Iginla, Reid among top NHL prospects competing at Memorial Cup

The 106th Memorial Cup tournament to determine the champion of the Canadian Hockey League will take place at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia beginning Friday and concluding with the championship game May 31.

The four-team, round-robin tournament includes the host team, Kelowna of the Western Hockey League, along with WHL champion Everett, Ontario Hockey League champion Kitchener, and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League champion Chicoutimi.

There are four skaters participating in the event ranked inside the top 60 of NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters: Chicoutimi forward Liam Lefebvre (No. 38), Everett defenseman Brek Liske (No. 44), Kitchener defenseman Alexander Bilecki (No. 49), and Everett forward Matias Vanhanen (No. 54). Additionally, Harrison Boettiger of Kelowna is No. 10 on Central Scouting's final ranking of North American goaltenders, and Kitchener's Jason Schaubel is No. 36.

Kelowna is playing in the Memorial Cup for the sixth time since 1995. The Rockets this season are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the franchise relocating from Tacoma, Washington, and are hosting the event a second time, the first since 2004.

The host team has won 12 times since the current four-team round-robin format was adopted in 1983, most recently in 2024 when host Saginaw of the OHL defeated OHL champion London 4-3 in the championship game. In the past 41 tournaments, the WHL has won 16 times, the OHL 14 times, and the QMJHL 11 times. The tournament was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

All games will air on NHL Network in the United States, TSN and RDS in Canada, and stream on Victory+ outside of Canada.

Here's a closer look at the participating teams (listed alphabetically):

CHICOUTIMI SAGUENEENS

Coach: Yanick Jean

Previous Memorial Cup appearances: 1991, 1994, 1997

Memorial Cup championships: None

How they got here: Chicoutimi won its third Gilles-Courteau Trophy and first in 32 years with a six-game victory against Moncton in the QMJHL championship series. The Sagueneens won the Luc-Robitaille Trophy as the top offensive team in the QMJHL with 321 goals and the Robert-Lebel Trophy as the league's top defensive club, allowing 150. Anaheim Ducks forward prospect Maxim Masse led the charge, winning the Michel-Briere Trophy as QMJHL most valuable player and the Jean-Beliveau Trophy as the league's top scorer with 102 points (51 goals, 51 assists) in 63 games. He led Chicoutimi in the QMJHL playoffs with 24 points (six goals, 18 assists) in 20 games. Lefebvre had 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 20 postseason games. Goalie Lucas Beckman (Ottawa Senators) was outstanding, with a 1.98 goals-against average and .918 save percentage in 20 games.

NHL prospects: Forwards Maxim Massé (Anaheim Ducks, No. 66, 2024 NHL Draft), Maxim Schafer (Washington Capitals, No. 96, 2025 NHL Draft), Emile Guite (Anaheim Ducks, No. 159, 2025); defensemen Alexis Bernier (Seattle Kraken, No. 73, 2024); Tomas Lavoie (Utah Mammoth, No. 89, 2024), Alex Huang (Nashville Predators, No. 122, 2025); goalie Lucas Beckman (Ottawa Senators, No. 97, 2025).

2026 NHL Draft-eligible prospects (Number in parenthesis is ranking by NHL Central Scouting): Forward Liam Lefebvre (No. 38, North American skaters); forward Emile Ricard (No. 206, North American skaters).

EVERETT SILVERTIPS

Coach: Steve Hamilton

Previous Memorial Cup appearances: None

How they got here: Everett is making its first Memorial Cup appearance after winning its first Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champion by defeating Prince Albert in five games in the best-of-7 championship series. Hamilton, the WHL Coach of the Year, guided Everett to a 16-2 playoff record and one of the strongest regular seasons in modern WHL history, winning a second straight Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy with a franchise-best 57-8-3 mark. Seattle Kraken forward prospect Julius Miettinen led the way with 27 points (14 goals, 13 assists) in 18 playoff games on his way to earning WHL playoff MVP honors. Miettinen's line with Carter Bear (Detroit Red Wings; 22 points, seven goals, 15 assists) and Vanhanen (27 points; 14 goals, 13 assists) was tremendous. Defenseman Landon DuPont, the projected top pick in the 2027 NHL Draft, had 23 points (five goals, 18 assists) and a plus-20 rating in 18 playoff games. Liske opened the eyes of NHL scouts with his stout playoff performance, finishing with 17 points (four goals, 13 assists) and a plus-25 rating in 18 postseason games.

