All 3 CHL leagues are down to their league finals and the MasterCard Memorial Cup is almost upon us. Now the hype around the Stanley Cup is that it is the toughest trophy of all of sports to win however I’d argue that it is fact the MasterCard Memorial cup is tougher. There are 2 main reasons for that, for starters you are only eligible to play in the CHL for a max of 4 years starting when your 16 and finishing when you are 20 so if you’re on a weak team it’s hard to turn that around in that short time as well as needing to win 16 games in your regional league playoffs in order to get an opportunity to play in the tournament unless of course you are the host city. Finally anything can happen in a one and done playoff game where upsets can and will happen. So let’s take a look at the teams competing to play in the MasterCard Memorial Cup as they prepare to meet in their respective league finals going from East to West.
The QMJHL (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League)
The Quebec Rampart vs. Rimouski Oceanic Starts May 5th. 2015 in Rimouski
The first seeded Rimouski Oceanic will face off against the 4th seeded Quebec Rampart in a series that is being played for pride as both teams are guaranteed a trip to the MasterCard Memorial Cup tournament as the Rampart automatically were in as they are the host city meaning that because Rimouski made it to the finals was enough to punch their ticket. It’s always nice to see the host city refuse to take the back door into the tournament previous host cities that bowed out of their league playoff have generally not done well.
The Rimouski Oceanic road to the QMJHL final: The Rampart opened the playoffs against the number one seed in the QMJHL and ranged 6th. best team in the country in the final BMO rankings playing against the 16th seeded Victoriaville Tigers who they handily defeated in 4 games. In the second round they faced the 14th seeded Gatineau Olympiques who they were able to put away in 5 games. The third round saw them sweep the 6th seeded Val-d’Or Foreurs. The Oceanic are lead in points by center Alexis Loiseau who has 5 G 13 A for 18 Pts. and is a +11 he is undrafted and last I read has gone without any NHL tryouts. Their goal scoring leader is left wing Anthony DeLuca who has 10 G, 5 A for 15 pts. and +5 is also an undrafted 20 year old. Flyers prospect defenseman Samuel Morin has 1 G, 5 A for 6 pts. and +14. In goal they are backstopped by goaltender Louis-Philip Guindon who has a 1.12 GAA and .951 SV in 9 games played.
The Quebec Rampart road to the QMJHL final: The 4th seeded Quebec Rampart opened the playoffs in a 7 game victory over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. In the 2nd round they defeated the Charlottetown Islanders in a 4 game sweep. In the third round they upset the 2nd seeded Moncton Wildcats in a surprising sweep, the wildcats where the 7th ranked team in the country while the rampart were an honorable mention on the BMO CHL Rankings. the Rampart are lead in points by Tampa Bay 2nd round pick Adam Erne who has put up 15 G, 5 A for 20 pts. and is a +11. Anthony Duclair was drafted by the New York Rangers in 2013 but never agreed on a deal but he was invited to Arizona’s training camp this fall. The Rampart are backstopped in goal by top goaltending prospect Zach Fucale a 2nd round pick of the Montreal Canadiens who has 11 Wins and 2 Losses with a 2.23 GAA and a .920 SV%
My Thoughts: It’s really hard to call a series where both teams are playing for pride but I think that the Rampart have overcome adversity once already while the Oceanic are yet to face any at all. I think if the Rampart can solve Guindon then it should be their series to win.
The (OHL) Ontario Hockey League
The Erie Otters vs. Oshawa Generals Starts May 8th. 2015 in Oshawa
The Oshawa Generals who finished first in the Eastern Conference will face off against the West’s second seeded Erie Otters in what should be a great series to watch. A trip to the MasterCard Memorial Cup is on the line as only one team will be able to represent the Ontario Hockey League. This matchup pits what is probably the best team in Junior Hockey against arguably the best player in Junior Hockey in Connor McDavid.
