The Memorial Cup continues from Kelowna on Monday as the top teams from around the Canadian Hockey League compete for junior hockey’s biggest prize.
The Ontario Hockey League champion Kitchener Rangers are taking on the Western Hockey League title holder Everett Silvertips as both teams are trying to remain perfect in the round-robin portion of the tournament.
A win on Monday will give the victor the best chance of advancing straight to the Memorial Cup Final when the round-robin has been completed.
The Rangers opened the tournament in dominant fashion on Friday, shutting out the host Kelowna Rockets 5-0.
Chicago Blackhawks prospect Jack Pridham and veteran forward Dylan Edwards both registered a goal and an assist in the victory while defencemen Alexander Bilecki and Carson Campbell provided two assists each.
Sam O’Reilly, Jared Woolley, and Haeden Ellis also scored for Kitchener.
Christian Kirsch’s outstanding play from the OHL’s playoffs transferred over to the Memorial Cup as he stopped all 24 shots that came his way. The San Jose Sharks goaltending prospect went 16-2 in the postseason with a 2.32 goals-against average and .900 save percentage.
O’Reilly’s goal is added to a long list of accolades that landed him both OHL MVP in the regular season and OHL playoff MVP. The Tampa Bay Lightning prospect was a prized trade deadline acquisition, along with Woolley, from the London, after they helped lead the Knights to back-to-back OHL championships in 2024 and 2025.
O’Reilly had previously helped the Knights to another OHL Championship Series appearance in 2023, but fell to the Peterborough Petes.
The 6-foot-1 centre led all skaters in the OHL postseason with 17 goals, and his 28 points tied him for second in league scoring, just one point behind Barrie Colts centre Cole Beaudoin.
O’Reilly and Woolley are hoping to claim their second consecutive Memorial Cup title after helping London to victory in last year’s tournament.
The Rangers are making their seventh appearance at the Memorial Cup and their first since 2008. They are seeking their third Memorial Cup title after previously winning in 2003 on a team that was led by two-time Stanley Cup champion Mike Richards and coached by now-New York Islanders head coach Pete DeBoer.
Everett enters their second game at the tournament after claiming their first Memorial Cup victory in franchise history with a 5-3 win over the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League champion Chicoutimi Saguenéens on Saturday night.
Veteran winger Jesse Heslop and rookie forward Matias Vanhanen led the way for the Silvertips, both recording a goal and an assist in the win.
Detroit Red Wings first-round pick Carter Bear also picked up a goal while forwards Zackary Shantz and Lukas Kaplan also scored.
Phenom defenceman Landon DuPont continued to impress throughout the game, registering an assist while looking dangerous on a number of scoring chances.
DuPont, who turns 17 on Thursday, became the ninth player in CHL history to claim exceptional player status back in 2024 and is a favourite to be drafted first overall in the 2027 NHL Draft.
Vanhanen led the Silvertips in scoring during the regular season with 21 goals and 87 points in 62 games after coming to North America from Finland as part of the 2025 CHL Import Draft. He added 12 goals and 24 points in the playoffs to help Everett win their first Ed Chynoweth Cup in franchise history.
The 5-foot-10 winger is ranked No. 35 on TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button’s May draft list.
American netminder Anders Miller did everything he could to give Everett the opportunity to beat Chicoutimi, stopping 22 of 25 shots in the win. The 6-foot-1 goaltender was acquired from the Calgary Hitmen early in the season and went 29-4-0 as a member of the Silvertips with a .920 save percentage and 2.12 GAA.
He dominated the WHL postseason, going 16-2 and leading all goalies with a 1.91 GAA and .932 save percentage.
This is Everett’s first appearance at the Memorial Cup in their 23-year history.
The Memorial Cup round-robin continues on Tuesday when Chicoutimi battles Kitchener. This game can be watched LIVE at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on across the TSN Network, TSN.ca, and the TSN App.
