The final field for the 2026 Memorial Cup will be determined over the next two weeks as the WHL, OHL and QMJHL finals play out.
The winners of the best-of-seven series will join the host Kelowna Rockets in the four-team tournament, May 22-31.
Here's a look at the three league finals:
OHL
Kitchener Rangers (No. 1 seed in Western Conference) vs. Barrie Colts (No. 2 seed in Eastern Conference)
Rest could be a weapon
The Rangers finished off a five-game win over the Windsor Spitfires last Friday, while the Colts rallied from a 3-1 series deficit with two overtime victories and then a 5-0 Game 7 triumph on Monday in Brantford, Ont., against the heavily favoured Bulldogs.
Now, they have to go to the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, one of the great venues in junior hockey, for two more road games to start this series Wednesday and Friday.
The Colts played most of the last three games without injured co-captain and Utah Mammoth first-round pick Cole Mammoth. They also created some off-ice drama with their bizarre post-game press conference on Monday in which first-year coach Dylan Smoskowitz and star defenceman Kashawn Aitcheson answered every question with what is apparently a team slogan: "No one cares, work harder."
Smoskowitz, 33, has apologized (the Colts reportedly wanted more players in the press conference), and now hopes his team can focus on the task at hand.
The O'Reilly factor
Rangers star forward Sam O'Reilly won the Red Tilson Trophy on Tuesday as the most outstanding player in the OHL.
It's been a busy year for O'Reilly, whose NHL rights were traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning from the Edmonton Oilers in the Isaac Howard deal last summer before he switched OHL addresses at the January trade deadline when the Rangers acquired him from the arch-rival London Knights.
The strong two-way forward leads the OHL with 14 goals in 14 playoff games. He also has plenty of experience in the spotlight, having won a pair of OHL titles and one Memorial Cup with the Knights the past two years.
Big Ben delivers
Colts goalie Ben Hrebik, who went undrafted last year in the NHL, has to be putting himself into consideration for this year's draft with his recent play.
The six-foot-three Hrebik had a 40-save shutout in Game 7 against the Bulldogs and stopped 54 shots in a 4-3 overtime win in Game 6.
His playoff save percentage of .925 is well above Kitchener counterpart Christian Kirsch's .894 clip. Kirsch, a native of Switzerland, is a fourth-round San Jose Sharks pick.
Fresh feel
After the Knights and Oshawa Generals played in the past two OHL finals, we have a different look for this year's championship.
While a perennial power, the Rangers haven't advanced to the league final since their last title in 2008.
The Colts, also a consistent contender in the Eastern Conference, haven't played for an OHL crown since 2013 and won their only league title in 2000.
WHL
Everett Silvertips (No. 1 seed in Western Conference and league) vs. Prince Albert Raiders (No. 1 seed in Eastern Conference)
Blueline battle
The marquee matchup in this series, which starts Friday in Everett, Wash., features two dynamic defencemen.
Everett's Landon DuPont, allowed in the league a year early last season after getting exceptional status, has been outstanding. A front-runner to go first overall in the 2027 NHL Draft, DuPont has four goals and 13 assists in 13 playoff games. It will be interesting to see if DuPont returns to the WHL or heads to the NCAA next season.
Meanwhile, Prince Albert's Daxon Rudolph should be a top-10 pick in this year's NHL Draft. He leads WHL post-season scoring with nine goals and 14 assists in 15 games. Like DuPont, he could be very intriguing for NCAA teams next season.
NHL to Memorial Cup?
Braeden Cootes started his season playing three regular-season games for the Vancouver Canucks.
He could end it at the Memorial Cup.
Acquired by Prince Albert this season in a deal with the Seattle Thunderbirds, Cootes has given a big boost to the Raiders in their quest to capture their first WHL title since 2019. The Canucks first-round pick has six goals and 12 assists in 15 playoff games, helping the Raiders overcome the reigning champion Medicine Hat Tigers in a six-game Eastern Conference final.
Fabulous Finns
The Silvertips have nailed a pair of picks in the CHL Import Draft.
Finnish forwards Matias Vanhanen (31st overall this year) and Julius Miettinen (30th overall in 2023) lead the team in playoff scoring.
Miettinen is a second-round Seattle Kraken pick, while Vanhanen is sure to be drafted this year after being passed up last year.
Chasing an elusive title
The Silvertips have fallen short in their two appearances in the league final — in their expansion 2003-04 season and 2017-18.
They'll try to become the second American team in three years to win the Memorial Cup after the Saginaw Spirit won on home ice in 2024.
Interestingly, that Spirit team also featured a player granted exceptional status — current San Jose Sharks forward Michael Misa.
QMJHL
Moncton Wildcats (No. 1 seed in league) vs. Chicoutimi Sagueneens (No. 2 seed in league)
Heavyweight clash
These two teams battled for top spot all season.
It wasn't decided until the final weekend of the season, with the Wildcats (50-10-2-2) finishing one point ahead of the Sagueneens (49-10-3-2).
Moncton won its final nine games to eke out top spot.
It could be critical. The Wildcats took advantage of home ice to beat the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada 6-2 in Game 7 of the semifinals on Tuesday.
The series starts Friday in Moncton, N.B.
Experienced coaches
Two coaches with excellent resumes square off.
Chicoutimi's Yanick Jean is the winningest coach in QMJHL history, though he is still looking for his first league crown.
Moncton's Gardiner MacDougall guided the Wildcats to the title in his first year in the QMJHL last year after winning nine U Sports crowns at the University of New Brunswick.
The Wildcats are trying to become the first team to go back-to-back in the Q since Saint John in 2011 and '12.
Chicoutimi is making its first appearance in a Q final since 1997 and hasn't won it since 1994.
MVP vs. MVP
The series pits last year's playoff MVP (Moncton's Caleb Desnoyers) against this year's regular-season MVP (Chicoutimi's Maxim Masse).
Desnoyers is a Utah Mammoth first-round pick, while Masse is a third-round Anaheim Ducks selection.
However, neither player is in the top five in playoff scoring this season. Moncton's Gabe Smith, also a Utah prospect, leads the way with 24 points in 15 games.
Net gains
The top two goalies in the QMJHL playoffs go head-to-head.
Chicoutimi's Lucas Beckman, an Ottawa Senators prospect, has a 1.43 goals-against average, while Rudy Guimond is at 1.98 for Moncton.
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