Memorial Cup: Zayne Parekh, Michael Misa, Oliver Bonk Among First-Weekend Standouts

The 2024 CHL Memorial Cup’s first weekend of action was plenty of fun. We saw the host Saginaw Spirit win both of their games in thrilling fashion and the London Knights ride a hot goalie to a shutout victory over the QMJHL champion Drummondville Voltigeurs.

Saginaw opened the tournament by pounding the Moose Jaw Warriors early with the energy of the home crowd behind them. But Moose Jaw came storming back and made a game of it. Saginaw held on for a 5-4 win on opening night, which sent their fans home happy.

The next night, the Knights shut out the Voltigeurs in a game where London scored four goals despite being outshot from the start of the second period.

In each team’s second game of the tournament, Saginaw came back from a 2-0 deficit after the first and a 3-2 deficit after two periods to win a thriller. The hosts control their destiny and could punch themselves a ticket to the final with a win over London on Wednesday.

There were plenty of heroes and standouts over the weekend. Let’s look at some of the best players at the Memorial Cup thus far.

Parekh is one of the top NHL draft-eligible talents at the Memorial Cup, and he's been a force so far, showcasing his threatening offensive game. 

His passing's been wicked, and he has stepped up to join the rush whenever he’s seen the opening. 

His defensive game has looked solid through two games, but he continues to have some issues at times when dealing with a physical forecheck. Thankfully, he’s been able to escape and move the puck before he’s had to deal with that so far. His four points are tied for the tournament lead.

While he was good in the Memorial Cup's opening game, he was Saginaw's engine in its second game against Drummondville. 

His playmaking was on full display, and he was pivotal in three goals Saginaw scored, including the initial game-tying goal and the eventual game-winner. 

Misa’s vision is impressive, and his ability to pinpoint the exact right moment to send a pass through traffic makes him dangerous every time he has the puck. He sits tied with Parekh for the tournament lead in scoring despite being 17 years old.

Haight has been an excellent complement to Misa. The two combined for one of the most impressive goals of the tournament on a huge night for Haight against Drummondville. 

Entering the zone, he dropped the puck to Misa, laid a huge hit and spun off it to get open in front of the net, where he scored on a nice shot. 

Haight has been excellent through two games and could be a big difference-maker moving forward at the Memorial Cup.

If it weren’t for Simpson holding down the fort as the Voltigeurs amped up their attack in the Knights’ opening game, we could have seen a very different result. 

Instead, Simpson was absolutely fantastic. He has the experience from last year’s Memorial Cup with the Peterborough Petes in his back pocket, and he’s making sure not to waste his last chance at the CHL championship. 

He made several highlight-reel saves, but none were bigger than a chance from right on the doorstep that he simply eliminated with excellent positioning, thanks to a good read.

The Knights' top defenseman did everything they hoped he would in their first game at the Memorial Cup. 

His play at both ends was solid, and he added a goal and an assist to help the Knights start the tournament with a shutout victory. 

His defensive and offensive intelligence makes him one of the most well-rounded blueliners in the tournament. While Parekh or Denton Mateychuk may score more, there may not be a defenseman at the tournament more effective at both ends of the ice.

Mateychuk admittedly had a rough start, which included slipping on the carpet before the ceremonial faceoff and deflecting a puck into his net. But he rebounded and helped lead the way as Moose Jaw almost mounted a comeback against Saginaw. 

Mateychuk’s ability to dish the puck, create offensive chances from nothing and use his skating to weave through traffic has made him difficult to contain. 

Mateychuk must be the catalyst for the Warriors as they look to bounce back after an opening-game loss.

The Warriors needed Yager to put up some points at the Memorial Cup, and he responded with two goals and an assist in their opening game loss. 

Yager’s brought some physicality to the Memorial Cup and continues to have a wicked release. His offensive output came too late in the first game, but Yager and Mateychuk did their best to claw back.

Drummondville is in a tough spot with two losses to open the Memorial Cup, but Komarov has played his game and helped keep things interesting for the Voltigeurs. 

He notched two assists in the game against Saginaw and did everything he could to get pucks on net against London. He is the clear top offensive horse on the back end for the Voltigeurs, and he will have to step it up even more to keep their tournament going.

Cote, an undersized right winger at 5-foot-6 and 164 pounds, brought some fun offensive creativity, adding a goal and an assist against Saginaw. He was one of the most consistently dangerous forwards for the Voltigeurs in their two games. He certainly had some issues when the physicality ramped up, but he battled through and found ways to contribute. 

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