️️➡️ Key NHL prospects to watch in Memorial Cup

The 2025 Memorial Cup is upon us, and determination is simply a ton of intrigue. The tourney is brimming with talented young players, immoderate of whom volition play successful the NHL arsenic soon arsenic adjacent play and 1 who is the statement archetypal wide enactment successful 2026.

There's everything from elite forwards who should go 30-goal scorers successful the NHL to top-four defenders that volition antheral NHL bluish lines for years to come. The level of endowment connected show successful this Memorial Cup surpasses those of the past fewer years. There is nary shortage of eye-popping endowment successful each crippled of this tournament, and each squad has a fewer players that NHL fans should expect to spot arsenic soon arsenic this fall.

Here's a team-by-team rundown of the apical prospects, including scouting notes connected each:

London Knights
OHL

Easton Cowan, Toronto Maple Leafs

It is nary tiny feat to clasp the playoff scoring grounds for the London Knights fixed the top-flight endowment that has travel done the team, and Easton Cowan has accomplished that feat; helium present has 96 playoff points aft tallying 39 points successful 17 playoff games this year. He is the straw that stirs the portion successful London, and volition beryllium looking to avenge a nonaccomplishment successful past year's Memorial Cup Final.

Cowan plays an in-your-face benignant with high-end skill. He hits, gets successful the room of opponents, dangles and creates high-danger scoring chances. His chemistry with Halttunen played a cardinal relation connected London's OHL Championship run, and everyone expects him to beryllium a large talking constituent implicit the adjacent 10 days.

Kasper Halttunen, San Jose Sharks

The MVP of the OHL playoffs tallied 15 goals successful 17 playoff games, including aggregate chapeau tricks successful the OHL final. He went done playoff opponents similar a blistery weapon done butter, and is going to beryllium the No. 1 shut-down people successful the Memorial Cup.

If London is going to triumph arsenic the Memorial Cup favorites, Halttunen volition apt request to pb the tourney successful extremity scoring. He tin people from region with an NHL-ready shot, and tin besides deflect pucks, and thrust the net. On the powerfulness play, his one-timer is simply a important weapon. Halttunen volition beryllium 1 of the champion violative players successful the tourney and the apical precedence for opponents to neutralize.

Sam O'Reilly, Edmonton Oilers

The two-way halfway was fantastic for London passim the OHL playoffs, tallying 22 points portion shutting down the opponent's champion players. He is going play a cardinal relation successful shutting down the likes of Gavin McKenna, Andrew Basha, Caleb Desnoyers and Jacob Mathieu.

O'Reilly is simply a prime punishment slayer and fantabulous matchup halfway due to the fact that he's relentless connected the puck, his instrumentality routinely breaks up passes and helium wins astir of his puck battles. O'Reilly is Dale Hunter's go-to subordinate successful choky situations, and volition beryllium deployed successful each cardinal spot. If helium tin efficaciously neutralize the opponent's champion players and enactment up astir 4 points, London volition beryllium successful bully shape.

Sam Dickinson, San Jose Sharks

Dickinson is 1 of 2 standouts connected the Knights' bluish enactment and is their champion violative defenseman, tallying 31 points successful the OHL playoffs. The violative facilitator has been fantabulous arsenic a inferior player, and finds himself projected to go a top-pair defender successful the NHL.

Dickinson volition beryllium expected to play a dependable game, interruption up plays and thwart violative threats. He's astatine his champion erstwhile helium plays a simplified antiaircraft crippled portion joining the unreserved offensively with fantabulous skating ability. He tin tilt the crystal successful the Knights' favour from the backmost end, and if helium plays mistake-free hockey defensively, the Knights volition beryllium successful bully shape.

Oliver Bonk, Philadelphia Flyers

Bonk is not flashy the mode Dickinson is, but Hunter relies connected him to play the toughest matchups. He's a dependable beingness connected the bluish line, shutting down opponents efficaciously by forcing them into mediocre areas of the crystal and sidesplitting the play.

He's a defense-first subordinate who doesn't get caught up ice. His spread power allows him to unit turnovers, steer opponents done the neutral portion and unit dump-ins. Hunter volition request him to unopen down inferior hockey's champion players, and it volition beryllium a large trial of Bonk's quality to neutralize NHL-caliber players. If Bonk tin triumph his matchups against McKenna, Desnoyers and Cataford, the Knights volition beryllium successful rod presumption to triumph the Memorial Cup.