NHL prospects: Forwards Julius Miettinen (Seattle Kraken, No. 40, 2024), Carter Bear (Detroit Red Wings, No. 13, 2025), Shea Busch (Florida Panthers, No. 128, 2025); defensemen Tarin Smith (Anaheim Ducks, No. 79, 2024), Luke Vlooswyk (Philadelphia Flyers, No. 157, 2025).

2026 NHL Draft-eligible prospects: Forward Matias Vanhanen (No. 54, North American skaters); defenseman Brek Liske (No. 44, North American skaters).

KELOWNA ROCKETS

Coach: Derrick Martin

Previous Memorial Cup appearances: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2015

Memorial Cup championships: 2004

How they got here: Kelowna received an automatic berth as tournament host. The Rockets finished the regular season 38-21-9 and swept longtime B.C. Division rival Kamloops in the opening round of the 2026 WHL playoffs, then lost to Everett in five games in the second round. Kelowna is led by forward Tij Iginla (Utah Mammoth), who had 90 points (41 goals, 49 assists) in 48 regular-season games while ranking second in the CHL with an average of 1.88 points per game. Kelowna captain Carson Wetsch had 72 points (22 goals, 50 assists) in 65 games and signed an entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks on May 13. Forward Vojtech Cihar (Los Angeles Kings), who was named MVP of the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship for silver medal-winning Czechia, led Kelowna with 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in nine playoff games.

NHL prospects: Forwards Tij Iginla (Utah Mammoth, No. 6, 2024), Carson Wetsch (San Jose Sharks, No. 82, 2024), Hiroki Gojsic (Nashville Predators, No. 94, 2024), Vojtech Cihar (Los Angeles Kings, No. 59, 2025), Hayden Paupanekis (Montreal Canadiens, No. 69, 2025), Tomas Poletin (New York Islanders, No. 106, 2025); defensemen Parker Alcos (Vancouver Canucks, No. 189, 2024), Peyton Kettles (Pittsburgh Penguins, No. 39, 2025).

2026 NHL Draft-eligible prospects: Goalie Harrison Boettiger (No. 10, North American goalies).

KITCHENER RANGERS

Coach: Jussi Ahokas

Previous Memorial Cup appearances: 1981, 1982, 1984, 1990, 2003, 2008

Memorial Cup championships: 1982, 2003

How they got here: The Rangers won their fifth J. Ross Robertson Cup with a four-game sweep of Barrie in the OHL championship. Kitchener finished 16-2 during the OHL playoffs to return to the Memorial Cup for the first time in 18 years. Forward Sam O'Reilly led the way with 28 points (17 goals, 11 assists) in 18 playoff games and won the Wayne Gretzky "99" Award as OHL playoff MVP, capping a stellar season in which he claimed the Red Tilson Trophy as the OHL most outstanding player.

NHL prospects: Forwards Sam O'Reilly (Tampa Bay Lightning, trade; selected No. 32 by Edmonton Oilers, 2024), Jack Pridham (Chicago Blackhawks, No. 92, 2024), Lucas Ellinas (Ottawa Senators, No. 104, 2024), Christian Humphreys (Colorado Avalanche, No. 215, 2024), Luca Romano (New York Islanders, No. 74, 2025), Gabriel Chiarot (Vancouver Canucks, No. 175, 2025), Matthew Hlacar (Toronto Maple Leafs, No. 217, 2025); defensemen Matthew Andonovski (Ottawa Senators, No. 140, 2023 NHL Draft), Jared Woolley (Los Angeles Kings, No. 164, 2024), Cameron Reid (Nashville Predators, No. 21, 2025), Andrew MacNiel (Montreal Canadiens, No. 189, 2025); goalie Christian Kirsch (San Jose Sharks, No. 116, 2024).
 
2026 NHL Draft-eligible prospects: Forward Weston Cameron (No. 196, North American skaters); defenseman Alexander Bilecki (No. 49, North American skaters); goalie Jason Schaubel (No. 36, North American goalies).

2026 Memorial Cup schedule

May 22: Kitchener vs. Kelowna (9 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN, RDS, Victory+)
May 23: Everett vs. Chicoutimi (9 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN, RDS, Victory+)
May 24: Kelowna vs. Chicoutimi (9 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN, RDS, Victory+)
May 25: Everett vs. Kitchener (9 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN, RDS, Victory+)
May 26: Chicoutimi vs. Kitchener (9 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN, RDS, Victory+)
May 27: Kelowna vs. Everett (9 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN, RDS, Victory+)
May 28: Tiebreaker, if necessary (9 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN, RDS, Victory+)
May 29: Semifinal (9 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN, RDS, Victory+)
May 31: Final (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN, RDS, Victory+)