List Of NHL Prospects Attending 2023 Memorial Cup
After the OHL’s Peterborough Petes and the QMJHL’s Québec Remparts took home their respective league championships yesterday, the field for the 2023 Memorial Cup is set. They’ll be joined by two WHL teams – the league champion Seattle Thunderbirds and the host team Kamloops Blazers – on their quest to capture the pinnacle of North American junior hockey.
Pitting best against best at the U21 level from across the continent, the tournament also gives NHL-drafted prospects an early taste of high-pressure hockey on a larger stage than regular junior play. If you’re looking to see your favorite team’s prospects have big performances at this tournament, which runs from May 26 to June 4, we’re providing a comprehensive list of NHL-affiliated prospects attending the tournament.
There will be a new champion this year after last year’s winner, the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs, lost to the Gatineau Olympiques in five games in their first-round series in the QMJHL playoffs. Chicago and Dallas lead the way with three representatives at the tournament, while nine teams (Boston, Colorado, Detroit, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Ottawa, Pittsburgh, San Jose, and Tampa Bay) don’t have any prospects playing this year.
Anaheim Ducks
C Nathan Gaucher (Québec, 2022 22nd overall)
LD Olen Zellweger (Kamloops, 2021 34th overall)
Arizona Coyotes
RW Dylan Guenther (Seattle, 2021 9th overall)
LD Jérémy Langlois (Québec, 2022 94th overall)
Boston Bruins
none
Buffalo Sabres
RD Vsevolod Komarov (Québec, 2022 134th overall)
Calgary Flames
LW Lucas Ciona (Seattle, 2021 173rd overall)
Carolina Hurricanes
C Justin Robidas (Québec, 2021 147th overall)
Chicago Blackhawks
LD Kevin Korchinski (Seattle, 2022 7th overall)
LD Nolan Allan (Seattle, 2021 32nd overall)
C Colton Dach (Seattle, 2021 62nd overall)
Colorado Avalanche
none
Columbus Blue Jackets
LW James Malatesta (Québec, 2021 133rd overall)
Dallas Stars
C Logan Stankoven (Kamloops, 2021 47th overall)
RD Gavin White (Peterborough, 2022 115th overall)
RW Matthew Seminoff (Kamloops, 2022 179th overall)
Detroit Red Wings
none
Edmonton Oilers
none
Florida Panthers
LD Evan Nause (Québec, 2021 56th overall)
Los Angeles Kings
none
Minnesota Wild
C Caedan Bankier (Kamloops, 2021 86th overall)
RD Kyle Masters (Kamloops, 2021 118th overall)
Montreal Canadiens
C Owen Beck (Peterborough, 2022 33rd overall)
C Jared Davidson (Seattle, 2022 130th overall)
Nashville Predators
LW Reid Schaefer (Seattle, 2022 32nd overall)
RD Luke Prokop (Seattle, 2020 73rd overall)
New Jersey Devils
RW Chase Stillman (Peterborough, 2021 29th overall)
New York Islanders
LW Daylan Kuefler (Kamloops, 2022 174th overall)
New York Rangers
LW Brennan Othmann (Peterborough, 2021 16th overall)
Ottawa Senators
none
Philadelphia Flyers
LD Brian Zanetti (Peterborough, 2021 110th overall)
C Jon-Randall Avon (Peterborough, undrafted)
Pittsburgh Penguins
none
San Jose Sharks
none
Seattle Kraken
C Tucker Robertson (Peterborough, 2022 123rd overall)
St. Louis Blues
C Zachary Bolduc (Québec, 2021 17th overall)
Tampa Bay Lightning
none
Toronto Maple Leafs
C Fraser Minten (Kamloops, 2022 38th overall)
Vancouver Canucks
C Connor Lockhart (Peterborough, 2021 178th overall)
Vegas Golden Knights
C Jordan Gustafson (Seattle, 2022 79th overall)
RW Jakub Demek (Kamloops, 2021 128th overall)
Washington Capitals
C Ryan Hofer (Kamloops, 2022 181st overall)
Winnipeg Jets
C Brad Lambert (Seattle, 2022 30th overall)
Snapshots: Puljujarvi, Korchinski, Walsh
After a slow start, things haven’t gotten any better for Edmonton Oilers winger Jesse Puljujarvi this season. As his ice time continues to dwindle, currently being utilized in a fourth-line role, so does his trade value. The 2016 fourth-overall pick has just 10 points in 49 games this season after a 35-point campaign last year.
