Memorial Cup Review

The Memorial Cup made the trip to Shawinigan and the Cataractes decided it needed a little more than the week it was to spend there.  As predicted, it was a very competitive and intense week of action.  My predicted finishes didn't quite work out, but that just made it better in my mind.  It was a week of great passion, sacrifice and heroics, and truly honored the namesake of the trophy that was presented to the victors.

As far as the one ice performances go, here are some notes from my perspective:


Edmonton Oil Kings
- Stephane Legault doesn't get much credit but there certainly is a lot to like to the steady forwads approach to every shift.  I was impressed with him as a midget player but he got lost in the shuffle a lot of the time in his WHL games that I scouted.  He's reliable with a strong work ethic and a team first menatlity.  While not one of the most exciting prospects on the Oil Kings, he deserves a shout out and I think he has a bright CIS future ahead of him and could turn that into a very good professional playing career as well.

- Henrik Samuelsson did a great job of showcasing his professional appeal.  He really parlayed playing this late into the season and the extra exposure it grants into a very strong performance that will boost his draft stock, less than a month before the draft.  He also earned himself a spot on the tournament All Star team.

- Griffin Reinhart really impressed with his development yet again.  I've had the pleasure of watching go from bantam to midget to the WHL and it's obvious that he has a long career ahead of him at the next level as well.  This is a kid who still has a lot to show and will be a major reason why the Oil Kings could come back to this event again next year, this time as the favorite.

Saint John Sea Dogs
- Jonathan Huberdeau is so dynamic and entertaining to watch.  His neutral zone goals during the tournament were another indication of just how dynamic and intelligent he can be with the puck.  He can brush it off as luck but it's obvious he has that extra sense and can react  to that "thinking without thinking" phenomena so well.  As technically and physically talented as he is, his mind is the true appeal and the true reason he will succeed at the NHL level very soon.

- Ryan Tesink was such a good pest, he was even driving me nuts as I watched the games.  So easy to hate a player like this in the moment, but very wise to think about how having a weapon like this can benefit you.  As long as I'm not looking at him, I love him.

- Zack Phillips and Tomas Jurco were up and down for me at this event.  I'm a big Phillips fan, he can do so much good around the puck and has really improved his two-way game but it felt like he was trying to do too much a little too often.  Jurco and Coyle were in a similar boat to me.  I refuse to peg any blame on them as I still believe they represented their team, league and individual talent levels well but was a bit surprised they weren't as spot on as they could have been.

London Knights
Max Domi always draws attention from scouts and fans, usually from a curiosity or admiration due to his famous father but Max is a very dynamic talent who builds his fan base with very different skill set than his father.  Tie was no offensive slouch in his junior days, but he never possessed the abilities of his son.  Max will get a lot of attention next year as he heads into his draft year, where he is already projected to be a 1st-2nd round prospect.

Jared Tinordi is the kind of player that scouts drool over.  He's huge, fairly mobile and will go through the wall for his team.  His skating still needs some work and he has a ton of room to build on his massive frame but Tinordi's development is something that Montreal fans have to be excited about.  I give him another 2-3 years before he's pro ready, but Tinordi looks like he could be one of the first in a new trend of hybrid 90's-2000's defenders.  Skilled, tough, intelligent and will spear you in the throat if he doesn't like you.

Austin Watson was one of the top 5 most ready to play in the NHL prospects in the entire event.  A big bodied player with good skills, his pro appeal on the offensive side is only minor at this point, but his defensive play has his appeal skyrocketing.  Watson was arguably the best two-way forward in the whole tournament, along with Shawnigan gunner Michael Chaput.  His faceoff presence and shot blocking ability had me thinking he had already played several seasons under Barry Trotz in Nashville.  I have a feeling those two will get along nicely.

Memorial Cup Champion - Shawinigan Cataractes
Michael Chaput was selected in the dispersal draft after Lewiston folded in the summer of 2011.  The Cataractes knew they got a top notch offensive player at that point, but little did they know just how much of an impact he would ultimately make.  The 3rd round pick of the Flyers in 2010, his rights were traded to Columbus the next season.  Chaput was dominant all week long in all three zones of the ice, winning faceoffs, scoring goals, starting and finishing plays from a variety of areas and situations.  He was the perfect and easiest choice for MVP of this year's Memorial Cup and looked like the most ready NHL player during the week.

Brandon Gormley is a player that I have been extremely high on for several years now.  The PEI native was an Andrews Hockey School mainstay, who the Andrews (Al and Josh) lit up to talk about.  To me, he is pro ready already.  He was the best defender at the World Juniors and looked like the most ready to step up the NHL player on any roster at that event and if it weren't for the possessed play of Chaput during this event he would have struck me in the same way again.  Either way, he is not far from being an NHL blueliner and already seems to have the maturity of a player several years his elder.

Kiriil Kabanov wasn't the Russian who scored the heroic overtime winner, that honor belonged to Anton Zlobin, but Kabanov was an absolute beast in the final and was hands down the most consistently dangerous player on the ice.  This is the glimpse of the Kabanov that could turn into a seriously impactful professional player.  I was impressed with his drive, team play and consistency and the taste of the championship should reinforce the behaviors we want to see more of from the talented Russian.



With that the major scouting season comes to an end.  The final touches will be put on the ISS draft guides and they will be sent out shortly.  Focus for me will now turn directly to the NHL draft and media interviews (maybe a little golf too...) while the teams soak in their season triumphs and prepare for next year.

Congratulations to all of the participants (players, coaches and staffs) of all 4 teams, who made this a memorable and exciting Memorial Cup tournament and a huge congratulations to the champion team and city of Shawinigan.