The Erie Otters road to the OHL final: In the Western Conference playoffs the 2nd seeded Otters beat the 7th. seeded Sarnia Sting in 5 games. In the 2nd round they swept a very good 3rd seeded London Knights team that featured standout Arizona Prospect Max Domi and likely top 10 pick in 2015’s draft in Mitchell Marner. In the third round they upset the 1st seeded Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in 6 games a team loaded with NHL prospects that included Darnell Nurse, Nick Ritchie, Anthony DeAngelo and Jared McCann who were all drafted in the first round. The Erie Otters are lead by consensus 1st overall pick in the upcoming 2015 NHL Draft Connor McDavid who has put up an absolutely unreal 19 G, 23 A for 42 pts. and +15 in 15 games played! The team also features Nicholas Baptiste who is a 3rd round pick of the Buffalo Sabers who has added 11 G, 9 A for 20 pts. and -1, as well as likely top 10 pick in this year’s NHL draft in Dylan Strome who has added 9 G and 10 A of his own. Another name to watch in the years to come is standout rookie Alex DeBrincat who scored 50 goals as a rookie in the regular season and has added 13 points these playoffs. The Otters are backstopped by Devin Williams and while his 2.82 GAA and .905 SV% is not super impressive he has made saves when Erie has needed them most. The Otters finished as the 5th ranked team in the country in the final BMO CHL rankings.
The Oshawa Generals road to the OHL finals: The Oshawa Generals entered the playoffs as the 1st seeded team in the Eastern Conference and defeated the 8th. seeded Peterborough Petes in 5 games. In the second round they dispatched the 5th seeded Niagara Icedogs in 5 games. In the third round they needed 6 games to dispatch the 3rd seeded North Bay Battalion. The Generals are lead by 2014 5th overall draft pick of the New York Islanders Michael Dal Colle who has put up 7 G, 18 A, and 25 pts. and +1 as well as Vancouver 3rd round pick Cole Cassels who has put up 6 G, 13 A for 19 pts. and an even +/-. The Generals are backstopped by Ken Appleby with his 2.14 GAA and .926 SV%. The Oshawa Generals were ranked 3rd in the country in the final BMO CHL Rankings but held top spot for most of the year.
My Thoughts: If the Generals can find a way to shut down McDavid than its their series to lose, the Otters defense and goaltending is not good enough to cover McDavid digging them out of holes like he did against the Greyhounds. However if McDavid is allowed to continue scoring at his current pace (almost 3 pts./game) I don’t know if any team can stop them.
The WHL (Western Hockey League)
The Kelowna Rockets vs. The Brandon Wheat Kings Starts May 8th. in Brandon
The WHL final pits the best team in the Western Conference against the best team in the Eastern Conference. These teams have both not faced much adversity on their way to the finals losing only 3 games apiece in their journey. Not much has separated these teams all year and this may be the most interesting of the league finals to watch.
The Kelowna Rockets road to the WHL Finals: The Rockets entered the playoffs as the 1st seeded team in the western conference and beat the 8th seeded Tri-City Americans in a sweep. In the second round they defeated the 5th seeded Victoria Royals in 5 games. The 3rd round saw the 3rd seeded Portland Winterhawks take them to 6 games. The Rockets are lead by 2014 3rd overall draft pick Leon Draisaitl who has 6 G, 15 A for 21 pts. and is +9. Nick Merkley is a likely top 15 pick in this year’s draft and has put up 2 G, 18 A for 20 pts. and is +4. San Jose Sharks prospect Rourke Chartier has added 9 G, 3A for 12 pts. and is +5 and was leading the team in goal scoring before suffering an injury that caused him to miss the final 3 games against the Winterhawks. They are backstopped by Jackson Whistle who has a 2.60GAA and a .914 SV%. The Rockets entered the playoffs ranked 4th. in the country in the BMO CHL Rankings.
The Brandon Wheat Kings road to the WHL Finals: The Wheat Kings entered the playoffs as the 1st seeded team in the eastern conference and beat the 7th seeded Edmonton Oil Kings in 5 games. In the second round they faced the 5th seeded Regina Pats in 5 games. In the 3rd round they beat the 2nd seeded Calgary Hitmen also in 5 games. The Wheat Kings are lead by New Jersey Devils first round pick John Quenneville who has 10 G, 9 A, for 19 pts and +11. Jayce Hawryluk is a 2nd round pick for the Florida Panthers and has added 10 G, 8, A for 18 pts. and is +8. They are backstopped by Jordan Papirny who has played every minute of their playoff campaign with a 2.17 GAA and a .932 SV%. The Wheat Kings entered the playoffs ranked 2nd in the country in the BMO CHL Rankings.
My Thoughts: I think it will be the Wheat Kings representing the WHL and they could also be the favourites to win the whole tournament. They get their goals by committee making them a difficult team to shut down and have solid goaltending.
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