After another dominant campaign, the London Knights were not going to come up short this season on the biggest stage in junior hockey. The final game of the year saw them tested early and often by LW Gavin McKenna (2026 NHL Entry Draft) and the other great talents on the Medicine Hat Tigers, with MHT having a fair advantage territorially. However, the shot on goal that evened the SOGs for both teams at 10 was also the shot that opened up the scoring for the game. After receiving a centering feed inside his own D-zone from fellow blue liner Sam Dickinson (San Jose Sharks), London D Henry Brzustewicz launched a stretch pass to C Jacob Julien (Winnipeg Jets), who cut to his right and slid a backhander past outstretched Medicine Hat G Harrison Meneghin (Tampa Bay Lightning). Beyond this moment in the first, both teams’ goaltenders were excellent, making some solid saves to keep their respective teams in the game. Ultimately, in the opening frame, Meneghin stopped 11 of 12, whereas London G Austin Elliott (UMass Lowell) denied MHT on all 11 shots faced. Additionally, both teams were disciplined, with neither going to the box in the first stanza.

Just 3:13 into the middle period, Sam O’Reilly (Edmonton Oilers) found Easton Cowan (Toronto Maple Leafs) on the doorstep from along the goal line and the decorated prospect didn’t disappoint, finishing the play to put London up 2-0. After a considerable number of shots on goal, this was the first goal in the tournament he had scored on a goaltender, as his first two were both on empty nets. As such, this goal had to be cathartic for him, especially considering Meneghin stonewalled him on a good look earlier. This marker also tied him with Mitch Marner for most points at the Memorial Cup in London Knights history. Dickinson was credited for a secondary assist, making him a contributor to both of their first two goals. Just 1:40 later, battle tested captain and emotional leader Denver Barkey (Philadelphia Flyers) got some separation after being fed by, who else, Sam Dickinson as the defender broke up a play and turned it into a full-blown breakaway. His dangles were on display as he beat Meneghin five-hole with a backhander to make it 3-0 London. A would-be 4-0 marker was tallied by Cowan but negated due to goaltender interference by O’Reilly. However, Barkey nevertheless made it 4-0 himself with a deceptive floater of a shot that was, in fact, an absolute snipe on the power play, giving London a cushy lead while Cayden Lindstrom (Columbus Blue Jackets) was in the box for high sticking. William Nicholl (Edmonton Oilers) would subsequently be sent to the box for tripping, giving MHT a power play, but a combination of fantastic work by Elliott between the pipes and bad puck luck prevented them from scoring. Jared Woolley (Los Angeles Kings) took a penalty for cross-checking at 17:01, but it was immediately negated due to Lindstrom committing a faceoff violation on the ensuing draw. Some things became evident during the 4-on-4 sequence, namely that London were doing a great job taking away space (particularly in the NZ) and Medicine Hat couldn’t execute even in the instances where they were afforded it. Meanwhile, they had spent a considerable amount of time affording London room in the OZ. It was all due to London prevailing at what they set out to do, however, with a bit of luck on their side. At any rate, though, London were out-shot 17-9 in the second period, but led emphatically where it mattered most.

The third period ended up being pretty low event, with only four shots on goal combined. However, McKenna made it interesting by scoring a beautiful goal which showcased his hands, skill, vision, and hockey IQ all in one swing. Defensemen Veeti Väisänen (Utah Mammoth) and Tanner Molendyk (Nashville Predators) were credited with the assists. McKenna appeared to score again late into the third, but after a review, it was negated as it was determined that the puck had previously been played with a high stick. Ultimately, while London were never able to augment their lead with an empty net goal, they would shut Medicine Hat down with great team defense, not giving them another prayer. For the third time in history, all under the guidance of head coach Dale Hunter and his brother Mark (a brilliant GM and one of the finest executives in junior hockey history), London were Memorial Cup champions, defeating another very talented squad in the form of the Medicine Hat Tigers led by Willie Desjardins, 4-1. This put Dale in a tie with Don Hay (who coached the latter two of the Kamloops Blazers’ three victories in the ’90’s, as well as the 2007 Vancouver Giants, who, incidentally, also defeated MHT in the final) for most Memorial Cup championships in history. With Hunter also having the record for most victories at the Memorial Cup in terms of games won, it’s clear that this is his tournament.

