The Guelph Storm were awarded hosting duties for the 2027 Memorial Cup, the same year as the city's bicentennial. Their young roster could peak by then.
The OHL's Guelph Storm will host the 2027 Memorial Cup.
The 107th CHL championship event will be held at the Sleeman Centre in Guelph in the same year the city celebrates its bicentennial, the CHL announced Thursday.
Guelph was one of two teams that were identified as finalists to host the Memorial Cup. The Kitchener Rangers were the other team involved in the process. Ultimately, the decision to award Guelph with the tournament was made by the Memorial Cup Selection Committee, which included five sports and business executives from the NHL, TSN, Hockey Canada and more.
This will be the third time Guelph has hosted Memorial Cup action. In 2002, Guelph hosted the tournament for the first time on its own after co-hosting with Kitchener and Hamilton in 1962.
The Storm have participated in the Memorial Cup six times: 1996, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2014 and 2019. The team will be looking to win its first Memorial Cup title on home ice in the spring of 2026.
Guelph's building a good, young roster with eyes on peaking for the 2026-27 season.
They boast one of the top goalies eligible for the 2026 NHL draft, Zachary Jovanovski, who will be providing some strong play in net for the Storm when they head into the tournament. They’ll also have U-17 World Hockey Challenge silver medallist Colin Ellsworth to help form a strong tandem in the crease.
Jaako Wycisk, Carter Stevens and Alex McLean lead a young, promising forward core. On the back end, Quinn Beauchesne, Rylan Singh and Eric Frossard will be the pillars the Storm build around.
“We are thrilled to be bringing the 2027 Memorial Cup presented by Kubota to Guelph,” Dan MacKenzie, CHL president, said in the announcement. “The Storm put forward an outstanding bid that showcased not only their organizational strength, but also the passion, vision, and community spirit that make the Royal City such a special junior hockey market. With the Memorial Cup returning to Guelph in the same year the city marks its bicentennial, fans can expect an unforgettable event that celebrates Guelph’s history and the tournament’s rich tradition, while providing a world-class experience for players, fans, and partners alike.”
The Storm are very much in a building mode at the moment, and we could see them look to move some key veterans, such as Jett Luchanko or Ethan Miedema, to help bolster their younger talent. The Storm will be looking to bolster their lineup for the 2026-27 season, and trades at this year’s deadline might be a key part of that.
“The Storm have established themselves as one of the premier franchises in the Canadian Hockey League, with four OHL championships and an impressive group of distinguished alumni that have gone on to do great things both in the game of hockey and in professional life,” added OHL commissioner Bryan Crawford.
The city of Guelph and the Storm organization have been looking to build this event as a celebration of the city as a whole.
“Hosting the Memorial Cup in 2027 is an incredible honor for our organization and our city,” stated Scott Walker, Guelph Storm partner and president of hockey operations. “This event is the pinnacle of junior hockey, and bringing it to Guelph during our bicentennial year makes it even more special. We’re excited to showcase our passionate fans, our community, and the tradition of excellence that defines the Storm.”
This year’s event will be hosted in Kelowna, B.C., from May 21 to 31, 2026. The tournament will feature the Kelowna Rockets as well as the champions from the OHL, WHL and QMJHL, as always. OHL teams won the last two tournaments: the Saginaw Spirit in 2024 and the London Knights in 2025.
With 18 months until the tournament, more information on dates, fan events and activities will be released at a later time. The CHL, OHL and Guelph Storm will be hosting a press conference on Friday at 2:00 p.m. ET at the Sleeman Centre.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.