The 2019 Memorial Cup gets underway Friday night when the host Halifax Mooseheads take on the Western Hockey League champion Prince Albert Raiders.
The Guelph Storm plays its first game Saturday night against the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champion Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.
No team had a cushy ride to the tournament, with all four playing over 20 playoff games. Guelph played the most at 24.
“Clearly, there is nobody at this tournament that doesn’t have a good group of kids and quality character,” Burnett said at the tournament-opening press conference on Wednesday.
“Lots has been said about our resiliency. I think that has been shown in our leadership with some of the kids who have been with this program for a number of years and also with some of the kids who have come in and supported our leadership.
“I think the way they have battled back from some difficult circumstances here tells us a lot about our group and we’re excited to play,” Burnett said.
Here’s a primer on the four teams:
ROUYN-NORANDA HUSKIES
CHL Ranking: 1
Regular season record: 59-8-0-1
Coach: Mario Pouliot
Cup history: This is the Huskies second trip to the Memorial Cup since relocating to Rouyn-Noranda in 1996 from St. Hyacinthe. They lost in the final to the London Knights in 2016.
Road to the cup: Beat Halifax 4-2 in the QMJHL final.
Top scorers: Undrafted overager Peter Abbandonato led the QMJHL in scoring with 111 points and was a league-best plus-71, while mid-season acquisition Joel Tisdale, a Montreal Canadiens signee, led them in goals with 43. Tisdale also led them in playoff scoring.
On the blueline: Islanders first round pick Noah Dobson and undrafted Justin Bergeron combined for 109 points.
Between the pipes: Overager Samuel Harvey led the league in goals-against average and was third in save percentage.
PRINCE ALBERT RAIDERS
CHL Ranking: 2
Regular season record: 54-10-2-2
Coach: Marc Habscheid
Cup history: This is the Raiders second trip to the Memorial Cup. They won it in 1985.
Road to the cup: Beat the Vancouver Giants in overtime of Game 7 in the WHL final.
Top scorers: Brett Leason’s 89 points were the fewest of any team’s leading scorer in the tournament. Noah Gregor led them in goals with 43.
On the blueline: Brayden Pachal led them in scoring from the back end with 51 points and was a plus-76.
Between the pipes: Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick Ian Scott had ridiculous numbers this season: a 1.83 goals-against average, a .932 save percentage and eight shutouts.
HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS
CHL Ranking: 8
Regular season record: 49-15-2-2
Coach: Eric Veilleux
Cup history: This is the Mooseheads third appearance in the Memorial Cup. They won it in 2013.
Road to the cup: Host team.
Top scorers: Overager Samuel Asselin led the Mooseheads and the QMJHL in goals (48) and led the team in points (86) during the regular season. Raphael Lavoie had 20 goals in 23 playoff games.
On the blueline: Detroit Red Wings second rounder Jared McIsaac had 16 goals and 62 points, second best in the league.
Between the pipes: Chicago Blackhawks pick Alexis Gravel, whose dad also played goal in the QMJHL, had a 2.49 GAA, .913 save percentage and five shutouts.
GUELPH STORM
CHL Ranking: Unranked
Regular season record: 40-18-6-4.
Coach: George Burnett
Cup history: This is the Storm’s sixth appearance in the Memorial Cup. They lost in the final in 1998 and 2014.
Road to the cup: Downed the Ottawa 67’s 4-2 in OHL final.
Top scorers: Nate Schnarr led the way in the regular season with 102 points but Nick Suzuki (48) dominated the playoffs.
On the blueline: Dmitri Samorukov had 45 points in the regular season but 28 in 24 playoff games. He also led the team in power play goals in the playoffs with five.
Between the pipes: Anthony Popovich’s 3.29 GAA and .899 save percentage in the regular season were almost identical to his playoff numbers (3.12/.894).
