Patrick King

The Kelowna Rockets' defence was changed when Tyler Myers made the big club in Buffalo.

It's a common theme in junior hockey: win a championship one year, rebuild the next.

Since the window to win is so small and junior graduation typically ravages championship-caliber teams over the summer, Memorial Cup hangovers are nearly inevitable.

But there's more than one exception to the rule this season as each of the four participants in Rimouski last May are either meeting or exceeding expectations.

The biggest surprise is the Québec Major Junior Hockey League champion Drummondville Voltigeurs, who are defending its first title in franchise history in fashion.

Rebuilding seemed inevitable for this team after losing their top five scorers: Yannick Riendeau, Dany Massé, Mike Hoffman, Samson Mahbod and Dmitry Kulikov. Also departing was their head coach, Guy Boucher, who began his professional coaching career with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League this season.

Boucher often preached his team had two quality goaltenders last season with Marco Cousineau and Antoine Tardif. Cousineau was a surprise return as an overager this season and was then shipped to P.E.I. for a first round pick.

In spite of trading one of the top goaltenders in the league, the Voltigeurs hardly missed a beat with Tardif.

Drummondville boasts the second-best record in the league at 19-4-0-1 and could be on the verge of a gigantic boost. Overage forward Chris DiDomenico, a Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick, could return to junior after suffering a broken leg in the league championship series last season. Should he return, Drummondville might make the decision to re-load for another championship run.

The champions from last year's tournament, the Windsor Spitfires, are on track for another run at glory this season. Windsor was a year ahead of schedule last season after the core of its team being built around the 1990-born players, who remain with the team as 19-year-olds.

The surprises came in the form of some unexpected returns as forwards Scott Timmins and Dale Mitchell were sent back for their overage seasons in the Ontario Hockey League. With the new arrivals of Richard Panik and Kenny Ryan, the Windsor forward group is unquestionably stronger this season than it was when they were crowned champions last season.

Windsor boasts a league-best 19-3-0-3 record and hasn't lost in regulation in its last 15 games. The results, however, haven't been as one-sided as one would expect of late which is partly due to the oversized target on their back this season.

"Every team we face now comes in desperate and hungry," general manager Warren Rychel explained. "Obviously some days you would want a little more exclamation mark on a win or a little better play from everyone."

Windsor has long since been considered the front-runner to repeat as Memorial Cup champions given their core group from last season remains intact. The most important aspect is for the team to remain hungry, as Rychel relates from his playing career.

"I remember when I played in '93 we went to the (Stanley Cup) finals with the (Los Angeles) Kings," he said. "Next year we didn't make the playoffs with pretty much the same team."

The Spitfires might continue tweaking their roster, Rychel said, as the glut of overage players saw them cut ties with goaltender Josh Unice, who began the season as their starter.

The Western Hockey League champion Kelowna Rockets weren't as lucky as the team they lost to in last year's final. Kelowna's penchant for developing elite blue-line talent cost them another top player as Tyler Myers will not return from Buffalo.

Myers is just one of many graduated players, most notably Colin Long, Jamie Benn, Cody Almond, Mikael Backlund and goaltender Mark Guggenberger all moved on after last season's run. Myers' departure left Kelowna with the biggest hole to fill but after the season he enjoyed, many anticipated he wouldn't return as a 19-year-old.

"When you lose a guy like Tyler Myers, that in itself is a big loss for us because he's a defenceman," began Rockets general manager Bruce Hamilton "I just find it's way easier to compete if you're losing forwards. You can replace them or change your team's style."

Given the many departures, it would have been understandable for the Rockets to struggle but the shoe has yet to fall, and likely won't.

Kelowna is tied for third in the B.C. Division standings, a point behind second-place Chilliwack. Although the team is currently riding a four-game losing streak, obtaining home ice in the first round of the playoffs is certainly not out of the question.

Injuries and the flu bug made it difficult for the Rockets in the early going but now that the team knows they will be without the likes of players such as Myers, they can adjust appropriately. Kelowna shipped top scorer Stepan Novotny to Swift Current for power-forward Geordie Wudrick earlier this week, a move that should help them in the more physical Western Conference.

"We actually were interested in getting him last year but couldn't get a deal done so we're real excited to get a chance to get him here," said Hamilton, who has followed Wudrick's progress closely since he was a bantam player. "I really believe a new address and a fresh start will be good for him to get his game back on track."

And then there's the host from last year's tournament, the Rimouski Océanic. Junior graduation hit this team significantly but it's the players who returned that are drawing most attention. The Océanic declared its intentions in trading forwards Patrice Cormier and Jordan Caron this season, all while competing for second in the Telus Eastern Division.

Rimouski is a point up on Chicoutimi for second in the division, which would give them the coveted home ice advantage going into the playoffs. The team is just as confident in its ability to obtain second in the division as it is that another run season is around the corner. Should the Océanic trade Cormier and Caron, as they declare is their intention, their franchise could be back in the Memorial Cup before long.