The London Knights, Saskatoon Blades and Baie-Comeau Drakkar enter the playoffs as the top seeds in their respective junior hockey leagues.
Regular-season play in the OHL, QMJHL and WHL wrapped up on Sunday, setting the stage for the CHL playoffs, which start Thursday.
While the Knights are a perennial powerhouse, the Blades and Drakkar never have won their respective league titles.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have two of their top prospects on teams that have their sights set on playing in the Memorial Cup in Saginaw, Mich, May 24 to June 2.
Easton Cowan finished the season on a 36-game point streak with the Knights, while Fraser Minten was acquired by the Blades in an early-season trade with Kamloops after starting his season with a cup of coffee in Toronto.
The Memorial Cup host Spirit, who finished two points behind London in the Western Conference, feature top Montreal Canadiens prospect Owen Beck. Saginaw also has Michael Misa, picked first overall in the 2022 OHL Draft after he was allowed to enter a year early.
In the OHL East, the Oshawa Generals won their final 12 games to claim top spot in the conference. They are led by Colorado Avalanche first-round pick Calum Ritchie.
In the WHL West, the Prince George Cougars finished the season on a 19-game point streak to earn the top seed in the conference. Vancouver Canucks prospect Ty Young splits time in the Prince George net with impressive rookie Joshua Ravensbergen.
The Drakkar have 51-goal man Justin Poirier and Justin Gill, who finished second in the league in points.
All four teams from last year's Memorial Cup — the champion Quebec Remparts, Seattle Thunderbirds, Peterborough Petes and Kamloops Blazers — missed this year's playoffs.
Two teams make their playoff debuts in their new markets — the Wenatchee Wild (formerly Winnipeg) and the Brantford Bulldogs (formerly Hamilton). Meanwhile, the Mississauga Steelheads will move eight kilometres down the road to Brampton, Ont. at the conclusion of this year's playoffs.
Here are the playoff matchups:
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Saskatoon Blades vs. No. 8 Prince Albert Raiders
No. 2 Swift Current Broncos vs. No. 7 Lethbridge Hurricanes
No. 3 Moose Jaw Warriors vs. No. 6 Brandon Wheat Kings
No. 4 Medicine Hat Tigers vs. No. 5 Red Deer Rebels
Western Conference
No. 1 Prince George Cougars vs. No. 8 Spokane Chiefs
No. 2 Portland Winterhawks vs. No. 7 Victoria Royals
No. 3 Everett Silvertips vs. No. 6 Vancouver Giants
No. 4 Wenatchee Wild vs. No. 5 Kelowna Rockets
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Baie-Comeau Drakkar vs. No. 8 Charlottetown Islanders
No. 2 Halifax Mooseheads vs. No. 7 Acadie-Bathurst Titan
No. 3 Moncton Wildcats vs. No. 6 Chicoutimi Sagueneens
No. 4 Cape Breton Eagles vs. No. 8 Rimouski Oceanic
Western Conference
No. 1 Drummondville Voltigeurs vs. No. 8 Saint John Sea Dogs
No. 2 Rouyn-Noranda Huskies vs. No. 7 Gatineau Olympiques
No. 3 Victoriaville Tigres vs. No. 6 Shawinigan Cataractes
No. 4 Sherbrooke Phoenix vs. No. 5 Blainville-Boisbriand Armada
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Oshawa Generals vs. No. 8 Barrie Colts
No. 2 North Bay Battalion vs. No. 7 Kingston Frontenacs
No. 3 Brantford Bulldogs vs. No. 6 Ottawa 67's
No. 4 Mississauga Steelheads vs. No. 5 Sudbury Wolves
Western Conference
No. 1 London Knights vs. No. 8 Flint Firebirds
No. 2 Saginaw Spirit vs. No. 7 Owen Sound Attack
No. 3 Soo Greyhounds vs. No. 6 Guelph Storm
No. 4 Kitchener Rangers vs. No. 5 Erie Otters
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