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Moose Jaw Warriors

Field Set for 2024 Memorial Cup Presented by Dow; Warriors Open Tournament Friday, May 24

May 20, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Moose Jaw Warriors News Release


Saint John, NB - JUNE 20: The Memorial Cup in Display in the ceremony prior to the Official puck drop for the Round Robin game 1 of the 2022 Memorial Cup between the Hamilton Bulldogs vs the Saint John Sea Dogs on June 20, 2022, at the Harbour Station in Saint John, NB. (Photo by Vincent Ethier/CHL)

In addition to the host Saginaw Spirit, the 104th edition of the Memorial Cup will feature the Moose Jaw Warriors, the London Knights, and the Drummondville Voltigeurs

The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) is excited to announce that the field for the 2024 Memorial Cup presented by Dow is now complete. In addition to the host Saginaw Spirit from the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), the 104th edition of the Memorial Cup, which is scheduled from May 23 - June 2 in Saginaw, Michigan, will feature the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League (WHL), the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).

The latter three teams punched their ticket to the Memorial Cup by winning their respective league titles in just four games - marking the first time in CHL history that all three championship series from the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL ended in sweeps. The first game of the 2024 Memorial Cup is set for next Friday, May 24 at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT between the host Spirit and the WHL champion Moose Jaw Warriors. The complete schedule for the 2024 Memorial Cup presented by Dow can be found below.

The 2024 Memorial Cup will mark the first time the CHL's championship event has been held in the United States in 26 years and the very first time it has ever occurred in the State of Michigan. Every game of this year's 2024 Memorial Cup will air on TSN and RDS in Canada and be available via live stream on TSN.ca, the TSN app, RDS.ca, and the RDS app. In addition to full coverage in Canada on TSN and RDS, the 2024 Memorial Cup will be available in the United States on NHL Network, and for subscribers of CHL TV outside of North America.

Host - Saginaw Spirit

(making their first-ever appearance at a Memorial Cup in 2024)

One of four teams in the CHL to win 50 games this season, the Saginaw Spirit are set to participate in their first-ever Memorial Cup after a historic year for the franchise. Thanks to their 50-16-1-1 record in the regular season, the Spirit set a new club record with 102 points in 2023-24 - marking the first time they broke the 100-point plateau in their 22-year history. A big part of their success can be attributed to the performance of many players including 2024 NHL Draft prospect Zayne Parekh, who led all CHL defencemen in scoring with 96 points (33G-66A) during the regular season. Saginaw also enjoyed great production from another one of their blueliners during the postseason, Anaheim Ducks prospect Rodwin Dionicio, who led all OHL defencemen and his team in playoff scoring with 17 points (5G-12A in 17 GP). Saginaw reached the OHL's Western Conference finals for only the second time in club history, before falling to the OHL Champion London Knights in six games.

In total, the Spirit feature nine NHL prospects on their roster, including Montreal Canadiens prospect Owen Beck, Vegas Golden Knights prospect Matyas Sapovaliv, and Minnesota Wild prospect Hunter Haight. 2025 NHL Draft prospect Michael Misa was also a key player for the Spirit in 2023-24, registering 75 points (29G-46A) in 67 regular-season games, which stands as the most points in Saginaw history by a player who started the year at age 16. Led by head coach Chris Lazary, the Spirit will aim to be the third Memorial Cup host to lift the trophy in the last 10 years.

WHL Champions - Moose Jaw Warriors

(making their first-ever appearance at a Memorial Cup in 2024)

Having won their first-ever Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL Champions, the Moose Jaw Warriors will write another page in their franchise's history when they head to Saginaw for their first-ever appearance at a Memorial Cup. Following their 4-0 sweep of the Portland Winterhawks in the WHL Championship Series, the Warriors have now won 26 of their last 33 games, losing only three times in regulation since February 23. Guided by head coach Mark O'Leary, Moose Jaw scored 87 times during the playoffs, averaging a WHL-best 4.35 goals per game. Throughout the postseason, Seattle Kraken prospect Jagger Firkus (14G-18A in 20 GP), Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Denton Mateychuk (11G-19A in 20 GP), and Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Brayden Yager (11G-16A in 20 GP) have been excellent for Moose Jaw - as all three wrapped up the playoffs ranked first, second and third respectively in WHL scoring this postseason. Specifically, Mateychuk was recognized as the WHL Playoff MVP after leading all CHL defencemen in scoring with 30 points during the playoffs.

The trio of Firkus, Mateychuk, and Yager is also among the seven NHL prospects on the Warriors roster, which also features standout players such as Buffalo Sabres prospect Matthew Savoie (10G-14A in 20 GP), Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Martin Rysavy (6G-10A in 20 GP), and Minnesota Wild prospect Kalem Parker (2G-7A in 20 GP). As they prepare to make the trip to Michigan, Moose Jaw will not only be in search of their first Memorial Cup title in franchise history, but they will hope to become the first WHL club to win the event since the Edmonton Oil Kings were crowned CHL champions 10 years ago.

