Kings Prospect Jared Woolley Wins Second Consecutive Memorial Cup Championship!

Congratulations are in order for Kings prospect Jared Woolley, who won his second consecutive Memorial Cup title, skating to a victory with the Kitchener Rangers in the championship game earlier tonight. 

Woolley's championship ends an incredibly successful career in the OHL, split between Kitchener and London. Woolley won two Memorial Cup championships, in 2025 and 2026, and three OHL championships, in 2024, 2025 and 2026. With an entry-level contract already signed, Woolley is likely to begin his professional career in the fall. He's been impressive in limited appearances in NHL training camp and rookie camp, though his destination for the season was always known to be the OHL. This time around, he's likely to stick around in California, likely with the AHL's Ontario Reign, and he'll be a prospect that should be pretty exciting to keep an eye on next season.

In tonight's championship game, Woolley made a huge impact on his team's win over the WHL's Everett Silvertips. With Kitchener leading the game 2-1 in the second period, Woolley scored his first goal of the Memorial Cup and his second goal in total during the playoffs, doubling his team's advantage, as they ultimately stretched that lead to 5-1. Woolley activated from the left point and took a feed in the left-hand circle, using his skate to deflect the puck onto his stick, on the forehand, before he quickly shot top glove for the goal. Not a bad time to get back on the scoresheet, with a really impressive effort in the process.

For the Memorial Cup as a whole, Woolley finished his tournament with the one goal in four games played, along with a +1 rating across the games cumulatively. Kitchener went undefeated at the 2026 Memorial Cup, culminating with the victory this evening over Everett. In total, Woolley and the Rangers won 20 of the 22 games played during the postseason, losing just two games in the OHL Playoffs. The run overall was extremely impressive, with Woolley playing a first-pairing role on that team. Kitchener won two series via a sweep and two series with a 4-1 record, before winning all three games in round-robin play at the Memorial Cup and earning a bye into the championship game, winning that game tonight to conclude a very good season. 

On an individual front, Woolley finished the season tied for 11th in the OHL among defensemen with 12 goals scored this season. Woolley isn't projected to be an offense-first defenseman at the NHL level but he's got some of it in his game and that's certainly a good trait to have. The Kings had often drafted right-shot defensemen who profile more as puck movers or offensive defensemen, while they have pushed more for a defensive-minded approach with left-shot defensemen. This was something that was more relevant when it came to a team that was playing the 1-3-1, which most often had a right-shot defenseman retrieving pucks on breakouts. Without that, it's less important, but Woolley has always projected as a big, physical defenseman with good size, but with the ability to move the puck effectively. Woolley is unlikely to be a 50-point defenseman at the NHL level, but there's a noticeable difference between a 6-5 defenseman who can move the puck and one who cannot. Woolley projects as someone who can keep the puck and play moving, along with the other things that he brings, and I think there's an important distinction there. 

I think as Woolley has progressed, his stock has risen pretty quickly, at a steep curve. When you look at the Kings prospect pool, the group has been thinned out over the years as players drafted highly have either aged out into NHL players or did not pan out. As such, players like Woolley standout more than perhaps they would have five years ago. Woolley is a top-five skater prospect within the Kings system by the evaluations of many and he's a guy who is now entering the next big step in his development since he was drafted. He's about to make the jump from being one of the oldest, strongest and most mature players in the OHL to being among the youngest players in the professional ranks. It's one of the biggest jumps that players make when they begin their professional careers and it'll be interesting to watch Woolley make that jump next season. 

For tonight, a huge congratulations to Woolley on another championship and another accolade. A really strong career at the junior level and a good prospect for the Kings moving forward.