A look at some of the best performances at the Memorial Cup by players who were drafted by the Vancouver Canucks.
With the Draft Lottery concluding and teams now knowing where they’ll be picking, all eyes will shift to the Memorial Cup starting on May 21st, as some of the top prospects in this year’s NHL Draft look to increase their draft stock and fans get a glimpse of their team’s potential future stars.
The Vancouver Canucks have had several draft picks compete in the tournament’s 105-year history, and many have delivered standout performances on junior hockey’s biggest stage. Today, we’re going to look back and rank the best performances at the Memorial Cup by players who were either already drafted by the Canucks or later became draft picks.
1) Stan Smyl — New Westminster Bruins, 1978
Drafted in 1978, 40th Overall
Stan Smyl is a Canucks legend, and rightfully so. He ranks fifth all-time in points and fourth in goals for Vancouver, and his number 12 hangs in the rafters at Rogers Arena. But before he became a household name in Vancouver, he already was one in New Westminster.
The New Westminster Bruins reached the Memorial Cup Final four straight years from 1975–78. They would lose in 1975 and 1976 before winning back-to-back championships in 1977 and 1978. Smyl was on the team in both 1976 and 1977, but he wasn’t yet an impact player. 1978, however, was a completely different story.
Smyl not only captained the Bruins to consecutive Memorial Cup titles, but he also led the tournament in scoring with 14 points in five games, finishing five points ahead of teammate Scott MacLeod, who finished second. Smyl also finished second in goals, was named to the tournament All-Star Team, and won the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as tournament MVP, making him the Canucks’ greatest Memorial Cup performer.
2) Michael DiPietro — Windsor Spitfires, 2017
Drafted in 2017, 64th Overall
Michael DiPietro’s time in Vancouver might be remembered for his disastrous NHL debut, but his OHL career was nothing short of legendary. DiPietro led the league in goals-against average in 2019, led the OHL in shutouts twice (2017 and 2018), won OHL Goaltender of the Year, and was named to the First All-Star Team in 2018.
But the lights shone brightest at the 2017 Memorial Cup, where DiPietro backstopped the Windsor Spitfires to a championship. He posted a perfect 4-0-0 record with a .932 save percentage and a 2.00 goals-against average. It’s worth noting that no other goalie in the tournament posted a .900 save percentage or a goals-against average below 3.00.
DiPietro was unquestionably awarded the Hap Emms Memorial Trophy as the tournament’s top goaltender and was also named to the tournament All-Star Team.
3) Jocelyn Guevremont and Rich Lemieux — Montreal Junior Canadiens, 1970
Guevremont drafted in 1971, Third Overall; Lemieux drafted in 1971, 39th Overall
The Canucks’ 1971 draft class remains an infamous one in franchise history. Vancouver held the third overall pick after the first two selections were considered slam dunks. Who were those players, you might ask? Just two future Hall of Famers named Guy Lafleur and Marcel Dionne.
The 1970 Montreal Junior Canadiens were one of the most stacked junior hockey teams ever assembled, headlined by Gilbert Perreault, the player Vancouver missed out on drafting the previous year. So it’s safe to assume the Canucks wanted some of Perreault’s junior teammates.
The Canadiens won their second straight Memorial Cup, losing just one game during the tournament. Perreault tied Lafleur for the tournament scoring lead, but Jocelyn Guevremont finished third with 28 points in 12 games as a defenseman. Richard Lemieux (older brother of Mario Lemieux) finished tied for fourth with 27 points.
As junior players, Guevremont and Lemieux dominated and easily earned spots on this list. But Guevremont was far and away from being the best defenseman to come out of that class, as it included Larry Robinson. As for Rich Lemieux, he wasn’t even the best Lemieux in his own family.
4) Olli Juolevi — London Knights, 2016
Drafted in 2016, Fifth Overall
It's obvious that drafting Olli Juolevi ahead of Matthew Tkachuk didn't work out for the organization. At the time, however, Juolevi looked like everything you could want in a top-pairing defenseman. Ultimately, Jim Benning decided to draft Juolevi, with his Memorial Cup performance playing a significant role in the selection.
Juolevi anchored the blue line of that star-studded 2016 London Knights squad. He was an excellent skater who could move and distribute the puck with ease and showcased those abilities throughout the 2016 Memorial Cup. Juolevi finished seventh in tournament scoring with seven assists in four games and led all defensemen in points, earning a spot on the tournament All-Star Team.
Jun 24, 2016; Buffalo, NY, USA; Olli Juolevi poses for a photo after being selected as the number five overall draft pick by the Vancouver Canucks in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft at the First Niagra Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports5) Trevor Linden — Medicine Hat Tigers, 1988
Drafted in 1988, Second Overall
Before Trevor Linden became the British Columbia icon that he is today, and long before leading the Canucks to a Stanley Cup Final, he helped carry his hometown Medicine Hat Tigers to back-to-back Memorial Cup championships.
Linden registered only three points during the 1987 tournament, but in 1988, he finished seventh in tournament scoring with seven points and earned a spot on the tournament All-Star Team. He may not have been the Tigers’ leading scorer, but he was their spark plug and gave everyone a glimpse of the player he would eventually become.
In the end, Linden delivered clutch performances throughout the tournament and showed the hockey world he was ready for the NHL.
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