Medicine Hat Tigers
WHL

Cayden Lindstrom, Columbus Blue Jackets

After missing a twelvemonth with injury, the No. 4 wide prime from 2024 tallied 4 points successful 4 WHL title games. The large guardant is going to person a batch of eyes connected him astatine the Memorial Cup aft losing a twelvemonth of development. He needs to usage his assemblage to support pucks, thrust to the mediate and beryllium a accordant scoring threat.

Lindstrom has the quality to tilt the crystal successful Medicine Hat's favor, driving discourtesy and physically imposing himself connected opponents. He is the X origin for Medicine Hat; if he's excellent, the Tigers person a existent accidental to triumph the Memorial Cup. If helium can't execute astatine his precise best, they whitethorn conflict to grip the extent of London and Moncton.

Gavin McKenna, 2026 draught prospect

There volition beryllium astatine slightest 2 oregon 3 viral plays from Gavin McKenna successful the Memorial Cup. One of the champion players -- if not the best subordinate -- extracurricular of the NHL is not draft-eligible until 2026.

McKenna has eye-popping violative abilities, elite hockey consciousness and routinely turns defenders into pretzels. He's the astir talented subordinate successful this Memorial Cup, and if Medicine Hat is going to win, volition apt pb the tourney successful scoring.

McKenna is simply a menace with and without the puck, successful the violative portion and successful transition, and nary 1 astatine the inferior hockey level has efficaciously neutralized him. He's a genuinely peculiar talent, and dissimilar different peculiar talents earlier him (Connor McDavid, Connor Bedard), McKenna has the accidental to play successful the Memorial Cup.

Ryder Ritchie, Minnesota Wild

A point-per-game subordinate successful the WHL playoffs, Ritchie doesn't get the aforesaid media attraction arsenic McKenna, Lindstrom and Basha do, but he's a precise effectual player. A dual-threat violative talent, Ritchie struggled to set to Medicine Hat's strategy of play earlier successful the play aft an August commercialized from Prince Albert, and rounded into signifier arsenic the play wore on.

Ritchie tin sprout the puck with authorization and his playmaking quality prevents defenders and from cheating to the changeable oregon pass. He tin thrust play, make scoring chances and facilitate for his teammates. Medicine Hat volition request him to facilitate discourtesy and beryllium a catalyst successful the mediate of the lineup to supply scoring depth.

Andrew Basha, Calgary Flames

Basha missed a important information of the regular play and playoffs recovering from ankle surgery, but made an contiguous interaction erstwhile helium returned. At his best, Basha is simply a dynamic violative menace who beats defenders with speed. He tin bushed teams successful galore ways, with playmaking and scoring ability.

While he's much of a playmaker than shooting threat, Basha volition beryllium a large portion of Medicine Hat's violative accumulation astatine adjacent spot and connected the powerfulness play. With the likes of Lindstrom, McKenna and Ritchie, Basha has nary shortage of players with whom to marque plays. He's the benignant of subordinate who elevates the play of his teammates, and shows flashes of genuinely elite violative talent.

Tanner Molendyk, Nashville Predators

With 20 points successful 18 playoff games, Molendyk continues to beryllium an elite defenseman astatine the inferior level. He defends the unreserved with ultimate effectiveness, which volition beryllium cardinal against the likes of Easton Cowan, Kasper Halttunen, Caleb Desnoyers and the like.

He neutralizes elite violative endowment successful modulation with elite skating and puck moving. His individuality arsenic a two-way defender who moves the puck good and defends the unreserved gives him a assured projection arsenic a top-four defender successful the NHL. Molendyk is the person connected Medicine Hat's backmost end, and the subordinate relied upon to thrust play from the bluish line. Expect him to play a important relation successful each situations for the Tigers astatine the Memorial Cup.

Rimouski Océanic
QMJHL

Mathieu Cataford, Vegas Golden Knights

The two-way guardant volition beryllium cardinal for the hosts of the tournament, who mislaid to Moncton successful the QMJHL Final. Cataford is simply a well-rounded subordinate that provides important worth connected some sides of the puck. He volition request to beryllium impactful connected the forecheck, facilitate discourtesy with his passing accomplishment and get speedy shots disconnected from scoring areas.

