TORONTO – The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) is proud to announce that the Moncton Wildcats and Québec Remparts of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) have been selected as the two finalist clubs in the bid to host the 2028 Memorial Cup presented by Kubota.
Moncton and Québec were selected by the 2028 Memorial Cup Site Selection Committee, an independent panel of five individuals with extensive experience across the sports landscape. As the first step in the process, the committee reviewed submissions from QMJHL clubs that declared their intent to bid before identifying the two finalist clubs that would advance.
Both organizations will now be invited to submit formal written bids, before delivering bid presentations and hosting site visits. The committee will evaluate each bid across four categories: Business Operations; Local Atmosphere, Events & Community Engagement; Event Logistics; and Hockey Operations, before determining the host of the 2028 tournament. The 2028 host city is expected to be announced by the end of October.
“The Memorial Cup holds a special place in our game because of the players, fans, volunteers, and communities who bring it to life each year,” said Dan MacKenzie, President of the CHL. “Moncton and Québec are two proud hockey markets with deep connections to this championship, passionate fan bases, strong organizational leadership, and a clear understanding of what it takes to host an event of this calibre. We are confident either city would provide an exceptional stage for the 2028 Memorial Cup presented by Kubota, and we thank all of the QMJHL clubs that expressed interest in being part of this process.”
“The Moncton Wildcats are thrilled to be named a finalist to host the 2028 Memorial Cup. We look forward to presenting our vision of this major event to the selection committee. We know we have the fans, sponsors, hockey organization, and community support both in the Greater Moncton area and the province to host another successful national championship,” shared R.J. Irving, President of the Moncton Wildcats. “We also have state-of-the-art facilities and an established standard of winning on the ice. With additional events planned in the community to complement the on-ice competition, Moncton will be the place everyone will want to be in May 2028.”
“We are very pleased to have been selected as finalists and are very confident that the bid we submit will be strong and meet the expectations of the CHL’s Site Selection Committee,” stated Tommy Castonguay, Vice-President of Operations for the Québec Remparts. “For the past three years, we have expressed our interest in hosting this tournament, which will coincide with our team coming into its own. The work is only just beginning, and we will put everything in place to demonstrate that the Remparts and the beautiful city of Québec are recognized for hosting major events like the 2028 Memorial Cup presented by Kubota.”
The Moncton Wildcats and Québec Remparts each boast meaningful connections to the Memorial Cup and a proven track record of hosting major hockey events. Moncton proudly hosted the tournament in 2006, when the Wildcats reached the championship game against the Remparts, and later returned to the Memorial Cup as QMJHL champion in 2010 and 2025. The city has also welcomed several major CHL events, including the 1994 CHL All-Star Challenge, Canada/Russia Series games in 2005, 2017 and 2019, and the 2024 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game at the Avenir Centre.
Québec, meanwhile, owns one of the richest Memorial Cup histories in the CHL. Across the original and current Remparts eras, the club has captured the Memorial Cup three times, winning in 1971, 2006 and most recently in 2023, when the Remparts capped a run of four straight Memorial Cup titles by QMJHL clubs — the longest championship streak by any CHL Member League since the tournament adopted its round-robin format in 1972. Québec City has also served as a frequent stage for the event, staging the 1971 championship and hosting the Memorial Cup tournament in 1991, 2003 and 2015, while welcoming major CHL showcases such as the 2007 and 2017 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Games and Canada/Russia Series contests in 2004 and 2011. The Remparts are also set to serve as one of two host clubs for the 2026 CHL USA Prospects Challenge, with Game 2 scheduled for Dec. 2 at Vidéotron Centre.
The most recent Memorial Cup was held this past May in Kelowna, B.C., where the Kitchener Rangers defeated the Everett Silvertips 6-2 in the final to capture the third Memorial Cup title in franchise history. With the victory, Kitchener joined the Cornwall Royals, Kamloops Blazers, Windsor Spitfires, and London Knights as the only clubs to win three Memorial Cup titles since the tournament adopted its round-robin format in 1972. The championship marked Kitchener’s first since 2003, capped a perfect 4-0 run at the 2026 Memorial Cup presented by Kubota, and extended the OHL’s Memorial Cup winning streak to three straight years following Saginaw in 2024 and London in 2025.
Looking ahead, the 2027 Memorial Cup presented by Kubota will be hosted by the Guelph Storm of the OHL and staged in Guelph, Ontario, from Thursday, May 20, through Sunday, May 30, 2027. The 107th edition of the tournament will mark the Royal City’s third time hosting junior hockey’s premier championship and will coincide with Guelph’s bicentennial celebrations.
