The first of three CHL champions that will be in Kelowna for the Memorial Cup starting next week has been decided.
The Kitchener Rangers beat the Barrie Colts 4-2 on Tuesday night to complete a four-game sweep in the OHL final and claim the J. Ross Robertson Cup.
It’s the fourth OHL title in franchise history and the first for Kitchener since 2008, when they hosted the Memorial Cup and lost in the final to the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs.
One of the stars on the Rangers roster is a player that local hockey fans, especially those who follow the West Kelowna Warriors closely, will be familiar with.
Jack Pridham led Kitchener in scoring this season with 46 goals and 90 points, which were good for second and fifth in the OHL respectively. He added 17 points in 18 playoff games during the club’s title run.
It was the 20-year-old’s first full season with the Rangers after he left the BCHL for the OHL in November 2024.
Prior to the move, Pridham played for the Warriors during the 2023-24 season and at the start of the 2024-25 season, tallying 36 goals and 69 points in 76 games during his time in the BCHL.
Pridham was still in West Kelowna when he was drafted in the third round, 92nd overall, of the 2024 NHL draft by the Chicago Blackhawks.
Kitchener will be leaning on Pridham to be productive in his return to the Central Okanagan for the Memorial Cup, but he’s certainly not the only name to keep an eye on.
The Rangers are led by forward Sam O’Reilly, a 2024 first-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers who was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning last summer, and Cameron Reid, a 2025 first-round pick of the Nashville Predators.
Other drafted players on the Rangers include forward Christian Humphreys (COL - 7th round 2024), forward Luca Romano (NYI - 3rd round 2025), forward Gabriel Chariot (VAN - 6th round 2024), defenseman Jared Woolley (LAK - 6th round 2025) and goalie Christian Kirsch (SJS - 4th round 2024).
Undrafted OHL veteran Dylan Edwards is also a player to watch, as the undersized Toronto native is comfortably over a point per game in his time with the Rangers since being acquired from the Erie Otters midseason.
While the Rangers and Rockets have filled half the spots in the 2026 Memorial Cup, the tournament is still awaiting the WHL and QMJHL champions.
The Everett Silvertips have a 2-1 lead on the Prince Albert Raiders in the WHL final, while the Chicoutimi Saguenéens have the same advantage on the Moncton Wildcats in the QMJHL final.
The Memorial Cup begins Friday, May 22, with the Rockets and Rangers facing off in the opening game.
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