Memorial Cup Stat Pack: Fight Night Is Every Night For Kitchener Rangers
KELOWNA, B.C.- The round-robin of the 2026 Memorial Cup is officially in the books.
Over six games, the OHL's Kitchener Rangers posted a 3-0 record, securing their spot in the Memorial Cup final. As for the semifinal, it will feature the WHL's Everett Silvertips and QMJHL's Chicoutimi Sagueneens, which each went 2-1.
The Kelowna Rockets, which went 0-3, saw their tournament come to a close.
Here is a look at some facts and stats from the round-robin portion of the Memorial Cup.
Kitchener Rangers Break CHL Record For Most Memorial Cup Final Visits
The Kitchener Rangers qualified for the Memorial Cup final for the seventh time in franchise history on Tuesday. They'll try to finish the tournament the way their 1982 and 2003 squads did.
Fight Night Is Every Night For Kitchener
Fighting has not been a trend in the Memorial Cup for the last few years.
Last year, there were zero fights, while since 2023, only three have occurred.
As for this tournament, Kitchener has shown it is more than willing to drop the gloves, having been involved in four scraps through three games.
As for the breakdown, Jared Woolley fought against Kelowna and Chicoutimi. Meanwhile, Andrew MacNiel dropped the gloves against Everett, while Carson Campbell also got into a tussle against the Rockets.
With plenty of emotion expected during the final, it will be interesting to see if the Rangers drop the mitts again.
European Players Leading The Way
Two European players are currently in the running for Memorial Cup MVP.
For Kitchener, Swiss goaltender Christian Kirsch has been almost unbeatable, while Silvertips Finnish forward Matias Vanhanen ranks tied for second in the tournament with five points. Danish center Anton Linde has also had a decent Memorial Cup for the Sagueneens, with one goal and one assist over his first three games.
A European player winning the Memorial Cup MVP honors is uncommon. It has only happened three times, as Alexander Radulov, Edgars Kulda and Leon Draisaitl are the only ones to have lifted the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy.
While there are a number of players in the running, Kirsch, Vanhanen and Linde will be in the conversation if their team wins the Memorial Cup.
Memorial Cup: How NHL Draft Prospect Matias Vanhanen Unlocked His Dangerous Scoring
Matias Vanhanen did not have an ideal start to his WHL career after moving from Finland. His Everett Silvertips coach and his Finnish teammate helped the NHL draft prospect become a strong scorer.
Penalty Kill To The Rescue
One surprising trend that emerged from the round-robin was the teams' inability to score on the power play.
The only team with a power play percentage over 15 percent is Chicoutimi, which leads the tournament at 20 percent. As for the other three teams, the Rangers rank second at 12.5 percent followed by Everett at 9.1 percent, while Kelowna failed to record a power-play goal in the tournament.
While all four teams had decent penalty kills, the inability to cash in on the power play is surprising. All three league champions finished the playoffs at over 27 percent with the man advantage, while the Rockets were at 14.7 percent.
In such a short tournament, special teams can be a difference-maker, with the penalty-killers having a significant impact so far in the Memorial Cup.
NHL Draft Prospect Shows Some Magic At Memorial Cup In Sagueneens' Win Vs. Kelowna
Liam Lefebvre climbed up 32 spots on NHL Central Scouting's North American skater rankings between the midterm and final editions. On Sunday, he scored a nice breakaway goal and the overtime-winner at the Memorial Cup.
Kelowna's Disappointing Tournament
There have been plenty of debates over the years surrounding whether the host team should get an automatic bye into the tournament.
Sometimes, the decision works out well, like in 2024, when Saginaw lifted the trophy at home, while other times the host struggles.
In 2026, it was the latter, as Kelowna finished the tournament having been outscored 12-2.
The Rockets' two goals scored are tied for the lowest goal total by a team at the Memorial Cup. They share that record with the 1998 Guelph Storm, which were also outscored 12-2. The biggest difference between these two teams is that the Storm were only shut out once, while the Rockets failed to find the back of the net in two of their three games.
With the round-robin complete, the semifinal is now set.
The Silvertips will battle the Sagueneens on Friday at 9 p.m. ET, with the winner heading to the final to take on the Rangers on Sunday, May 31 at 7 p.m. ET.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
The Hockey News
This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 10:54 AM.