Florida Panthers prospect Shea Busch recently took home the WHL [http://thn.com/whl] Championship with the Everett Silvertips and now has the opportunity to participate in the Memorial Cup. The Panthers selected the 18-year-old winger in the fourth round (128th overall) in the 2025 NHL draft. In his draft year, Busch started the season in the BCHL before moving to the Silvertips in the WHL. From there, he posted 11 goals and 19 points in 38 games, but followed that up with a playoff campaign of six goals and 11 points in 13 games. But this season was meant to be different. Unfortunately for Busch, he dealt with an injury that limited him to just 12 games, but those 12 games were impressive, as he notched 13 goals and 18 points. In the playoffs, Busch continued to produce at a high rate, scoring seven goals and 13 points in 16 games. The Silvertips dominated the WHL playoffs, losing just two games en route to victory. The Memorial Cup will be another great test for the Silvertips, as most of their team is expected to depart next year. Projected first overall pick in 2027, Landon DuPont, has been heavily linked to the NCAA [http://thn.com/ncaa], while others like Julius Miettinen and Carter Bear are aging out and expected to go pro. Anaheim Ducks prospect Tarin Smith is also going the NCAA route, joining the University of Minnesota. Shea Busch (Caroline Anne / Everett Silvertips) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/6b0df4df-1478-4e65-a816-706259a5c03e.webp] Shea Busch (Caroline Anne / Everett Silvertips) Even Busch is expected to move on, as he has committed to play for Penn State University in 2026-27. Winning the Memorial Cup would be a great send-off for the Silvertips, but they’ll have to take on the OHL [http://thn.com/ohl] Champions, the Kitchener Rangers, led by Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Sam O’Reilly, the QMJHL [http://thn.com/qmjhl] Champions, the Chicoutimi Saguenéens, and the host city, the Kelowna Rockets. Memorial Cup action kicks off on Friday, but Busch and the Silvertips will begin their quest for glory on Saturday, May 23. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/e84aebc1-a620-472a-a98b-3142f5e4c38b.jpeg] For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
