The Memorial Cup is set to begin Friday with the host Rimouski Oceanic squaring off against the Western Hockey League champion Medicine Hat Tigers.
This year’s tournament brings together four very closely matched teams. The London Knights defended their OHL title and have lost only one playoff game this spring. The Moncton Wildcats are competing at the Memorial Cup for the first time since 2010 after defeating the Oceanic in the QMJHL final. Meanwhile, the Tigers are returning to the tournament for the first time since 2007.
Here’s a look at some players to watch.
This year’s event is flush with future NHL players. Thirty-four drafted prospects will be suiting up in Rimouski, Que., including 13 from the Knights alone.
Some of the top prospects include:
Easton Cowan, London Knights
The Knights forward was selected in the first round (28th overall) at the 2023 draft in Nashville by the Toronto Maple Leafs. He’s no stranger to the big stage, having represented Canada in back-to-back world junior championships, playing in three straight OHL finals and now the Memorial Cup in consecutive years.
Cowan is a workhorse for London. He averaged over 24 minutes of ice time in the playoffs and led the OHL in playoff scoring with 13 goals and 26 assists. He’s had a fantastic junior career (87 goals, 141 assists in 179 regular-season games plus another 32 goals and 64 assists in 60 playoff contests) and will be looking to go out a champion before turning pro with the Leafs organization next fall.
Sam Dickinson, London Knights
Dickinson was selected 11th overall by the San Jose Sharks last June in Vegas. The six-foot-two, 203-pound, left-shot defenceman was named the top defenceman in the OHL after a regular season that produced 91 points and an incredible plus-64 rating. The smooth-skating, two-way D seems like he never leaves the ice. Dickinson averaged over 30 of minutes ice time in the playoffs and isn’t shy about joining the rush with and without the puck on his stick.
Etienne Morin, Moncton Wildcats
Morin is a Calgary Flames prospect who was selected in the second round (48th overall) in 2023. He’s the Wildcats’ most deployed defenceman and averages over 26 minutes of ice time per game. Morin is a left-shot who’s listed at six-foot-one, 185 pounds. He’s an excellent skater and capable of breaking pucks out of his zone on his own or adding an extra layer off the rush.
I especially appreciate his agility on the offensive blue line. His lateral quickness opens up lanes to distribute or direct pucks on net. Morin contributed 14 goals and 44 assists in the regular season and followed it up with two goals and 18 helpers in 19 playoff games. His defensive game has improved greatly as he matured at the junior level. Morin’s plus-minus improved from minus-9 last season to plus-38 this past year.
Tanner Molendyk, Medicine Hat Tigers
Molendyk is property of the Nashville Predators after being selected 24th overall in 2023. Molendyk arrives in Rimouski riding a hot hand offensively. He’s produced three goals and 12 assists in his last 10 playoff games and averages over 24 minutes of ice time per game. Molendyk isn’t shy about joining the rush offensively. He’s an excellent skater who has an extra gear in transition. He’s also been mostly reliable defensively over the 10-game segment. Molendyk is a plus-8 over the stretch of games.
Mathieu Cataford, Rimouski Oceanic
To have success in a tournament like the Memorial Cup, teams need to have forwards who can be difference-makers offensively. Cataford is that kind of player for the Oceanic. The Vegas Golden Knights selected Cataford in the third round (73rd overall) in 2023. The five-foot-11, 192-pound forward has been a prolific scorer at the junior level. He’s lethal on the power-play with his puck touch and quick release. Cataford will be deployed in all situations for Rimouski and be counted on to lead the charge in all facets of the game.
The tournament will include some attractive prospects for the upcoming NHL Draft. Wildcats centre Caleb Desnoyers is a priority player I will be watching very closely.
Desnoyers is trending up and securely in my top-five overall draft rankings. He’s a nearly complete player who is deployed in all situations. He produced 35 goals and 49 assists in the regular season and followed it up with nine goals and 21 assists in the QMJHL playoffs. Equally impressive was his defensive detail. Desnoyers finished plus-51 in 56 regular-season games and plus-five in the playoffs.
I describe Desnoyers as equal parts shooter/distributor but there’s no denying his overall vision with the puck on his stick:
Meanwhile, Knights defenceman Henry Brzustewicz is rated 19th in NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings identifying top skaters from North America.
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Gavin McKenna is the top prospect for next year’s NHL Draft and the most dynamic offensive prospect in his peer group.
McKenna battled through injury in the WHL playoffs but still contributed nine goals and 29 assists in 16 games. His campaign included a 54-game point streak, from Nov. 2-May 11, and a regular season that saw him produce 41 goals and 88 assists in 56 games. The six-foot, 165-pound centre is nearly impossible to defend. Teams at the tournament will attempt to contain him as best as possible, similar to how teams try to deal Connor McDavid at the NHL level.
Here’s one of my favourite sequences from McKenna from this past season. Watch closely as he bats the puck out of mid-air to start the attack, before spinning off a check in the neutral zone and quickly distributing to Molendyk in full stride:
The tournament concludes June 1 and marks the end of the in-person scouting schedule for NHL scouts and executives. The NHL combine in Buffalo will begin on June 2, with the draft June 27-28 in Los Angeles.