With Edmonton expected to go all-in at this year’s trade deadline, Puljujarvi will likely see his Oilers tenure end by March 3 to make room on the roster. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli outlined some potential destinations for the Finnish winger, also reporting that general manager Ken Holland sent a note to all 31 other NHL teams two weeks ago that Puljujarvi was available for trade.
That trade could come sooner rather than later, as the Oilers need to clear salary to activate Kailer Yamamoto from long-term injured reserve. They have at least another few days, as he’s not eligible to return until February 12. Seravalli lists the Florida Panthers, St. Louis Blues, and Tampa Bay Lightning as potential fits for Puljujarvi in a hockey trade but also says to keep the possibility of a pure cap-dump move to a salary cap floor-hugging team in mind.
- In a mailbag piece released Wednesday, Scott Powers of The Athletic noted that 2022 first-round selection Kevin Korchinski could crack the Chicago Blackhawks’ NHL lineup out of training camp to start the 2023-24 season. Powers said the Blackhawks organization was impressed with his training camp before this season opened, and that “all signs” point to Korchinski being NHL-ready. Still 18, the left-shot defenseman has 40 points in 30 games with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds this season.
- TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that current United States Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh is the current front-runner to replace Donald Fehr as the NHLPA’s Executive Director. Dreger says an NHLPA board meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, which could yield a vote on whether to instate Walsh as the league’s top player representative. The former mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, has a strong labor union background and is certainly an interesting selection.
Hockey Canada Announces Final 2023 WJC Roster
The selection camp is over and Hockey Canada has chosen the 22 players that will represent their country later this month at the IIHF World Junior Championship. There were 29 players originally named to the camp but after several others were loaned from NHL teams, ten players ended up cut today.
Carson Lambos, Evan Nause, Ethan Samson. Owen Beck, Zachary Bolduc, Jordan Dumais, Ryan Greene, Riley Kidney, Tyler Brennan, and William Rousseau were all sent back to their respective teams.
The roster that will compete:
F Caedan Bankier – Kamloops, WHL (MIN 86th overall, 2021)
F Connor Bedard – Regina, WHL (2023 draft-eligible)
F Colton Dach – Kelowna, WHL (CHI 62nd overall, 2021)
F Zach Dean – Gatineau, QMJHL (VGK 30th overall, 2021)
F Adam Fantilli – Michigan, NCAA (2023 draft-eligible)
F Nathan Gaucher – Québec, QMJHL (ANA 22nd overall, 2022)
F Zack Ostapchuk – Vancouver, WHL (OTT 39th overall, 2021)
F Brennan Othmann – Peterborough, OHL (NYR 16th overall, 2021)
F Joshua Roy – Sherbrooke, QMJHL (MTL 150th overall, 2021)
F Reid Schaefer – Seattle, WHL (EDM 32nd overall, 2022)
F Logan Stankoven – Kamloops, WHL (DAL 47th overall, 2021)
F Shane Wright – Seattle, NHL (SEA 4th overall, 2022)
F Dylan Guenther – Arizona, NHL (ARI 9th overall, 2021)
D Nolan Allan – Seattle, WHL (CHI 32nd overall, 2021)
D Ethan Del Mastro – Mississauga, OHL (CHI 105th overall, 2021)
D Tyson Hinds – Sherbrooke, QMJHL (ANA 76th overall, 2021)
D Kevin Korchinski – Seattle, WHL (CHI 7th overall, 2022)
D Jack Matier – Ottawa, OHL (NSH 124th overall, 2021)
D Olen Zellweger – Everett, WHL (ANA 34th overall, 2021)
D Brandt Clarke – Los Angeles, NHL (LAK 8th overall, 2021)
G Benjamin Gaudreau – Sarnia, OHL (SJS 81st overall, 2021)
G Thomas Milic – Seattle, WHL (undrafted)
Kevin Korchinski Sent To WHL
The Chicago Blackhawks gave up quite a bit this offseason to draft Kevin Korchinski, selecting the young defenseman with the seventh-overall pick. That pick was part of the return from the Ottawa Senators for Alex DeBrincat, meaning there is a lot riding on Korchinski’s development.
