2022 Memorial Cup: Game 2 Preview – Oil Kings vs. Cataractes

Saint John, N.B. – For the first time since winning it all in 2014, the Edmonton Oil Kings return to the Memorial Cup stage on Tuesday night when they take on the QMJHL champion Shawinigan Cataractes.

Coming off the high of an electrifying six-game triumph in the 2022 WHL Championship Series, the Oil Kings set forth in search of the franchise’s second Memorial Cup title in three appearances in modern franchise history.

Edmonton finished the 2022 WHL Playoffs with a 16-3 record, winning the Ed Chynoweth Cup for the third time in the past ten years. In fact, only one team (the 2006 Vancouver Giants, 16-2) went through a championship run with fewer losses than did Edmonton since the WHL moved to a 16-team playoff format in 2002.

Five of those victories came via shutout, the 38 goals surrendered by Edmonton during its run to the WHL Championship were the fewest of any of the three league champions taking part at the 2022 Memorial Cup presented by Kia.

“It’s unbelievable – I just missed out on an opportunity back in 2019 (to advance to the Memorial Cup with the Vancouver Giants), so to be here and take part in this with my teammates, it’s something I’ll never forget for the rest of my life,” said Oil Kings forward Justin Sourdif. “I’m just trying to soak it all in.”

The Oil Kings boast the most NHL prospects in the tournament with eight, including Sourdif, who is a prospect of the Florida Panthers. He was acquired from the Vancouver Giants in a blockbuster trade in the dying moments of the WHL Trade Deadline back on January 17.

Sourdif has made his impact known, contributing 14 points (5G-9A) in 19 post-season contests after recording 39 points (17G-22A) in 28 regular season appearances upon landing in Edmonton.

Get set for the Memorial Cup with our #OilKings TV panel featuring @AndrewPeard and @JoshTPark!

✅ Tournament Prep
✅ Leaning on Experience
✅ X-Factor#TheKingdom | #ChaseTheCrown pic.twitter.com/RhJFfgCxsm

— y – Edmonton Oil Kings (@EdmOilKings) June 20, 2022

In addition to Sourdif, the Oil Kings are led by WHL Playoffs MVP Kaiden Guhle and captain Jake Neighbours, prospects of the Montreal Canadiens and St. Louis Blues, respectively. On the other side, the Oil Kings will look to corral a high-powered Cataractes squad that leans on the likes of Dallas Stars prospect Mavrik Bourque and Edmonton Oilers prospect Xavier Bourgault.

“We need to play them hard, take away their time and space,” Guhle said. “They’re good players, so if we play them hard we should be fine.”

Bourque was presented with the Guy Lafleur Trophy as the QMJHL’s Playoff MVP, leading the Cataractes in scoring with 25 points in 16 games.

Bourgault finished right behind Bourque in team scoring, collecting 22 points in 16 games.

“(Containing Bourque and Bourgault) will be with our matchups with our defence,” said Brad Lauer, head coach of the Oil Kings. “It’s going to be a game where there is a feeling-out process for the first five or 10 minutes. We will see where it goes from there and the adjustments we need to make.

“Right now, it’s about getting the right D out against the right guys.”

The Cataractes advanced to the Memorial Cup by winning the President Cup – awarded annually to the playoff champions of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The 2022 title run represents the first of its kind in the 53-year history of the Cataractes.

Shawinigan completed the post-season with a 13-3 record including a five-game victory over the Charlottetown Islanders in the championship series.

“(Shawinigan) is a very structured team, they’ve got very high-end skill up front,” Sourdif said. “They’re going to try to use that to the best of their ability. They’ve got a very good power play as well, so we will have to be prepared for that.”

Interestingly enough, the Cataractes have previously won the Memorial Cup, raising the prestigious trophy in 2012, emerging victorious as the tournament host.

The Oil Kings and Cataractes have met twice in Memorial Cup history, having split the two games they played back in 2012.

The current generation of Edmonton and Shawinigan skaters have not faced each other in CHL competition, but there are still relationships at play, including between Oil Kings captain Jake Neighbours and Cataractes forward Mavrik Bourque.

“I’ve gotten to know him pretty well, we were roommates recently at World Juniors,” Neighbours said Tuesday of his QMJHL counterpart, “we’ve become good friends, it’ll be cool to play against him out there, but at the end of the day there’s no friends in this business, we gotta go out and beat them.”

Pre-game thoughts from Angus Booth, Pierrick Dube and Olivier Nadeau ahead of @Cataractes_Shaw‘s first game of the 2022 #MemorialCup presented by @KiaCanada. pic.twitter.com/F62oZZqGGB

— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) June 21, 2022

How to Watch
Game 2 of the 2022 Memorial Cup presented by Kia can be seen in Canada on TSN 1 and TSN 5. In the United States, fans can watch live on the NHL Network. Viewers outside of North America can stream the game on CHL TV.

Edmonton Oil Kings
50-14-0-4
295 GF, 182 GA
Ed Chynoweth Cup Champions

Top Scorers (WHL Playoffs)
C Dylan Guenther – 16 GP – 13G-8A – 21 points
LW Carter Souch – 19 GP – 12G-9A – 21 points
C Jakub Demek – 19 GP – 5G-12A – 17 points
LW Jake Neighbours – 19 GP – 3G-14A – 17 points
D Kaiden Guhle – 19G – 8G-8A – 16 points

Top Goaltender (WHL Playoffs)
G Sebastian Cossa 19 GP, 16-3, 5 SO, 1.93 GAA, .919 SV%

Shawinigan Cataractes
40-24-0-4, 84 points
235 GF, 190 GA
President Cup Champions

Top Scorers (QMJHL Playoffs) 
C Mavrik Bourque – 16 GP – 9G-16A – 25 points
RW Xavier Bourgault – 16 GP – 12G-10A – 22 points
RW Pierrick Dube – 16 GP – 12G-6A – 18 points
RW Olivier Nadeau – 16 GP – 4G-12A – 16 points
D Zachary Massicotte – 15 GP – 1G-9A – 10 points

Top Goaltender (QMJHL Playoffs)
G Antoine Coulombe – 13 GP, 9-3, 2 SO, 2.44 GAA, .921 SV%

2022 Memorial Cup presented by Kia – Roundup
The host Saint John Sea Dogs opened the tournament with a bang on Monday night, skating to a 5-3 victory over the OHL champion Hamilton Bulldogs.

Centre Philippe Daoust was named the game’s first star after recording three assists for the Sea Dogs, while centre Ryan Francis enjoyed a three-point night of his own, tallying two goals and adding one helper. New York Islanders prospect William Dufour and Calgary Flames prospect Yan Kuznetsov also found the back of the net for Saint John.

It was Seattle Kraken prospect Ryan Winterton with a pair and Avery Hayes responding for Hamilton.