The two clear best teams in the CHL came to know each other very well this season. Combined between the OHL’s regular season, postseason, and the Memorial Cup’s round robin, the Memorial Cup final marked their 12th matchup against one another in 2023-24. There were no surprises to be had, so it simply had to come down to who had learned the most lessons in the games they’d played against one another and who applied those lessons the best. A tale of two stacked squads with very talented coaches: The London Knights led by Dale Hunter and the Saginaw Spirit led by Dale Hunter. Who would capture the greatest prize in junior hockey when all was said and done?

In the opening twenty minutes, it certainly looked as though the host squad Saginaw had the edge in the game that mattered the most between them. In the opening few minutes, Saginaw established a clear advantage in possession. This only became more evident when London D Isaiah George (New York Islanders) was called for a delay of game at 4:37. The Spirit took over the game even more on the power play, but it did not yield a goal. However, it did set the tone for them in their aggression on the attack. The opening goal came of a faceoff, with Saginaw C Owen Beck (Montreal Canadiens) sniping one past London G Michael Simpson from inside the circle with some help from LW Josh Bloom (Vancouver Canucks). London would try very hard to respond; however, playing zone-to-zone did not work, as they were met with a Saginaw team that stacked the defensive zone very well and took away every possible lane, while sometimes playing hard to beat man-to-man, as well. London C/W Easton Cowan (Toronto Maple Leafs) saw it firsthand, being on the receiving end of a very hard but clean check from Beck. It would be well, well into the first period before London was credited with a SOG, being denied and having things go wrong along the way such as RW Kasper Halttunen (San Jose Sharks) having the puck slide off his stick blade and go wide on the clearest look for an attempt that London would get. Even when they switched to emphasizing stretch passes, very little changed in terms of not getting anything going in the instances in which they were able to penetrate the offensive zone. A few minutes after the first London SOG was registered, with 1:02 left on the clock, Saginaw D Zayne Parekh (2024 Draft eligible) was on the receiving end of a hit to the head in open ice by London C/LW Landon Sim (drafted by the St. Louis Blues in 2022, left unsigned), which resulted in five and a game for Sim and the Knights. This marked the first goal that the London PK had surrendered in the 2024 Memorial Cup, coming on the first major penalty that any team had been assessed throughout the tournament. On the ensuing power play, it took just 17 seconds for Beck to score yet another goal, with Bloom finding him on the right wing from behind the net. C/LW Joey Willis (Nashville Predators) was credited with the secondary helper. Ultimately, Beck would register more goals than London registered SOGs in the opening frame, with Saginaw out-shooting London 13-1 and leading on the scoreboard, 2-0, after 20. Even the end of the period had some pleasantries exchanged, with there being a scrum that centered on contact and words between Cowan and Saginaw D Rodwin Dionicio (Anaheim Ducks). No penalties were assessed, but it was a reminder of the strong rivalry energy resonating through this matchup, despite how one-sided the game had been to that point.

In the opening few minutes of the second frame, London prevented Saginaw from scoring again in the remainder of the Sim major (served by LW Evan Van Gorp) but the status quo of the game was maintained, with Saginaw applying most of the pressure. In the ensuing time after, not much changed, with Simpson having to make a few saves on some very high percentage shots (including a notably hard one from the slot by 2025 Draft eligible LW/C Michael Misa). The next goal of the game was scored on a play that Simpson couldn’t do much about, as Willis had a phenomenal breakaway opportunity and didn’t disappoint, lifting a backhander past Simpson to make it 3-0 Saginaw. The next few sequences were defined by physical play on both sides. One such instance had Dionicio delivering a hit that was definitely dancing on the edge of acceptability in open ice on C Jacob Julien, with C Kaleb Lawrence (Los Angeles Kings) responding with a huge hit of his own on Dionicio that left the Ducks prospect bleeding from the mouth. Ultimately, London would not register their second SOG until 9:45 of the middle frame. However, it was exactly what the doctor ordered. D Oliver Bonk (Philadelphia Flyers) forced a turnover and sent a backhand pass up to Cowan, who absorbed the hit and found Halttunen in a spot to deliver the goods and beat Saginaw G Andrew Oke. This gave London some life, as sometimes one shot is all it takes, but it did not completely change the tides. Ultimately, 3-1 marked the score after 40, with Saginaw leading in shots 11-5 in the second stanza and 24-6 overall headed into the second intermission. We saw the capability the Knights have for a comeback in the miraculous push they made in Game 3 of the OHL Championship against Oshawa. Could they do it again?

