The Memorial Cup continues from Kelowna on Saturday as the top teams from around the Canadian Hockey League compete for junior hockey’s biggest prize.
The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League champion Chicoutimi Saguenéens battle the Western Hockey League champion Everett Silvertips as the round-robin standings continue to take shape.
Chicoutimi reached the final after recording the QMJHL’s second-best record of 49-10-5 and claiming the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
They cruised through the first two rounds of the playoffs, sweeping the Halifax Mooseheads and Quebec Remparts, respectively, and then defeating the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in six games in the semifinals.
This setup a showdown with the Moncton Wildcats, who finished just one point ahead of the Saguenéens in the regular season and were the defending QMJHL champions.
After a thrilling six-game series, including a four-goal comeback in Game 5, the Saguenéens defeated the Wildcats to win their first Gilles-Courteau Trophy since 1994 and advance to the Memorial Cup.
Chicoutimi are led by QMJHL MVP Maxim Massé who led the league in scoring with 102 points in 63 games and his 51 goals tied for the most in the QMJHL.
Massé was selected 66th overall by the Anaheim Ducks in 2024 and continued to lead the Saguenéens in scoring in the playoffs with six goals and 24 points.
Ottawa Senators goaltending prospect Lucas Beckman was stellar in the playoffs, going 16-4 and leading the playoffs with a 1.98 goals-against average and .918 save percentage.
The 6-foot-2 netminder was acquired by Chicoutimi from the Bai-Comeau Drakkar in December and went 13-1 as a Saguenéen with a .940 save percentage and 1.52 GAA in the regular season.
This is Chicoutimi’s fourth appearance at the Memorial Cup, and they are looking for their first Memorial Cup victory. They last appeared in 1997.
Everett dominated the regular season with the WHL’s best record at 57-8-3, taking home ice throughout the playoffs.
They only needed 13 games to reach the WHL Championship Series, sweeping the Portland Winterhawks in the first round, dispatching the Kelowna Rockets in five games in Round 2, and sweeping the expansion Penticton Vees in the Western Conference Final.
In the WHL final, they came up against the Prince Albert Raiders, who finished just behind the Silvertips with a 52-10-6 record. After losing Game 1, Everett came back to win the next four games to win their first Ed Chynoweth Cup in franchise history and advance to the Memorial Cup.
Seattle Kraken prospect Julius Miettinen was a force for the Silvertips winning the WHL playoff MVP. He was tied for the lead in playoff scoring 14 goals and 27 points in 18 games.
The 6-foot-3 centre registered 35 goals and 76 points in 52 games in the regular season.
First year forward Matias Vanhanen led Everett in scoring in the regular season with 21 goals and 87 points in 62 games. The 5-foot-10 winger was drafted 31st overall in the CHL Import Draft and finished just behind Miettinen in playoff scoring with 12 goals and 24 points.
The 5-foot-10 winger is eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft in Buffalo and is ranked No. 35 on TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button’s May draft list.
Phenom defenceman Landon DuPont was a key piece to Everett’s defence corps in the playoffs with captain Tarin Smith out a significant period of time due to injury.
DuPont, who turns 17 on Thursday, was the ninth player in CHL history to gain exceptional player status in 2024 and recorded 18 goals and 73 points with a plus-59 rating in 63 games last season.
The 5-foot-11, right-shot blueliner led all defencemen in the playoffs with five goals and 23 points in 18 games with a plus-20 rating.
DuPont is a favourite to go No. 1 overall in the 2027 NHL Draft.
This is Everett’s first appearance at the Memorial Cup and are looking to become the first team to win in their first appearance since the Saginaw Spirit won in 2024.
The Memorial Cup continues on Sunday when Chicoutimi battles host Kelowna LIVE at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on TSN1/4, TSN.ca, and the TSN App.
