The Kitchener Rangers are the only team in the Memorial Cup with a Chicago Blackhawks prospect.
The Chicago Blackhawks have an organization loaded with top-tier talent in the pipeline. Most outlets have them as a top-two farm system heading into the off-season. It will only get better following the 2026 NHL Draft, which includes the 4th overall pick.
One of their prospects, Jack Pridham, will be their only one participating in the Memorial Cup that begins this weekend. Pridham was a 3rd-round pick (92nd overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Pridham’s team, the Kitchener Rangers, earned their spot in the round-robin tournament by winning the OHL Championship. They will be joined by the WHL champion Everett Silvertips, QMJHL champion Chicoutimi Sagueneens, and the host Kelowna Rockets.
Before the 2025-26 season began, Pridham made the decision to forego his opportunity to attend Boston University in favor of returning to Kitchener. That seems to be a solid decision made by him, as he was one of the best overagers in the entire CHL.
According to Kitchener GM Mike McKenzie, Pridham and his family made the decision to return because of the success he had already experienced there.
"We were really happy when we found out that he was coming back," McKenzie said. "He's obviously a big part of what we did last year. Knowing he was going to be one of our overage players was definitely big for us to have a top-line scoring winger from day one."
Pridham's year was spectacular. He scored 46 goals and had 44 assists for 90 points in 65 games played during Kitchener's regular season. In the playoffs leading up to the Memorial Cup, Pridham has 2 goals and 15 assists for 17 points in 18 games played.
"He's been one of our biggest offensive drivers right from the start of the season," McKenzie said. "He's a guy that we relied upon to produce offense and score goals. He kills penalties and is really dangerous short-handed. It adds a whole new element to his game and our team when you have guys like that. He's been a really big part of our group and our success this year."
Many years have gone by since the last time the Rangers made the Memorial Cup. Pridham and his teammates seem to be taking it all in, despite there being a ton of pressure to bring this win home.
"It's been exciting, that's for sure," McKenzie said on the team's response to making it this far. "It's been a long time since Kitchener's done it. I can see the guy's excitement for the community and the fanbase. It's really unique and cool in the CHL when you can win the league trophy and then go win another one. It's not over yet. We have to reset here and get ready to go."
It has been a while since the Rangers have made it this far, but it is also the most pressure-filled game that Pridham has ever played to date as an individual.
"I think you'll see a guy that's dangerous," McKenzie said of what he expects from Jack Pridham in the Cup. "Jack's a goal scorer. He's good on the power play, good on the penalty kill, and can be dangerous in all situations."
Mike McKenzie is unsure what Pridham's path forward is beyond the Memorial Cup. He is likely to either attend Boston University or turn pro by signing with the Chicago Blackhawks organization. If he does go pro, it will likely be with the Chicago Blackhawks or the AHL's Rockford IceHogs.
Pridham is known as an offensively skilled player in Kitchener. However, what should the Blackhawks expect of him when he arrives in pro hockey, where time and space are significantly more limited?
"I think he can be one of those guys who is a middle-six forward," McKenzie projected. "A speedy middle six winger who could score, can play on a power play unit, that type of player. A fast scoring winger is the best way to put it."
Pridham's OHL GM thinks he may be suited best to play with a playmaking center, but is gifted enough offensively to make anything work. After hearing McKenzie be realistic about Pridham's overall ceiling as a pro player, it's easy to trust his scouting eye.
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