CHL Memorial Cup Preview, Schedule, Notable Prospects

LONDON, ON - MAY 5: Mitche;ll Marner #93 and Victor Mete #98 of the London Knights enjoy a light moment prior to play against the Niagara IceDogs in Game One of the OHL Championship final for the J.Ross Robertson Cup on May 5,2016 at Budweiser Gardens in London, Ontario, Canada. The Knights defeated the IceDogs 4-1 to take a 1-0 series final lead. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
LONDON, ON - MAY 5: Mitche;ll Marner #93 and Victor Mete #98 of the London Knights enjoy a light moment prior to play against the Niagara IceDogs in Game One of the OHL Championship final for the J.Ross Robertson Cup on May 5,2016 at Budweiser Gardens in London, Ontario, Canada. The Knights defeated the IceDogs 4-1 to take a 1-0 series final lead. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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CHL Memorial Cup Will be Held in Red Deer, Alberta. Joining the host team Rebels is WHL Champion Brandon Wheat Kings, OHL Champion London Knights, and QMJHL Champion Rouyn-Noranda Huskies

Winners have been crowned across the CHL as all three league’s recently wrapped up their postseason. It’s that time of year when we turn our attention to the MasterCard CHL Memorial Cup.

Red Deer won the right to host in 2016, and had a great year in the Western Hockey League (WHL). They eventually lost in the Eastern Conference Final to eventual Champion Brandon 4-1 – the Wheat Kings also beat the Seattle Thunderbirds in five games in the WHL Final.

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Representing the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) is the London Knights. After dropping two games to Owen Sound in their opening series, Mitch Marner and the Knights swept their next three opponents, which included the Niagara Ice Dogs in the OHL Final.

Coming out of the Q (QMJHL – Quebec Major Junior Hockey League) is the same team that dominated all regular season. Rouyn-Noranda dropped two games to Moncton in the Semi-Final, but made quick work of a very good Shawinigan team capturing the Presidents’ Cup in five games.

CHL Memorial Cup Schedule:

Friday, May 20th – London Knights vs. Red Deer Rebels
Saturday, May 21st – Brandon Wheat Kings vs. Rouyn-Noranda Huskies
Sunday, May 22nd – Red Deer Rebels vs. Rouyn-Noranda Huskies
Monday, May 23rd – Brandon Wheat Kings vs. London Knights
Tuesday, May 24th – Rouyn-Noranda vs. London Knights
Wednesday, May 25th – Red Deer Rebels vs. Brandon Wheat Kings
Thursday, May 26th – Tiebreaker
Friday, May 27th – Semi-Final
Sunday, May 29th – Final/Championship

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CHL Memorial Cup 2016 Draft-Eligible Prospects to Watch

*prospects final North American rankings on NHL Central Scouting Service’s are included in parentheses following team name

(10) Kale Clague (D), Brandon Wheat Kings (27th CSS)
(16) Tanner Kaspick, Brandon Wheat Kings (79th CSS)

(22) Brandon Hagel, Red Deer Rebels (104th CSS)
(3) Colton Bobyk (D), Red Deer Rebels (204th CSS)
(11) Jeff De Wit, Red Deer Rebels (80th CSS)
(5) Josh Mahura (D), Red Deer Rebels (N/A)
(31) Rylan Toth (G), Red Deer Rebels (16th NA G CSS)

(7) Matthew Tkachuk, London Knights (2nd CSS)
(4) Olli Juolevi (D), London Knights (5th CSS)
(63) Cliff Pu, London Knights (75th CSS)
(98) Victor Mete (D), London Knights (74th CSS)
(14) Brandon Crawley (D), London Knights (182nd CSS)
(49) Max Jones, London Knights (suspended) (14th CSS)
(3) Nicholas Mattinen (D), London Knights (136th CSS)
(1) Tyler Parsons (G), London Knights (3rd NA G CSS)

(3) Jacob Neveu (D), Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (107th CSS)

* Another notable prospect to keep an eye on is Brandon Wheat Kings F Nolan Patrick. He could be the number one pick in 2017.

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CHL Memorial Cup Notable NHL Prospects

(8) Jayce Hawryluk, Brandon Wheat Kings (FLA)
(17) John Quenneville, Brandon Wheat Kings (NJ)
(27) Reid Duke, Brandon Wheat Kings (MIN)
(9) Ivan Provorov (D), Brandon Wheat Kings (PHI)

(28) Adam Helewka, Red Deer Rebels (SJ)
(19) Jake DeBrusk, Red Deer Rebels (BOS)
(23) Michael Spacek, Red Deer Rebels (WPG)
(25) Adam Musil, Red Deer Rebels (STL)
(4) Haydn Fleury (D), Red Deer Rebels (CAR)
(6) Nelson Nogier (D), Red Deer Rebels (WPG)

(93) Mitchell Marner, London Knights (TOR)
(10) Christian Dvorak, London Knights (ARZ)
(84) J.J. Piccinich (D), London Knights (TOR)
(21) Chandler Yakimowicz, London Knights (STL)
(20) Daniel Bernhardt, London Knights (NYR)
(86) Chris Martenet (D), London Knights (DAL)

(27) Francis Perron, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (OTT)
(20) Timo Meier, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (SJ)
(8) A.J. Greer, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (COL)
(16) Jean-Christophe Beaudin, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (COL)
(10) Martins Dzierkals, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (TOR)
(11) Julien Nantel, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (COL)
(5) Jeremy Lauzon (D), Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (BOS)

Among the 23 drafted NHL prospects participating in this year’s CHL Memorial Cup, the Toronto Maple Leafs have the most with three (Marner, Piccinich, and Dzierkals). A few other teams have a couple, including Colorado, St.Louis, Winnipeg, and Boston.

Looking ahead to 2017, Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Windsor Spitfires were recently named host city for next year. The Spitfires are expected to be among the OHL’s best in 2016-17.

Next: World Cup of Hockey Final Roster Predictions

CHL Memorial Cup Prediction

Final: Brandon Wheat Kings vs. London Knights

Winner: London Knights