The Saint John Sea Dogs look for redemption at the 2022 Memorial Cup

A month after being upset of the first round of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s playoffs, the Saint John Sea Dogs are back in action this week as they host the 2022 Memorial Cup and seek a bit of redemption.

The Sea Dogs were a team built for a lengthy playoff run, and they’re hoping a strong showing at the Memorial Cup could make up for an early QMJHL playoff exit.

Four teams are participating in the 2022 Memorial Cup:

• The Sea Dogs (hosts)
• Edmonton Oil Kings (Western Hockey League champions)
• Hamilton Bulldogs (Ontario Hockey League champions)
• Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL champions)

The Sea Dogs loaded up for this playoff run, adding Ryan Francis last season, William Dufour and Yan Kuznetsov during the off-season, and Connor Trenholm, Philippe Daoust and Raivis Ansons prior to this year’s trade deadline – adding to an already impressive young core.

Saint John finished third overall in the regular season – behind only Quebec and Charlottetown – but hit a wall between injuries, illness, and a scrappy Rimouski Oceanic club in the first round, being eliminated from the playoffs in overtime via a Game 5 heartbreaker. The disappointment led to some soul-searching, eventually leading to the dismissal of head coach Gordie Dwyer and the installation of USports legend Gardiner MacDougall as interim head coach for the tournament.

The Sea Dogs will attempt to become the first host team to win it all since the Windsor Spitfires in 2017, and just the third host team in the past 10 tournaments to capture the Memorial Cup. They’re joined by a pair of powerhouses in the form of the Oil Kings and Bulldogs, as well as an impressive Cataractes club that eliminated Quebec in the league semis and Charlottetown in the league final.

The 2022 Memorial Cup will likely be the final major-junior appearances for Calgary Flames prospect Jeremie Poirier and Yan Kuznetsov, both of whom are under entry-level contracts for 2022-23.

The teams

Saint John Sea Dogs

Regular season: 47-17-1-3, 98 points, third in QMJHL

Playoffs: lost to Rimouski (3-2)

Memorial Cup history: fourth appearance; won in 2011

NHL prospects: D Yan Kuznetsov (CGY), D Jeremie Poirier (CGY), D William Villeneuve (TOR), F Raivis Ansons (PIT), F Philippe Daoust (OTT), F William Dufour (NYI), F Cameron MacDonald (TBL)

Shawinigan Cataractes

Regular season: 40-24-1-3, 84 points, seventh in QMJHL

Playoffs: beat Rouyn-Norada (3-0), Gatineau (3-0), Quebec (3-2) and Charlottetown (4-1)

Memorial Cup history: second appearance; won in 2012 (as host)

NHL prospects: D Martin Has (WSH), F Xavier Bourgault (EDM), F Mavrik Bourque (DAL), F Olivier Nadeau (BUF)

Edmonton Oil Kings

Regular season: 50-14-3-1, 104 points, second in WHL

Playoffs: beat Lethbridge (4-0), Red Deer (4-0), Winnipeg (4-1) and Seattle (4-2)

Memorial Cup history: third modern appearance; won in 2014 (the previous incarnation of the Oil Kings made the Memorial Cup final nine times between 1954 and 1971, winning twice)

NHL prospects: G Sebastian Cossa (DET), D Kaiden Guhle (MTL), D Luke Prokop (NSH), F Jakub Demek (VGK), F Dylan Guenther (ARZ), F Jalen Luypen (CHI), F Jake Neighbours (STL), F Justin Sourdif (FLA)

Hamilton Bulldogs

Regular season: 51-12-3-2, 107 points, first in OHL

Playoffs: beat Peterborough (4-0), Mississauga (4-0), North Bay (4-0) and Windsor (4-3)

Memorial Cup history: second appearance

NHL prospects: D Artyom Grushnikov (DAL), D Arber Xhekaj (MTL), F Mason McTavish (ANA), F Jan Mysak (MTL), F Ryan Winterton (SEA)

The schedule

All games on TSN & RDS:

• June 20: Saint John vs. Hamilton (4 p.m. MT)
• June 21: Shawinigan vs. Edmonton (4 p.m. MT)
• June 22: Saint John vs. Edmonton (4 p.m. MT)
• June 23: Shawinigan vs. Hamilton (4 p.m. MT)
• June 24: Edmonton vs. Hamilton (4 p.m. MT)
• June 25: Saint John vs. Shawinigan (2 p.m. MT)
• June 26: Tiebreaker game (2 p.m. MT) [If there’s a tie in points between the third and fourth-placed teams after round robin]
• June 27: Semi-final game (4 p.m. MT)
• June 29: Memorial Cup Final (4 p.m. MT)

Who do you think will win the Memorial Cup? How will the two Flames prospects fare in their final major-junior competition? Let us know in the comments!