Rachel Doerriemay 22, 2025, 07:25 AM ET
Closerachel Doerrie is a specialized data consultant specializing in data communications and modeling. She works in the NHL and consulted with professional teams in North America and Europe. She hosts graph podcasts with her staff and discusses sports from a data-driven perspective.
The 2025 Memorial Cup is above us and there are plenty of plots. The tournament will be appealing to talented young players, some of which will soon play in the NHL next season.
From the elite forward who is supposed to be a 30-goal scorer in the NHL to the top-four defender who will be manning the NHL Blue Line for the next few years, there’s everything. The level of talent on display at this Memorial Cup has surpassed the level of recent years. There is no shortage of eye-opening talent in every game in this tournament. Each team has a few players that NHL fans should expect to see soon this fall.
This is a team-by-team summary of top prospects, including scout notes on each.
London Nights
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Given the talent of the top flight that has come through the team, keeping the London Knights playoff scoring record is not a small feat. Easton Cowan achieved that feat. He has scored 96 playoff points this year after talliing 39 points in 17 playoff games. He is a drink-stoking straw in London and is looking to revenge his defeat in last year’s Memorial Cup final.
Cowan plays his own face style with high-end skills. He attacks, enters the enemy’s kitchen and hangs, creating a chance to score Heidanger. His chemistry with Halttunen will play a key role in London’s OHL Championship run, and everyone is hoping he will be a big topic over the next 10 days.
The OHL Playoff MVP scored 15 goals in 17 playoff games, including multiple hat tricks in the OHL Finals. He experiences playoff opponents like a hot knife through butter and becomes the first-place shutdown target in the Memorial Cup.
If London wins as a Memorial Cup favorite, Hartunen will need to lead the tournament in goalscoring. He can score from distance with NHL-enabled shots, and can also deflect the puck and drive the net. In power play, his one-timer is an important weapon. Haltunen is one of the best offensive players in the tournament and is a top priority for opponents to neutralize.
The two-way centre has been great for London throughout the OHL playoffs, tallying 22 points while shutting down the best opponents. He plays a key role in shutting down Gavin McKenna, Andrew Basha, Caleb Desnoyers, Jacob Mathieu and others.
O’Reilly is a quality penalty killer and a great match-up center. Because he is merciless to the puck, the sticks break passes on a daily basis and earn most of the puck fights. O’Reilly is Dale Hunter’s go-to player in tight situations and will be deployed to all key spots. If he can effectively neutralize his opponent’s best player and increase his 4 points about 4 points, London will be in good condition.
Dickinson is one of the two standouts of the Knights’ Blue Line and is the best offensive defender, tallying 31 points in the OHL playoffs. The offensive facilitator is a good junior player and is predicted to be a top pair defender in the NHL.
Dickinson is expected to play a steady game, split plays and thwart offensive threats. He is in his best condition when playing simplified defensive games, while taking on rushing offensively with his excellent skating ability. He can tilt the ice from the back end with the knight’s favor, and if he plays defensively hockey, the knight will be in good shape.
Bonk isn’t as flashy as Dickinson’s, but Hunter relies on him to play the toughest matchups. He is a steady presence on the blue line, effectively shutting down his enemies by driving them into poor areas of ice and killing the play.
He is the first player to defend against ice. His gap control allows him to force turnovers, maneuver the enemy through the neutral zone and force dumps. Hunter needs him to close the best junior hockey players, which will be a major test of Bonk’s ability to neutralize NHL caliber players. If Bonk can win a matchup with McKenna, Desnoyers and Cataford, the Knights will be in pole position to win the Memorial Cup.
Medicine Hat Tigers
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After missing a year due to injury, the fourth-place overall pick in 2024 tallyed four points in four WHL Championship games. A big step forward will likely bring him more attention at the Memorial Cup after losing a year of development. He needs to protect the puck, drive to the middle, and use his body to be a threat to consistent scores.
Lindstrom has the ability to tilt the ice in the favor of Medicine Hat, promoting attacks and physically imposes himself on the enemy. He is the X-factor of Medicine Hat. If he’s good, the Tigers have a real chance to win the Memorial Cup. If he can’t perform at his best performance, they may have a hard time dealing with the depths of London and Moncton.
Gavin McKenna, 2026 draft prospect
The Memorial Cup features at least two or three viral plays from Gavin McKenna. Outside of the NHL, one of the best players (if not the best) is not eligible for draft until 2026.
McKenna has an impressive offensive ability and elite hockey sense, and regularly turns defenders into pretzels. He is the most talented player in this Memorial Cup and could lead the tournament in scoring if Medicine Hat wins.
McKenna is a threat with or without a puck in transition, and no one at junior hockey levels is effectively neutralizing him. He is truly a special talent, and unlike the other special talents before him (Connor McDavid, Connor Bedard), McKenna has the opportunity to play in the Memorial Cup.
A game-by-game player in the WHL playoffs, Richie hasn’t attracted the same media attention as McKenna, Lindstrom and Basha, but he is a very effective player. A double-threatening offensive talent, Richie struggled to adapt to Medicine Hat’s playing system early in the season after an August trade from Prince Albert, and took shape as the season progressed.