With so many players having returned from last year’s team which came up just short against the Saginaw Spirit in the Memorial Cup final, there was nothing but determination in this group. Nothing was guaranteed to them with this being an incredibly difficult position to get to once, never mind twice in a row, and they had to win a semifinal to put themselves back in that position but they were focused on a common goal and refined their form. They can now say they successfully climbed back, stand shoulder-to-shoulder with previous juggernauts in franchise history, and have honored the memory of their beloved teammate, Abakar Kazbekov, who has long been a rallying point for the mainstays on the roster, in the most profound way possible. What an incredible story carved out by this group. It was a last hurrah for the longtime presences of the core, and a great sendoff to the junior careers of trade acquisitions Cam Allen (who will likely be pro bound in the Capitals system) and Austin Elliott (who departs for NCAA D1 with UMass Lowell next year) and in-season pickup Blake Montgomery (Ottawa Senators), who joined up with the team early into the campaign from the USHL’s Lincoln Stars after the NCAA D1 council rule change on CHL-to-NCAA eligibility and will be headed to the University of Wisconsin next season.

To the point about Elliott, let us unpack his story this year for a moment. He was waived by the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL at the beginning of the season as they trimmed their 2004s down to maintain compliance with rules on overagers, cleared WHL waivers outright despite two quite respectable full seasons as their full-time starter, was claimed by the Barrie Colts off of CHL waivers, then was traded to London and never looked back. He was nigh-invincible during the regular season and then, despite forming a formidable tandem with Aleskei Medvedev during the regular season, played every game in the postseason and maintained impressive form. I imagine he wouldn’t have thought for a second at the beginning of the season that he’d be a Memorial Cup All-Star selection with one of a historic franchise’s best ever teams, but that’s what happened. He’ll be carrying some valuable experience with him to the Tsongas Center next year.

Let’s talk some more about the superlatives. Elliott’s teammates Cowan and Barkey joined him on the All-Star team as two of the three forwards alongside McKenna, while Dickinson joined Molendyk on the back-end as the best defensemen of the tournament. Cowan would additionally win the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as tournament MVP. This was the conclusion he almost assuredly wanted to his CHL/OHL/Knights career and he got it. He can now enter Toronto’s system having accomplished everything he could have in junior hockey. What a great end to this part of his story, and you have to wonder what’s next for the one they call “Cowboy.”

Much respect has to be given to the runners-up. They had their own pain in their hearts with the passing of Meneghin’s father fresh on their hearts and minds as the postseason commenced. They were lights out in the playoffs, though, and Meneghin was the driving force, winning WHL playoff MVP and earning himself a pro deal. While his junior career didn’t end the way he would have preferred, he put remarkable achievements to his name and will almost assuredly use this as a springboard to a respectable career in the pros. I will certainly be rooting for him in these next steps in Tampa Bay’s organization. Much of the rest of the team is young and will return next season. With this valuable experience under their belt, more development to still be had, and a fantastic coach in the form of Desjardins who is terrific at cultivating pro talents and winners, we may just see them in a similar position again next campaign. Just as I eagerly watched to see if London would achieve redemption this year, I’ll keep my eyes peeled on Medicine Hat in 2025–26 to see what they have in store for us as they continue to grow and look to build upon this.

With that, my second full year of covering the CHL is in the books. North American developmental hockey is going to be an even greater coverage priority next season than it’s been the last two years, if you can believe that. These last couple have been so special and presented me with great storylines and remarkable conclusions in different ways. I can only imagine that more talented players will make themselves known to me, more teams will compel me to watch them, and more narratives will grab my attention. We’ll find out what those all are in a few months. Take care, everyone. And one last bit of words for the players on both finalist squads, provided somehow anyone associated with either team ever reads this:

“There’s no such thing as a painless lesson, they just don’t exist. Sacrifices are necessary; you can’t gain anything without losing something first. Although, if you can endure that pain and walk away from it, you’ll find that you now have a heart strong enough to overcome any obstacle. Yeah… a heart made fullmetal.”

— Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood – English Dub