Two Canadiens Prospects Headed To Memorial Cup

The Montreal Canadiens will once again be well-represented at the CHL Memorial Cup later this week.

After nearly two months of incredible battles in all three junior leagues, the Peterborough Petes, Quebec Remparts and Seattle Thunderbirds are all headed to Kamloops.

The Montreal Canadiens will have two prospects headed to the yearly tournament this time around, after having the likes of Arber Xhekaj, Kaiden Guhle and Jan Mysak participate in the 2022 Memorial Cup.

Jared Davidson, selected in the 5th-round of the 2022 NHL Draft by the Canadiens, was a major reason why the Thunderbirds were able to power through all the competition in the WHL.

The gritty centre was not only a key cog in the offensive machine for Seattle, but also played in key defensive situations and was always on the ice when trying to protect a lead late in a game.

Davidson had his work cut out for him, trying to shut down the likes of Logan Stankoven, Matthew Savoie and Zach Benson during these playoffs, but he was able to shoulder much of the heavy lifting, to allow offensive dynamos like Dylan Guenther and Brad Lambert to do their thing in the offensive zone.

THAT'S 3 GOALS IN 45 SECONDS FOR SEATTLE!

Jared Davidson makes it a 4-1 game for the T-Birds.#WHLChampionship pic.twitter.com/AOQTs2TNEH

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 17, 2023

Meanwhile, despite being suspended in the final games of the OHL Finals, Owen Beck will also be headed to the Memorial Cup with the Peterborough Petes.

The Montreal Canadiens’ 2nd-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft started his playoffs slowly with the Petes, being used as a shutdown centre to start.

However, as the games became tighter and more important, Beck’s game would continue to rise and his clutch performances would help propel his club passed some potent opponents.

Beck was used in every defensive situation imaginable, including taking virtually every face-off in the late stages of a game. However, if these OHL playoffs taught us anything, it’s that the 19-year-old is much more than a simple defensive forward.

The Montreal Canadiens prospect forced his way to the top line for the Petes, and truly took off in the final two rounds of the OHL Playoffs; while having the heaviest responsibility of the team’s forward group.

Guess who? It's Owen Beck! Back-to-back goals in the OHL Championship.

Big goal for the Petes, too. Great puck movement. 2-1 lead for Peterborough. pic.twitter.com/ZbqjS3nZg2

— Dirt McGirt (@MarcPDumont) May 18, 2023

The Memorial Cup is set to begin later this week in Kamloops, going from May 26 to June 4. It will be interesting to see how both Davidson and Beck fair against the best competition in Canadian major junior.