Memorial Cup Field Set

The participants for this year's Memorial Cup were already set as of Friday, thanks to the WHL and OHL determining champions plus the two participants in the QMJHL Finals.  However, the QMJHL had to determine a champion in their league, and now, we know who will be walking into the Memorial Cup tournament as the Presidents Cup champion thanks to a thrilling 2-OT game seven.

The Kelowna Rockets, Oshawa Generals, Rimouski Oceanic, and Quebec Remparts will be competing for the right to hoist the Memorial Cup in a tournament that begins this Friday.  Let's look at each team, how they got here, and why they could win.

KELOWNA ROCKETS: The Rockets are the WHL representative, and boast a strong blue line unit that features Madison Bowey and Josh Morrisey.  Leon Draisaitl leads the way offensively, but Nick Merkley isn't far behind.  Jackson Whistle has played well in goal.  The Rockets had little trouble getting past Tri-City and Victoria before finally conquering their demons in the form of Portland in the Conference Finals.  From there, they took care of a young Brandon Wheat Kings squad to secure their spot in the tournament.  Of all the teams, the Rockets are the most balanced of the group.

OSHAWA GENERALS: The Generals were the stingiest team in the league in giving up goals, and they handily dispatched Peterborough and Niagara before paying back North Bay for last year's ouster.  They also found a way to contain Connor McDavid and the Erie Otters long enough to win the OHL spot in the Memorial Cup tournament.  The team has size thanks to Michael McCarron and Hunter Smith, but they also boast a solid defense led by Mitchell Vande Sompel and goaltender Ken Appleby.  Michael Dal Colle leads the offense, but Cole Cassels is a key, as he was the guy charged with containing McDavid in the OHL Finals.

RIMOUSKI OCEANIC: The top team in the QMJHL regular season, the Oceanic qualified just by making the Finals, since their opponent was also hosting this year.  The Oceanic were also well-balanced, but made their living by keeping opposing teams from scoring, as they were second best in goals against.  They breezed through Victoriaville, Gatineau, and Val D'Or before nearly running out of gas against Quebec, but thanks to the 2-OT winner, they will be walking in as Presidents' Cup champions.  Alexis Loiseau leads the way offensively, but their bread and butter is defense, as Jan Kostalek and Samuel Morin are the leaders of the blue line while Frederik Gauthier is a presence up front.  Louis-Phillip Guindon and Phillipe Desrosiers are a solid tandem in goal.

QUEBEC REMPARTS: The team that is hosting the Memorial Cup this year, the Remparts nearly had disaster in the first round against Cape Breton, but finished them off in seven games.  Momentum took them past Charlottetown and Moncton in consecutive sweeps before they met their match against Rimouski in seven games, thus denying the Remparts the opportunity to walk into the Memorial Cup tournament as champions for the first time since Kitchener did it in 2008.  The Remparts have the best goaltender of the four, as Zach Fucale was also a member of the 2013 Halifax Mooseheads team that won both the QMJHL and Memorial Cup titles.  Anthony Duclair and Adam Erne are great offensive options up front, and their defense, while solid, look a lot better with Fucale behind them.

Coaching Carousel

There were two significant coaching moves made while I was out talking about the Memorial Cup and a team rebranding in the QMJHL.  First, let's address the picture above, where the New York Rangers are looking for a new coach after giving John Tortorella his walking papers.  In five seasons, he led the team to four playoffs appearances, with a Conference Finals appearance in 2012.  However, the team played considerably less than what they were capable of in this year's playoffs, which was exposed in a five game ouster by the Bruins.  For all of the media bytes and abrasive behavior, the on-ice product is where it all counts, and not getting the best out of the likes of Rick Nash and Brad Richards is not a recipe for success.  The Rangers' job will obviously be an attractive job, as it is in a big market and a team with high visibility in the NHL, but will also come with risks, as the media pressure will be immense.

The other coaching change officially happened on Tuesday, as the Colorado Avalanche named Patrick Roy coach.  He will also assume the role of Vice President of Hockey Operations, which may sound like a lot, but he will have a partner in Joe Sakic, who was recently promoted to Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations.  Roy had been a head coach of the Quebec Remparts since 2005, and is a co-owner of the team.  His time as coach isn't without controversy, as there had been a few incidents in which either he or his two sons, Jonathan and Frederick, found trouble with either the league or the law for on-ice transgressions.  As head coach of the Avs, Roy will provide a good fit, as the team is young and has the first overall pick in this year's draft, which is likely Seth Jones, as the blue line is the team's most glaring need.