Today, the team has decided that development will continue at the junior hockey level. After an impressive debut training camp, Korchinski has been returned to the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL. The team has also sent Arvid Soderblom to the AHL and Samuel Savoie to the Gatineau Olympiques, according to Mark Lazerus of The Athletic.
Korchinski, 18, is not eligible to pay in the AHL this season or next, though it would be an unlikely destination for him anyway right now. After being the tenth overall pick in the 2019 WHL draft, it actually took him a little while to really make an impact, thanks to COVID delays and cancelations.
It was 2021-22 when he really burst onto the scene, scoring 65 points in 67 regular season games and then another 19 in 25 playoff matches. With a relentless offensive mindset, Korchinski is always trying to create something with the puck on his stick, and often leads the rush with his excellent skating ability.
For now, that offensive mind will be headed back to junior, where he should dominate once again. He’ll also be a candidate for the Canadian World Junior squad in December.
Next year will be a telling one for the Blackhawks, as Korchinski will not be eligible for the AHL. It will be either NHL or CHL for him at that point, meaning his designation should give some insight into whether or not the Blackhawks are ready to start turning the corner on their rebuild.
At the moment, playing their top prospects in the NHL seems like a waste, as the team isn’t expected to be very competitive. At some point though, there will need to be a shift from junior and minor league development to getting them reps at the highest level. The seventh-overall pick will be a strong indicator of when that shift occurs.
Chicago Blackhawks Sign Kevin Korchinski
August 11th: CapFriendly has reported the expected financial terms of the deal. Korchinski’s $950K cap hit is made up of an $855K base salary and a $95K signing bonus. It also contains $1MM in Type A performance bonuses and pays $82.5K per season in the minors. Interestingly, the contract will also pay Korchinski a $10.5K salary each year he spends in juniors, which The Athletic’s Scott Powers reports that the defenseman is likely to spend a year or two in the WHL.
August 10th: The Chicago Blackhawks made big moves to acquire the seventh-overall pick in this year’s draft and used it on super-talented WHL defenseman Kevin Korchinski. Today, they’ve officially added him to the organization, signing the young Korchinski to a three-year, entry-level contract.
If you want a defenseman that has the puck on his stick every time he is out there, it’s Korchinski, who is involved in the play at all times. This is not a player who relies on dumping the puck out or giving it to his partner to deal with; he wants to be in control of every breakout.
Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson explained on the draft floor that it was Korchinski they were always targeting as they moved up the board, by sending Alex DeBrincat to the Ottawa Senators for a package that included the seventh selection. If he hits, he’s going to be a tremendous addition to the team for a long time, anchoring their defense.
The question is whether or not he will hit, and quite frankly, there isn’t a lot to go on just yet. Korchinski played just 24 WHL games before the 2021-22 season, meaning his experience level is still relatively low to many of his peers. A June birthday, he had only just turned 18 a few weeks before the draft, and will likely take a little while before he’s manning the Blackhawks blueline on a regular basis.
After missing the cut at the current World Juniors, he is a strong candidate for the tournament in December and is expected to spend the season with the Seattle Thunderbirds once again. His entry-level deal will slide, provided he doesn’t play ten games in the NHL next season.