2024 Memorial Cup Roundtable: Picks, predictions and more
The 2024 DOW Memorial Cup has officially kicked off in Saginaw, Michigan.
So, with it still being early, we polled a few Daily Faceoff writers on who they see hoisting the most prestigious trophy in junior hockey, who’ll be the MVP, predict the CHL awards and more.
A big thanks to Tyler Kuehl, Steven Ellis and Mike Gould for participating in this.
Who will hoist the 2024 Memorial Cup championship?
Saginaw Spirit, London Knights, Drummondville Voltigeurs or Moose Jaw Warriors
Colton Davies: Moose Jaw. As a Western Canadian, it’s hard not to root for them. Matyechuk has been incredible, Savoie and Yager are lethal and you got the Circus Firkus!
Steven Ellis: London Knights. Watching them up close during the OHL playoffs showed just how dominant they are in all facets of the game.
Mike Gould: Call me unoriginal, but I think it’ll be London. They might not have the strongest roster they’ve ever had, but I like their pieces across the board and it’ll be tough to compete with their depth. As tempted as I was to pick Moose Jaw, I have to go with the Knights.
Tyler Kuehl: There are a number of similarities between this year’s London Knights and the team that won it all in 2016. A talented Toronto Maple Leafs prospect in Easton Cowan (Mitch Marner), complimented by a couple of NHL-ready scoring threats like Denver Barkey and Max McCue (Matthew Tkachuk, Christian Dvorak). They obviously have a championship-caliber coach in Dale Hunter, who knows how to get the best out of his players. The Knights lost just twice during the OHL Playoffs and is on a mission to bring the Cup back to London.
Follow-up question, who from that team will be crowned the Memorial Cup MVP?
Colton Davies: I thought about this one hard because I think one of Savoie, Firkus or Yager could go off, but again I think it’s got Mateychuk’s name written all over it. He led all CHL defensemen in points throughout the playoffs and I can see the same here.
Steven Ellis: There are a ton of great choices, but Easton Cowan was a man on a mission during the OHL playoffs. He’s just been unstoppable for the Knights all year long.
Mike Gould: I’m gonna go out on a limb and say Kasper Halttunen, who is coming off a ridiculous playoff run with the Knights in which he scored 17 goals in 18 games. He’s been electric this spring.
Tyler Kuehl: As much as I think Cowan is going to shine on the big stage, you’re going to need a standout effort from in between the pipes, and Michael Simpson is more than capable of doing that. With this being his second go-around in the Memorial Cup, now appearing with his hometown team, I feel like he is fired up to be back on the big stage and will have the biggest impact in the tournament.
Who will win the CHL Player of the Year Award?
Nominees: Jagger Firkus (Moose Jaw Warriors / WHL), Easton Cowan (London Knights / OHL), Mathieu Cataford (Halifax Mooseheads / QMJHL)
Colton Davies: Jagger Firkus. I know it will probably be Cowan, but I can’t help but look at what the Circus Firkus did this season, notching 61 goals and 126 points for Moose Jaw and leading them to their first-ever WHL championship.
Steven Ellis: Firkus has a great argument for this, but we also expected him to be this good. We didn’t see Cowan exploding like he did this year. That shouldn’t be the reason he wins, but Cowan also just played a better all-around game.
Mike Gould: I’m pretty convinced it’ll be Firkus, who was just completely undeniable with the Warriors this season. Seriously, he put up video game numbers all year long. He had 31 more points than the second-place guy on his team despite playing in five fewer games. It really should be his award to lose.
Tyler Kuehl: Firkus has been on a heater this season. He led the CHL in goals (61) and points (126) during the regular season, and didn’t slow down during the playoffs, scoring well over a point per game. I’m excited to see how he does in the Memorial Cup, but his performance up until this point deserves to be rewarded.
Who will win the CHL Defenceman of the Year Award?
Nominees: Denton Mateychuk (Moose Jaw Warriors / WHL), Zayne Parekh (Saginaw Spirit / OHL), Vsevolod Komarov (Drummondville Voltigeurs / QMJHL)
Colton Davies: Zayne Parekh. Hard not to choose him when he notched 96 points in his draft year, those are some insane numbers.
Steven Ellis: Denton Mateychuk, for one simple reason: he does a better job of doing what defensemen are supposed to do, which is playing defense. Sorry, Zayne.
Mike Gould: I think it’ll be Parekh, even though he’s the youngest of the bunch. He’s a flashy and capable draft-eligible who pretty much lapped the field with 33 goals and 96 points in 66 games with Saginaw this season. I really like the other two nominees in this category but Parekh just feels a cut above.
Tyler Kuehl: I know he isn’t the popular pick because he didn’t put up out-of-this-world scoring numbers, but Vsevolod Komarov was such a key pickup from Drummondville this year. He added some star power on the Voltigeurs’ blueline by providing some offensive touch, but stability in their own zone. Komarov is a true two-way defenseman who has the size and ability to make an impact.
Who will win the CHL Rookie of the Year Award?
Nominees: Gavin McKenna (Medicine Hat Tigers / WHL), Jake O’Brien (Brantford Bulldogs / OHL), Émile Guité (Chicoutimi Saguenéens / QMJHL)
Colton Davies: Gavin McKenna. This kid is unstoppable, plain and simple.
Steven Ellis: Gavin McKenna. Easy as it gets.
Mike Gould: It’ll be McKenna, no questions asked.
Tyler Kuehl: Out of these three, I look at how a team would be with one of them on their team. I’m not sure if Medicine Hat finishes as high as they did without Gavin McKenna in their lineup. I know things did not pan out in the playoffs for the Tigers, but the kid from Yukon really flourished in his freshman campaign, and I expect him, and the team around him, to get better heading into his draft year.