Chicago Blackhawks prospect Jack Pridham and his Kitchener Rangers teammates won the OHL Title. Now, they have their eyes set on the Memorial Cup.
When the Chicago Blackhawks first drafted Jack Pridham in the third round (92nd overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft, the original plan was for him to eventually go to Boston University after a 2024-25 season with the Kitchener Rangers.
Instead, however, he decided not to go to college in favor of another year in the OHL with Kitchener. Right now, it looks like it was a wise decision.
On Tuesday night, the Rangers completed a series sweep over the Barrie Colts to win the OHL title. This is the first time that they have won this league since 2008 (five total in their history), and now they will have a chance to play in the Memorial Cup.
In the 18 playoff games that Pridham played with Kitchener leading up to the championship, he had 2 goals and 15 assists for 17 points. The regular season leading up to the playoffs wasn't too shabby for Pridham either, as he was named the OHL overage player of the year.
In the Memorial Cup, Kitchener will join the QMJHL and WHL winners, along with the host team, for a chance at the top prize in the CHL's biggest event.
The host team, the Kelowna Rockets, is locked in with Kitchener. The WHL representative will be either Everett or Prince Albert, who are in a 1-1 series tie, and one of Moncton or Chicoutimi will represent the QMJHL, which is also tied 1-1.
Kitchener will open the Round Robin portion of the event against host Kelowna next Friday, May 22nd. It's been a while since the Rangers even appeared in the Memorial Cup as OHL champions, and they are more than capable of winning it for the first time since 2003.
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