There’s a case to be made that the Memorial Cup is the hardest trophy to win — in any sport, at any level. And in 2026, Tij Iginla’s Kelowna Rockets are hosting the tournament, meaning they’re guaranteed a berth.
The Memorial Cup is junior hockey’s version of the Champions League. It’s a battle between the victors of the three CHL leagues (WHL, OHL and QMJHL), plus the host team. No matter how you get there, you can’t win it without getting past the best junior teams in the world.
Iginla, one of the top prospects in the Utah Mammoth system, should benefit greatly from his second go-round in the tournament. He, along with current Mammoth forward Dylan Guenther, lost in the final in 2023 as members of the Seattle Thunderbirds. They got there by winning the Ed Chynoweth Cup, awarded to the WHL champions.
Utah’s management believes strongly in creating a winning culture. They’ve tried to build that by acquiring guys who know what it takes to win. Nearly every player on the roster has won a league championship or a gold medal at one level or another.
Their collective trophy count includes:
- 9 Stanley Cup championships
- 1 Le Mat Trophy championship (SHL)
- 2 TG Masaryk Cup championships (Czech Extraliga)
- 6 World Championship gold medals
- 4 World Junior Championship gold medals
- 3 U18 gold medals
- 3 Hlinka-Gretzky gold medals
- 2 Ed Chynoweth Cup championships (WHL)
- 4 NCAA national championships
- 4 Clark Cup championships (USHL)
And if you include their prospect pool, they add dozens more.
Competing for the Memorial Cup, whether he wins or not, is sure to be a good learning experience for Iginla. Playing in those high-intensity games allows players to better prepare for the next stage of hockey — and winning only brings the desire to win again.
Tij Iginla’s injury recovery
Just months after being drafted sixth overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, Iginla underwent double hip surgery to repair femoroacetabular impingement. He hasn’t played a formal game since, but he did participate in the majority of Utah’s development camp in July.
“It was so tough, being off the ice and out of the game for that long,” he said in an interview during development camp. “Now it just feels like I’m back home, in a way.”
“I think there’s a certain aspect of resilience that you have to have, going through that. Keeping a good head space and finding ways to keep getting better. For someone like me, that’s what keeps me sane going through something like that, knowing that I’m not just sitting on the couch getting worse.”
Once he resumes playing, it will be important for Iginla to pick up where he left off. The late-teen, early-20s age bracket is one of the most important in a player’s development, and missing nearly a full season can be detrimental.
Before he went out last season, he tallied 14 goals and 32 points in 21 games. That’s a high bar, but if anyone is capable of surpassing it, it’s him.
“He’s a really talented player,” said Lee Stempniak, a 14-year NHL veteran who now directs the Mammoth’s player development operations. “He can shoot the puck. Great offensive brain. To me, he looks like he hasn’t missed a step.”
How many Mammoth prospects could compete for the Memorial Cup this year?
Iginla’s Rockets are the only ones guaranteed a spot in the Memorial Cup this year, but the Mammoth could send a few other prospects.
The Moncton Wildcats, who won the QMJHL championship last year and competed for the Memorial Cup, boast both Caleb Desnoyers and Gabe Smith on their roster. They’re considered favorites again this year. Wouldn’t it be cool to see the Mammoth’s two highest-drafted players go head to head for a prestigious trophy?
Don’t count out Cole Beaudoin’s Barrie Colts, either. They fell in the conference final last season and they’re looking to get even further this year.
Veeti Väisänen’s Medicine Hat Tigers went to the Memorial Cup last year, and while they’ve undoubtedly lost some top-tier talent to the NCAA, they won’t go down without a fight.
The Cape Breton Eagles could also be in the mix. Mammoth defense prospect Tomas Lavoie is one of their top players.