice to go back," he said. 

It has been the longest playoff run of Chiarot’s three-year OHL career, and the experience of winning has been invaluable. The Rangers went to overtime five times in their postseason run, and double OT once, coming out on the right side of the extra frames every time. He learned resiliency and staying even-keeled through every circumstance. 

“There'd be some games we would be down in the third period by like a goal or two, and we'd be shorthanded to start the period, and we found a way to win. Just playing in those situations I think is key,” Chiarot said. "That was one of the things I'm really going to take with me in my career, knowing how to play in those big moment games and how to get it done.” 

Chiarot put up 11 points (5-6-11) through 18 playoff games, including two goals and two assists in the OHL Finals.

There’s a lot of leadership and communication on Kitchener’s bench, and Chiarot has a great relationship with his linemates and leads through his play. He’s hard on the forecheck and works net front, also contributing on the power play and the penalty kill. He encourages his linemates to focus on the next shift and make it count to help the team.  

The Rangers learned a lot through their OHL playoff run that will help them at the Memorial Cup. They're looking forward to the challenge of playing teams outside of their conference as they face the top teams in the CHL. Despite different competition, Chiarot says the mindset ahead of each game is the same. 

“Not taking anyone lightly and also sticking to our game because we know what we're best at, and we don’t want to adjust too much to the other teams,” he said. 

The round robin portion of the tournament goes from May 23-27, with tiebreak game if necessary, on May 28, the semifinals on May 29th and the finals on Sunday, May 31st at 4:00 p.m. PT.