He's got the spot and accomplishment to thrust modulation play and make plays astatine the nett front. He tin and volition play successful each situations, and volition request to beryllium a catalyst successful each 3 zones for Rimouski to flooded the champions of the OHL, QMJHL and WHL.

Jacob Mathieu, Undrafted escaped agent

The starring constituent shaper successful the QMJHL playoffs volition request to pb the complaint for the hosts successful the Memorial Cup. The 21-year-old undrafted subordinate is looking to marque an content to gain an invitation to an NHL improvement campy and perhaps, an entry-level contract.

Mathieu tallied 31 points successful 23 playoff games, including 4 goals and 7 points successful the QMJHL Final. He's recovered the violative crippled that galore teams hoped to spot successful his draught year, and has enactment it unneurotic astatine the close clip for Rimouski. They volition request him to nutrient and thrust offense, arsenic good arsenic enactment plays successful each 3 zones. If Mathieu continues to execute and nutrient astatine the Memorial Cup, helium volition surely get information for an NHL declaration this fall.

Spencer Gill, Philadelphia Flyers

The big, right-handed defender missed the entirety of the QMJHL playoffs with a breached ankle, and is hopeful to instrumentality for the Memorial Cup. He's a prime defender who tin beryllium a difference-maker connected the backmost extremity with his physicality and modulation ability, if he's capable to play.

There is nary connection connected whether helium volition beryllium acceptable oregon not, but Gill's beingness successful the lineup would beryllium a large boost to for the host's chances aft losing 4-2 to Moncton successful the QMJHL Final.

Moncton Wildcats
QMJHL

Caleb Desnoyers, 2025 draught prospect

Desnoyers has a uncommon accidental to marque a last content connected scouts and NHL executives agelong aft galore of his draft-eligible counterparts person stopped playing. While they're readying for the combine, Desnoyers is looking to pb his squad to a Memorial Cup.

An fantabulous two-way player, Desnoyers has fantabulous hands and prime playmaking ability. He plays successful the look of opponents and tin neutralize their champion players. Moncton is expecting him to pb the complaint offensively portion playing head-to-head against the apical players. If Desnoyers has a standout show connected some sides of the puck, helium whitethorn find himself wrong the apical 5 erstwhile the draught rolls around.

Gabe Smith, Utah Mammoth

One of Moncton's champion players successful the playoffs, with 22 points successful 19 games, the large halfway volition proceed to play a cardinal extent relation for Moncton aft scoring the bid clincher successful the QMJHL Final. He is simply a menace astatine the nett front, proving adjacent intolerable to move, with proven quality to deflect pucks and decorativeness rebounds successful tight.

At 6-5 and 207 pounds, he's astir excessively overmuch to grip astatine the inferior level, bullying his mode done battles, forechecking and holding opponents off. He should beryllium capable to proceed physically dominating players astatine the Memorial Cup, adjacent if helium lacks dynamic skill. He plays an effective, power-forward crippled and tin crook momentum with a large deed oregon altercation.

Juraj Pekarcik, St. Louis Blues

Expected to play connected the apical enactment with Desnoyers, Pekarcik tallied 9 goals successful the QMJHL playoffs, including goals successful each of the archetypal 3 games against Rimouski successful the Final. Pekarcik is 1 of the smarter players connected the Wildcats' roster, and tin execute plays astatine a precocious pace. He understands however to work antiaircraft coverage, find holes and onslaught them with speed. He takes what defenders springiness him and volition request to proceed that to nutrient alongside Desnoyers.

He'll play a cardinal relation connected the powerfulness play recovering pucks, funneling the puck to the nett and dissecting coverage.

Etienne Morin, Calgary Flames

One of the champion defenders successful the QMJHL playoffs, Morin is the catalyst from the backmost extremity for Moncton. Tallying 11 power-play points this postseason, Morin was a large crushed the Wildcats made opponents repeatedly wage for their infractions.

He quarterbacks the Moncton powerfulness play, is simply a shooting menace from the constituent and facilitates opportunities for Desnoyers and Pekarcik. Defensively, helium plays a carnal game, punishing opponents portion efficaciously moving the puck and getting himself retired of trouble. He'll play large minutes against the apical players successful the tournament, and volition beryllium required to unopen them down for Moncton to person success.