OHL Champions - London Knights

(sixth Memorial Cup appearance - 2005, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016 & 2024; two Memorial Cup titles - 2005 & 2016)

Set to make their sixth appearance since 2005, no club in the CHL has participated in more Memorial Cups than the London Knights over the last 20 years. Led by head coach Dale Hunter, the 2023-24 OHL regular-season champions punched their ticket to this year's tournament by defeating the Oshawa Generals in four games to earn their fifth J. Ross Robertson Cup. The Knights started the 2024 OHL Playoffs by winning their first 10 games, marking one of the best postseason starts in recent memory. London ended up recording 31 goals in four games during the OHL Championship Series, and they averaged a CHL-best 4.89 goals per game throughout the playoffs. With 10 NHL prospects in their lineup, London has been led this postseason by Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan, who recorded a CHL-best 34 points (10G-24A in 18 GP) in the playoffs including three goals and 12 assists in the OHL Championship Series.

By winning the Wayne Gretzky 99 award as the 2024 OHL Playoffs MVP, Cowan became the first player to win the OHL's MVP award in both the regular season and playoffs since Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner achieved the feat with the Knights in 2015-16. At the same time, San Jose Sharks prospect Kasper Haltunnen (17G-9A on 18 GP) led all OHL skaters with 17 goals this postseason, one shy of the CHL leader Justin Poirier of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar. The Knights also saw big performances in the playoffs from Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Max McCue (3G-19A on 18 GP) and Winnipeg Jets prospect Jacob Julien (9G-9A on 18 GP) along with their pair of Philadelphia Flyers prospects Denver Barkey (6G-21A on 18 GP) and Oliver Bonk (7G-9A on 18 GP). In Saginaw, London will aim to be the first OHL club to win the Memorial Cup since the Windsor Spitfires took home the CHL's championship trophy in 2017.

QMJHL Champions - Drummondville Voltigeurs

(fourth Memorial Cup appearance - 1988, 1991, 2009 & 2024)

On the heels of winning their second-ever QMJHL championship title and their first in 15 years, the Drummondville Voltigeurs are headed to Saginaw in what will be their fourth Memorial Cup appearance in franchise history. Led by head coach Sylvain Favreau, the Voltigeurs were just one of eight teams in the CHL to top the 100-point plateau this season, having achieved the feat for only the fourth time in club history. They were also the highest-scoring team in both the QMJHL's regular season (4.50 goals per game) and playoffs (4.37 goals per game). Having lost just three times in 19 games during this postseason, Drummondville was paced in scoring by Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Ethan Gauthier (14G-11A in 19 GP), captain Luke Woodworth (7G-17A in 19 GP), and 2023 Memorial Cup Champion Mikael Huchette (4G-16A in 19 GP). As they swept the top-seeded Baie-Comeau Drakkar in the QMJHL final, Drummondville never trailed in that series thanks in part to the play of goaltender Riley Mercer, who posted two shutouts and allowed only five goals to the Drakkar.

The Voltigeurs also received important contributions from Philadelphia Flyers prospect Alexis Gendron (11G-8A in 15 GP) and Buffalo Sabres prospect Vsevolod Komarov (5G-10A in 19 GP), who together represent two of the five NHL prospects on Drummondville's roster. Along with Huchette and Kassim Gaudet (0G-7A in 19 GP), Komarov is one of three players on the Voltigeurs to have won a Memorial Cup with the Québec Remparts last year. Komarov was awarded the Guy-Lafleur Trophy as the 2024 QMJHL Playoffs MVP for his efforts during Drummondville's championship run, making him just the sixth defenseman in QMJHL history to win that award. Having never lifted the Memorial Cup trophy in three previous trips, the Voltigeurs will look to change that in Saginaw and become the fifth QMJHL club in a row to win the CHL's top prize. Heading into this year's tournament, the QMJHL has won a record four straight Memorial Cup titles, the longest streak of any league in the CHL since the tournament switched over to a round-robin format in 1972.

SCHEDULE

Round-Robin - Game 1 - Friday, May 24 - Moose Jaw vs. Saginaw (7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT)

Round-Robin - Game 2 - Saturday, May 25 - London vs. Drummondville (4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT)

Round-Robin - Game 3 - Sunday, May 26 - Saginaw vs. Drummondville (7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT)

Round-Robin - Game 4 - Monday, May 27 - London vs. Moose Jaw (7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT)

Round-Robin - Game 5 - Tuesday, May 28 - Drummondville vs. Moose Jaw (7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT)

Round-Robin - Game 6 - Wednesday, May 29 - Saginaw vs. London (7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT)

Tie-Breaker (*if necessary) - Thursday, May 30 (7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT)

Semi-Final - Friday, May 31 (7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT)

Championship Final - Sunday, June 2 (7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT)

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