- Kitchener Rangers beat Everett 6-2 to claim the 2026 Memorial Cup, the franchise’s third
- Lightning prospect Sam O’Reilly named tournament MVP with 8 points in 4 games
- Read below for full details on O’Reilly’s historic trophy sweep and Kitchener’s championship run
Sam O’Reilly just put himself in some pretty good company.
The Lightning prospect was named Memorial Cup MVP on Sunday night after the Kitchener Rangers ran past the Everett Silvertips 6-2 in Kelowna. With the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy in hand, O’Reilly became the fourth player in CHL history to win regular-season MVP, playoff MVP, and Memorial Cup MVP in the same season. The other three? Brad Richards, Corey Perry, and a guy named Mitch Marner.
O’Reilly was everywhere in the final, posting a goal and three assists. He finished the tournament with eight points (3 G, 5 A) in four games and was a one-man wrecking crew through Kitchener’s undefeated run.
Watch the highlights from the final in Kelowna:
This was the franchise’s third Memorial Cup, joining titles in 1982 and 2003. Captain Cameron Reid did the hoist honors in front of a road-trip-sized crowd of Rangers supporters. Reid put up 56 points in 57 games this season and led Kitchener to its first OHL title since 2008.
The OHL keeps running the table. Kitchener became the third straight Ontario Hockey League team to win the Memorial Cup after back-to-back London titles. The WHL still hasn’t produced a champion since the 2014 Edmonton Oil Kings.
NHL prospect names were all over the box scores. Chicago first-rounder Jack Pridham led every skater at the tournament with five goals and seven points across four games.
O’Reilly and Los Angeles Kings prospect Jared Woolley each picked up their second Memorial Cup, having won with London a year ago. Everett got strong tournaments from Detroit prospect Carter Bear and Seattle’s Julius Miettinen, with Mathis Vanhanen pacing the Silvertips in scoring.
The other piece worth flagging is on the bench. Jussi Ahokas became the first European-born head coach to win the CHL championship, three seasons into his Kitchener run.
Marner is chasing the actual Stanley Cup with Vegas. O’Reilly has the next-best trophy on his mantle.
