The Memorial Cup tournament continues on Friday as the Western Hockey League champion Everett Silvertips battle the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League title holder Chicoutimi Saguenéens in the semifinal.
The winner of this game will take on the Ontario Hockey League champion Kitchener Rangers in Sunday’s final for a chance to take home junior hockey’s greatest prize.
Everett enters Friday’s action after going 2-1 in the round robin, with their lone loss coming against the Rangers.
They are coming off a thorough 4-0 victory over the host Kelowna Rockets on Wednesday that secured their spot in the semifinal and eliminated the Rockets from the tournament.
The Silvertips defeated Chicoutimi 5-3 in their tournament opener on Saturday, led by rookie Matias Vanhanen and forward Jesse Heslop, who both recorded a goal and an assist.
Vanhanen has been an offensive force for the Silvertips all season, leading the team with 21 goals and 87 points in the regular season. He also contributed 12 goals and 24 points in the playoffs as Everett won their first Ed Chynoweth Cup in franchise history.
The 5-foot-10 winger is tied for second in Memorial Cup scoring with three goals and five points after the round robin.
The Memorial Cup tournament is Vanhanen’s final on-ice audition before the 2026 NHL Draft in Buffalo. He is ranked No. 35 on TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button’s May draft list.
Anders Miller was in Everett’s net for all three games of the round robin, including Wednesday’s 28-save shutout of Kelowna. He has a 3.00 goals-against average with a .889 save percentage at the Memorial Cup.
The 6-foot-1 netminder was acquired from the Calgary Hitmen in October and went 29-4-0 as a Silvertip with a 2.12 GAA and .920 save percentage. He went on to dominate the WHL playoffs, going 16-2 with a 1.91 GAA and .932 save percentage to lead the league.
Everett could be without standout defenceman Landon DuPont, who was a late scratch against Kelowna with an undisclosed injury.
“I don’t know if I can put a number on that right now. What I do know is if there’s a possibility, he’s in. He’ll find a way,” Everett head coach Steve Hamilton said about DuPont’s status on Wednesday. “Part of it is us making sure we take care of our players. You never want to put a guy in a situation where he’s not capable of being himself. We just felt tonight wasn’t a fit to get him in there, but a couple of days could go a long way with him. So, we’ll see where we’re at come Friday.”
The 5-foot-11, right-shot blueliner is a favourite to be selected No. 1 overall in the 2027 NHL Draft. He became the ninth player in CHL history to be granted exceptional player status in 2024 and has lived up to the hype surrounding that distinction.
DuPont, who turned 17 on Thursday, registered 18 goals and 73 points in 63 games in the regular season with a plus-59 rating. He went on to add five goals and 23 points in the playoffs to finish tied for fourth in the WHL.
The Calgary native registered two assists in two games at the Memorial Cup but has demonstrated his ability to create dangerous offensive chances for his team to impress fans and scouts alike.
His absence adds to an injured blueline that is also missing captain Tarin Smith, who hasn’t played since April 1 with an undisclosed injury.
The Silvertips will also look to Seattle Kraken prospect Julius Miettinen to help carry the load offensively after he led the WHL playoffs with 14 goals and 27 points to win the WHL playoff MVP.
He recorded 35 goals and 76 points in 52 games in the regular season but has yet to record a point at the Memorial Cup.
Everett is hoping to claim the Memorial Cup championship in their first appearance in their 23-year history.
Chicoutimi enters the semifinal after going 1-2 in the tournament, with their lone win being a 3-2 overtime victory over Kelowna on Sunday.
The Saguenéens are coming off a narrow 3-2 loss to Kitchener on Monday that featured a controversial play from defenceman Jordan Tourigny.
While battling for the puck behind the Chicoutimi net midway through the third period, Tourigny stomped on the foot of Rangers forward Christian Humphreys in an attempt to free the puck.
Tourigny was handed a five-minute major penalty for an attempt to injure and a game misconduct. Humphreys left the game and did not return.
The 21-year-old blueliner was then suspended for the remainder of the Memorial Cup tournament for his actions.
Chicoutimi has been led all season by QMJHL MVP Maxim Massé, who led the league with 51 goals and 102 points. He went on to lead the Saguenéens in playoff scoring with six goals and 24 points as they won their first Gilles-Courteau Trophy since 1994.
The Anaheim Ducks draft pick has a goal in three games at the Memorial Cup.
Rookie forward Liam Lefebvre and centre Nathan Lecompte lead the Saguenéens in scoring at the Memorial Cup with four points each.
Lefebvre was the hero for Chicoutimi in their lone win on Sunday, scoring a pair of goals, including the overtime winner.
The 6-foot-3 winger was acquired prior to the CHL trade deadline from the Rimouski Océanic and registered 32 goals and 59 points in 59 games during his rookie season. He added five goals and 12 points in the playoffs.
Ottawa Senators prospect Lucas Beckman was instrumental in Chicoutimi taking home the QMJHL championship, going 16-4 in the playoffs with a 1.98 GAA and .918 save percentage.
The 6-foot-2 netminder was acquired from the Baie-Comeau Drakkar prior to the CHL trade deadline in January and went 13-1-0 as a Saguenéen with a .940 save percentage and 1.52 GAA.
This is Chicoutimi’s fourth appearance at the Memorial Cup and their first since 1997. They are looking for their first Memorial Cup championship in the team’s 53-year history.
The Memorial Cup concludes on Sunday when the winner of this game will take on Kitchener for the right to lift the Memorial Cup Trophy. Fans can watch the final LIVE at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT across the TSN Network, TSN.ca, and the TSN App.
