MONCTON WILDCATS
Coach: Gardiner MacDougall
Previous Memorial Cup appearances: 2006, 2010
Memorial Cup championships: None
How they got here: The Wildcats clinched the Gilles-Courteau Trophy as QMJHL champion by defeating Rimouski in six games in the best-of-7 championship series, marking the third title in the history of the franchise (2006, 2010). Moncton went 16-3 in the playoffs and averaged 3.79 goals in 19 playoff games. Caleb Desnoyers, a projected top-10 pick in the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft, received the Guy Lafleur Trophy as playoff MVP after he had 30 points (nine goals, 21 assists) in 19 playoff games. The 18-year-old also won 58.6 percent of is face-offs (68 for 116). Desnoyers became the first player to win MVP in his first NHL Draft-eligible season since Halifax forward Jonathan Drouin 2012. Moncton was strong defensively, allowing 144 goals during the regular season, the fewest allowed in the CHL this season. It is the only team in the field still seeking its first Memorial Cup championship.
NHL prospects: Forwards Gabe Smith (Utah Mammoth, No. 103, 2024 Draft), Juraj Pekarcik (St. Louis Blues, No. 76, 2023 Draft); defensemen Dylan MacKinnon (Nashville Predators, No. 83, 2023 Draft), Etienne Morin (Calgary Flames, No. 48, 2023 Draft), Dyllan Gill (Tampa Bay Lightning, No. 223, 2022 Draft), Loke Johansson (Boston Bruins, No. 186, 2024 Draft); goalie Rudy Guimond (Detroit Red Wings, No. 169, 2023 Draft).
2025 draft-eligible prospects: Forwards Caleb Desnoyers (No. 7, North American skaters), Julius Sumpf (No. 115, North American skaters).
MEDICINE HAT TIGERS
Coach: Willie Desjardins
Previous Memorial Cup appearances: 1973, 1987, 1988, 2004, 2007
Memorial Cup championships: Two (1987, 1988)
How they got here: Medicine Hat won the Ed Chynoweth Cup with a five-game victory in the best-of-7 championship series against Spokane. The Tigers finished 16-2 in the playoffs, eliminating Swift Current in five games in the first round, then sweeping Prince Albert and Lethbridge before defeating Spokane. Forward Gavin McKenna, an early favorite to be the No. 1 pick of the 2026 NHL Draft, played a big part in the playoff success with 38 points (nine goals, 29 assists) in 16 games and leading all CHL players with a 2.38 points-per-game average. McKenna had a 54-game point streak spanning the regular season and playoffs, which is a modern CHL record. The 17-year-old center missed Games 3 and 4 of the championship series because of an undisclosed injury but returned for Game 5 and scored a goal in a 4-2 win. Defenseman Bryce Pickford, No. 100 on NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking of North American skaters, scored 13 playoff goals, the highest total by a CHL defenseman in a postseason since 2000. Goalie Harrison Meneghin (Tampa Bay Lightning) was named WHL playoff MVP after going 14-1 with a 2.35 goals-against average, .906 save percentage and three shutouts in 16 games. Tigers captain Oasiz Wiesblatt did not lift the Ed Chynoweth Cup himself after the team clinched the championship. He instead was joined by Meneghin, whose father, Derek, had passed away unexpectedly on the final day of the regular season and had become a rallying point for the team as they chased the team’s first league title since 2007.
NHL prospects: Forwards Cayden Lindstrom (Columbus Blue Jackets, No. 4, 2024 Draft), Hunter St. Martin (Florida Panthers, No. 193, 2024 Draft), Ryder Ritchie (Minnesota Wild, No. 45, 2024 Draft), Andrew Basha (Calgary Flames, No. 41, 2024 Draft); defensemen Veeti Vaisanen (Utah Mammoth, No. 96, 2024 Draft), Tanner Molendyk (Nashville Predators, No. 24, 2023 Draft), Niilopekka Muhonen (Dallas Stars, No. 158, 2024 Draft); goalie Harrison Meneghin (Tampa Bay Lightning, No. 206, 2024 Draft)
2025 draft-eligible prospects: Forward Kadon McCann (No. 116, North American skaters); defensemen Jonas Woo (No. 156, North American skaters), Bryce Pickford (No. 100, North American skaters); goalie Jordan Switzer (No. 25, North American goaltenders)
2025 Memorial Cup schedule
May 23: Medicine Hat vs. Rimouski (7 p.m. ET, TSN, RDS, Victory+; 8 p.m. ET, NHLN)
May 24: Moncton vs. London (6 p.m. ET, TSN5, RDS, Victory+; 8 p.m. ET, NHLN)
May 25: Rimouski vs. London (6 p.m. ET, TSN, RDS, Victory+; 7 p.m. ET, NHLN)
May 26: Moncton vs. Medicine Hat (7 p.m. ET, TSN, RDS, Victory+; 8 p.m. ET, NHLN)
May 27: London vs. Medicine Hat (7 p.m. ET, TSN, RDS, Victory+; 8 p.m. ET, NHLN)
May 28: Rimouski vs. Moncton (7 p.m. ET, TSN, RDS, Victory+; 8 p.m. ET, NHLN)
May 29: Tiebreaker, if necessary (7 p.m. ET, TSN, RDS, Victory+; 8 p.m. ET, NHLN)
May 30: Semifinal (7 p.m. ET, TSN, RDS, Victory+; 8 p.m. ET, NHLN)
June 1: Final (7 p.m. ET, TSN, RDS, Victory+; 8 p.m. ET, NHLN)
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