Four teams all hungry after long droughts
A capsule look at the four teams competing in the Memorial Cup in Kamloops, B.C. Teams are listed by conference, along with their respective regular season records. The tournament starts Friday with the final set for Sunday, June 4.
WHL
Seattle (54-11-1-2)
The Thunderbirds made the tournament for just the third time in franchise history after winning their second-ever Western Hockey League title on May 19. Seattle swiftly put away Eastern Conference power Winnipeg Ice in five games.
Led by Canadian world junior championship stars Dylan Guenther and Thomas Milic — two of their 10 NHL prospects — the Thunderbirds are looking for their Memorial Cup title. Guenther, who scored the game-winning goal in the goldmedal game for Canada at the world juniors, leads the CHL with 16 playoff goals. Milic led the WHL in wins (16), save percentage (.933) and goals-against average (1.95) in 19 playoff games.
WHL
(host) Kamloops (48-13-4-3)
It’s been a long time since the host Blazers lifted the Memorial Cup — 1995 to be exact, which spelled the end of a run of three titles in four years (1992, 1994, 1995).
Kamloops presented Seattle its toughest challenge, pushing the Thunderbirds to six games in the Western Conference championship. And the Blazers have the most recovery time entering the tournament, having last played May 8.
Kamloops, led by WHL post-season scoring leaders Logan Stankoven (30 points) and Olen Zellweger (29 points), will open the tournament against Quebec on Friday.
Lifting the Memorial Cup in front of his hometown fans would be a dream come true for the 20-yearold Stankoven, a second-round pick of the Dallas Stars in 2021.
“Would be pretty surreal,” said Stankoven, who 11 points (three goals, eight assists) for Canada at the world juniors. “Probably my last year here. We’ve been getting really good crowds all playoffs and all season long, so it’d be nice to win that for them and for the city, it’d be quite the buzz around here.”
QMJHL
Quebec (53-12-1-2)
The Remparts showed no signs of slowing down from their regularseason dominance in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs. Quebec, which had the best regular-season record in the QMJHL, went 16-2 en route to the Gilles Courteau Trophy, with the two defeats coming at the hands of the Halifax Mooseheads in the championship series.
It was the Remparts’ first QMJHL title in 47 years, giving them their first entry into the Memorial Cup since they hosted in 2015. Quebec comes into Kamloops aiming for its third Memorial Cup title and first since 2006.
OHL
Peterborough (35-29-2-2)
The Petes have arguably had the least likely run to the Memorial Cup of the four teams. Peterborough entered the Ontario Hockey League playoffs with the ninth-best record in the regular season.
After sweeping the Sudbury Wolves, the Petes upset the OHLbest Ottawa 67’s in six games. Peterborough followed that with a seven-game elimination of the North Bay Battalion before taking out the London Knights in six to claim its first J. Ross Robertson Cup in 17 years.
The victory gave the Petes their 10th OHL title in franchise history, putting them second all-time behind the Oshawa Generals (13). Peterborough will be making its 10th appearance at the Memorial Cup, with its lone title in the tournament coming in 1979.