Richie can shoot pucks with authority, and his playmaking abilities prevent fraud on defenders, shots and passes. He can drive plays, create scoring opportunities and promote for his teammates. Medicine Hat needs him to promote the attack and become a catalyst midway through the lineup.
Basha missed most of the regular season and missed the playoffs, which recovered from ankle surgery, but quickly made an impact when he returned. At his best, Basha is a dynamic offensive threat and can beat defenders with speed. He can beat a team in many ways with his playmaking and scoring ability.
He’s a playmaker more than a shooting threat, but Basha will be a major part of Medicine Hat’s offensive production in uniform power and power play. Basha, including Lindstrom, McKenna, Ritchie, and more, doesn’t have enough players to play. He is the type of player that will boost his teammates’ play, showing a flash of truly elite offensive talent.
With 20 points in 18 playoff games, Molendyk remains an elite defensive man at the junior level. He defends Rush with the best effect. This is key to Easton Cowan, Casper Hartunen, Caleb De Noyers and others.
He neutralizes the offensive talent of the elite in transition with elite skating and puck movements. His identity as a two-way defender who moves the puck well and defends rush gives him a confident projection as a top four defender in the NHL. Molendyk was the backend leader of Medicine Hat, and players relied on driving plays from the Blue Line. Expect him to play an important role in all situations for the Tigers in the Memorial Cup.
Rimouski Océanic
QMJHL
The two-way forward is important for the tournament hosts who lost to Moncton in the QMJHL Finals. Cataford is a balanced player who offers great value on both sides of the pack. He must influence the forecheck, promote attacks with his passing skills and get quick shots from the scoring area.
He has the strength and skill to promote transition plays and create plays on the netfront. He can play in any situation and needs to be a catalyst in all three zones for Rimouski to overcome the OHL, QMJHL and WHL champions.
Jacob Matthew, undrafted free agent
QMJHL Playoffs Leading Points Producers must lead the charges for Memorial Cup hosts. The 21-year-old undrafted player wants to give the impression of winning an invitation to an NHL development camp and perhaps an entry-level contract.
Matthew tallied 31 points in 23 playoff games, including four goals and seven points in the QMJHL Final. He found an offensive game that many teams wanted to see in his draft year and put it together at the right time for Remook. They require him to drive and create attacks in all three zones. If Mathieu continues to perform and produce at the Memorial Cup, he will consider an NHL contract this fall.
The big, right-handed defender is hoping to miss the entire QMJHL playoffs with a broken ankle and return to the Memorial Cup. He is a quality defender and if he can play he can become a different maker on the back end with his physicality and transitional ability.
There’s no word on whether he’s ready or not, but Gill’s presence in the lineup will be a big boost to the hosts’ chances after losing 4-2 to Moncton in the QMJHL Finals.
Moncton Wildcats
QMJHL
Caleb Desnoyers, 2025 draft prospects
The Desnoyers never make the final impression on scouts and NHL executives long after many draft-qualified counterparts have stopped playing. While they prepare for the combine, the Desnoyers aim to lead his team to the Memorial Cup.
A great two-way player, the Desnoyers have excellent hands and quality playmaking abilities. He can play in the face of his opponents and neutralize their best players. Moncton expects him to lead the bill offensively while playing head-to-head against top players. If the Desnoyers have outstanding performances on both sides of the pack, you may find him in the top five when the draft rolls.
One of Moncton’s best players in the playoffs and scored 22 points in 19 games, the Big Center continues to play a key depth role for Moncton after winning a series clincher in the QMJHL Final. He is a threat on the netfront, proving that he is nearly impossible to move, and his ability to deflect the puck and finish his rebounds firmly.
At 6-5 pounds and 207 pounds, he’s too much to handle at the junior level, bullying him through the fight, moving forward and holding back his opponents. He should be able to continue to physically control players in the Memorial Cup, even if he lacks dynamic skills. He plays effective and power word games and can change momentum with big hits and arguments.
Predicted to play at the top line with the Desnoyers, Pekarcik scored nine goals in the QMJHL playoffs, including goals from each of the first three games against Rimouski in the final. Pekarcik is one of the smarter players on the Wildcats roster, allowing you to run your plays at a higher pace. He reads defensive coverage, finds holes and understands how to attack them at speed. He needs to take what the defender gives him and continue it to produce it along with the desnoyers.
He plays a key role in power plays to heal the puck, pouring the puck into the net and analysing coverage.
One of the best defenders in the QMJHL playoffs, Morin is the backend catalyst for Moncton. Morin, which tallies 11 power play points this postseason, was the main reason the Wildcats have made their opponents pay repeatedly for violations.
He is a Moncton Power Play quarterback and a shooting threat from that point, promoting opportunities for the desnoyers and Pekarcik. Defensively, he plays physical games, punishes enemies, moves pucks effectively, and gets out of trouble. He will play large minutes with the top players of the tournament and will need to shut them down for Moncton to succeed.
