It’s a four-team, round robin tournament — where Kitchener, Kelowna, WHL champion Everett, and QMJHL champion Chicoutimi will each play one another. The top three advance to a single-elimination bracket, with the first seed getting a bye and the second and third seed playing for a spot in the championship game. Getting a win in Game 1 on Friday will be important, yet it’s still conceivable that both Kitchener and Kelowna could advance to the point they meet up again in the semifinal or final.
Woolley, a sixth-round pick by the Kings in 2024, just won his third consecutive OHL championship. The first two were with London, and now the third with Kitchener came after a mid-season trade. He and teammate Sam O’Reilly became just the second and third players in the modern OHL era to three-peat. The 6-foot-5, left-shot defenseman anchored Kitchener’s top pair through a 16-2 playoff run and is expected to turn pro and join AHL Ontario this fall. He also won the Memorial Cup with London last year and now he’s gunning for another.
Cihar took a less direct route to get here. LA’s second-round pick last summer was playing in Czechia to start the season, posting eight points in 27 games with HC Energie Karlovy Vary. With the Memorial Cup in mind, Kelowna went all-in to acquire his WHL rights from Lethbridge this past November. “When I heard that Kelowna will host the Mem Cup, I was kind of like, okay, I’m more into it now…I know it’s the biggest tournament in junior hockey” he told LA Kings Insider.
He arrived in Kelowna shortly after winning MVP at the World Junior Championship in Minnesota and the production didn’t stop. Cihar posted 31 points in 31 regular-season games and currently holds a team-leading 13 points in nine playoff games. From eight points in the Czech league to the best player at the WJC to Kelowna’s most dangerous forward — all in four months.
Woolley and Cihar won’t be the only star power playing in the tournament either. Everett, the WHL champion, features Detroit first-round pick Carter Bear, Seattle prospect and WHL playoff MVP Julius Miettinen, and Landon DuPont, a potential No. 1 pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. They also eliminated Cihar’s Rockets in the second round, so a rematch carries extra weight. Chicoutimi, representing the QMJHL, is led by Anaheim prospect and league MVP Maxim Massé.
The round robin runs from May 22-27, with most games at 6 p.m. Pacific on NHL Network. The final game will be at 4 p.m. PT.
May 22: Kitchener vs. Kelowna
May 23: Everett vs. Chicoutimi
May 24: Kelowna vs. Chicoutimi
May 25: Everett vs. Kitchener
May 26: Chicoutimi vs. Kitchener
May 27: Kelowna vs. Everett
A tiebreaker, if needed, is scheduled for May 28. The semifinal is the 29th and the championship game is the 31st at 4 p.m. PT.
Tune in Friday night to see it all unfold. One Kings prospect hasn’t lost an OHL playoff series in three years. The other was the best player at the World Juniors to begin his North American career. Now, they’ll be on opposite sides of the ice — and by May 31, one of them could be lifting the Memorial Cup.
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