The Knights didn’t generate a lot in the opening phases, but did register a few SOGs before they finally broke through at 7:48. D Sam Dickinson (2024 Draft eligible) connected with Cowan at the top of the circle on a pass from Gretzky’s office to bring the score to 3-2. Bonk was credited with the secondary assist, giving him a helper on both goals. Just a couple of minutes later, Dickinson, in his final game before the draft, made yet another statement with his play, as he finished off a rush play by delivering a rifle of a shot past Oke on a feed from C/LW Max McCue (Columbus Blue Jackets) to tie the game, with Cowan getting credit for the secondary apple. The OHL champions had erased the deficit in dramatic fashion and they would press hard subsequently, seeming to tilt the ice and have the pace of the game working in their favor. However, the best look they got, wherein Cowan got off a decent shot but didn’t quite get the puck in his wheelhouse prior, having to stop with the puck with his skates, was denied by Oke who closed it between the pads. Eventually, Saginaw would have a very strong possession wherein Halttunen and F Ruslan Gazizov (2024 Draft eligible) made seemingly clutch shot blocks. In due time, they would work the puck in very close, when D Jorian Donovan (Ottawa Senators) got a shot attempt off that landed the puck in a perfect spot for Bloom to stuff it in during a scramble in which both Simpson and McCue were doing everything they could to keep the puck out of the net. C/W Hunter Haight (Minnesota Wild) would be credited for the primary apple. At this point, London head coach Dale Hunter had used his timeout already and Simpson was immediately pulled for the extra attacker. London would make multiple stretch pass attempts to create a good look with the extra man, but to no avail, as Saginaw held on and won their first ever hardware in franchise history. This marked the first time since the 2008 Spokane Chiefs that a U.S.-based team had captured the CHL’s coveted organization-wide trophy.

Saginaw’s front office led by GM Dave Drinkill made a number of important acquisitions via trade and, in the case of Bloom (who returned to the OHL from the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks for additional training and opted to return to his former club despite having been traded to the North Bay Battalion during his first stint and having open options as a free agent on the CHL level), signing to reach the compete level that they did. While Bloom came up big in the most significant moment, perhaps no acquisition was more impactful than that of Owen Beck, a member of last year’s champion Peterborough Petes. As such, it felt very appropriate that Beck ended up being the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy winner as Memorial Cup MVP, with him tallying 4g (including 2 tonight) and 1 assist in 5 games. No one did more to help this team take the next step than him, and it was a wonderful bow on things for the future Hab. He came here with plenty of experience in his pocket, having already tasted the pros and knowing what it took to win hardware. He did so much for this team and it is terrific to see him receive some commendation.

Additional narratives of note are that this makes Michael Misa just the second exceptional status player in CHL history to win the Memorial Cup after Sean Day. He showed poise, growth, and development in his D-1 year, ranking as one of the team’s most productive players despite playing fairly limited minutes, and it will be a great confident booster going into his draft year next season to have this hardware to his name. To a similar point about another blue chip prospect on this roster and the only player on the Saginaw squad that registered more points than him in the regular season, this was the last game before draft night for Zayne Parekh. If there was any competition between the two defensemen in the eyes of scouts and NHL teams, it did appear that Dickinson made more impact plays in this game than Parekh did and the stat sheet reflected that. However, it is worth noting that Parekh had a great tournament and season overall, winning CHL Defenceman of the Year Award, and that he was not an asset to his team overall on the last hurdle. It should be interesting to see where the chips land. These two players brought a lot to this team this year, a team that was the only rival the Knights had, yet were never taken seriously. It is possible that Parekh makes the straight to NHL jump next season. However, if he runs it back for development purposes, he and Misa will surely only be even more blatantly impactful in their respective D+1 and D0 seasons, and the rest of the OHL better watch out.

This marked Bloom’s last ever game in junior hockey. This was also the case for Lawrence, McCue, and Simpson. The former three have a pro future guaranteed, already under contract with NHL clubs. In Simpson’s case, there is some more uncertainty. He has yet to commit to a USports program but there are no rumblings of him signing with a pro club yet, either. However, I would not entirely rule out the possibility of him being taken on as an undrafted free agent. He has extensive experience winning at this level, having also been on the 2023 Petes squad that captured the OHL Championship in addition to this Knights squad, and was a great backbone for both teams. I would not say the door has closed on the possibility of Simpson’s taking another step up the ladder. Nevertheless, best of luck to all of these players that have aged out of the CHL.

Looking ahead for the Knights, while several players on the roster are under pro contracts and will likely “graduate” soon, they still have many players who are eligible and likely to return. While they came up just shy in this very eventful and, at many junctures, dominant season, the group that they have that will still be a viable threat next season. As long as the Hunter/McRae/Hunter braintrust/ownership is steering the ship, this team will be relevant and a threat due to the phenomenal developmental system that they have. Do not be surprised if they are in the running in a similar manner next season and have redemption on their minds. After all, redemption was a big motivator this season for the members of the team that were on the squad when they fell to the Petes in the 2023 OHL final. Many of these players still have CHL stories to write and whatever other pieces may come along will no doubt have a big part to play, as well. It should be interesting to see what Dale Hunter and his forever pesky group have in store for us in 2024-25.