An American city is scheduled to host the Memorial Cup for the first time since 1998 as the CHL announced Saginaw will get the duties in 2024.

The Memorial Cup is coming to the ‘Mitten State.’

The CHL announced Wednesday that the Saginaw Spirit will host the Memorial Cup in 2024, the first time the franchise will host the event. It will also be the first time that the Memorial Cup is held in the United States since the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs hosted the event in 1998 and the first time ever an American team in the OHL hosts the event.

This will be the first Memorial Cup hosted by an OHL club since 2017 when the host Windsor Spitfires captured the CHL championship. The 2021 Memorial Cup was set to be hosted by an OHL team, but the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the event from happening, while health provisions in Ontario resulted in the OHL season being cancelled as well.

Saginaw beat out bids from the Niagara IceDogs, Soo Greyhounds and Kingston Frontenacs as the OHL was set to host the 2024 event.

The Spirit is the only one of the four teams in the bidding process to currently be sitting in a playoff spot, with the IceDogs and Greyhounds both among the first teams eliminated from playoff contention this year and Kingston sitting on the outside looking in heading into the final weekend of the season.

Boasting exceptional status player Michael Misa and a roster loaded with young, emerging talent such as Zayne Parekh and Joey Willis, the Spirit have all the makings of a team that should be a worthy competitor at the Memorial Cup next spring.

The team also has a number of assets in their back pocket to boost their roster thanks to trades that saw skilled defender Pavel Mintyukov and former captain Josh Bloom sent out of town earlier this season.

The battle for the CHL’s ultimate prize will take place in Michigan, a state with a rich hockey history and an excellent base of fans. Bringing a marquee event such as the Memorial Cup to the Great Lakes Bay region will showcase all the region has to offer.