OHL Writers

Calgary, Alta. – The Western Hockey League in association with the Canadian Hockey League announced today that the Kelowna Rockets have been selected to host the 2020 Memorial Cup presented by Kia. The 2020 Memorial Cup will be held at Prospera Place in Kelowna from May 22 to 31, 2020 and will represent the 102nd edition of the CHL’s national championship.

Three WHL Clubs, the Kamloops Blazers, Rockets and Lethbridge Hurricanes, submitted applications to host the 2020 Memorial Cup. The decision to award the hosting of the 2020 Memorial Cup was made by a majority vote of the WHL Board of Governors on Wednesday, October 3 in Calgary.

“The WHL is very confident the Kelowna Rockets, the City of Kelowna and Province of British Columbia will serve as outstanding hosts of the 2020 Memorial Cup presented by Kia,” commented WHL Commissioner Ron Robison. “The Kelowna Rockets bid not only met all the requirements to host a Memorial Cup, but they also have exceptional facilities and the strong community support necessary to host a national event of this magnitude.”

This marks the second time Kelowna has been selected to host the Memorial Cup. The Rockets previously hosted the Memorial Cup in 2004 when they defeated the Gatineau Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League to claim the CHL national championship.

“We are extremely honored and feel very privileged to have the Memorial Cup coming to Kelowna in 2020,” said Bruce Hamilton, President and General Manager of the Kelowna Rockets. “I want to thank the Western Hockey League Board of Governors for their support of our bid, and also congratulate our Kelowna Bid Committee.”

The last time the Memorial Cup was hosted in B.C. was in 2007, when the Vancouver Giants won the tournament on home ice.

“Our successful bid will send vibrations throughout the Okanagan region,” said Tom Dyas, Chair of the Kelowna Rockets Bid Committee. “It was such a collaborative effort that allowed this dream to come to Kelowna. It has been a privilege to work with such top-class organizations on an event that will provide a substantial economic impact for our community.”

The 2020 Memorial Cup represents the third time in five years the Western Hockey League will host the CHL national championship, following in the footsteps of Red Deer (2016) and Regina (2018).

All games of the 2020 Memorial Cup will be televised nationally by Sportsnet and TVA Sports.

The 2019 Memorial Cup will be hosted by the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Halifax Mooseheads from May 16 to 26, 2019 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Memorial Cup features a four-team round robin format with the host Club competing with the Champions from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League and Western Hockey League.

The Western Hockey League has won a total of 19 Memorial Cup Championships since its inaugural season in 1966, including: Red Deer Rebels (2001), Kootenay ICE (2002), Kelowna Rockets (2004), Vancouver Giants (2007), Spokane Chiefs (2008) and Edmonton Oil Kings (2014).

(Quebec City, QC) October 3, 2018: The Canadian Hockey League in association with Kia Canada Inc. are proud to announce a new partnership whereby Kia Canada becomes the Official Automotive Partner of the Canadian Hockey League, Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, as well as new presenting sponsor of the Memorial Cup.

The new partnership officially launched today with media events in Quebec City and Calgary where the logo for the 2019 Memorial Cup Presented by Kia was unveiled and the host city for the 2020 Memorial Cup Presented by Kia was announced as Kelowna, British Columbia.

“On behalf of the Canadian Hockey League it is my pleasure to welcome Kia Canada to the CHL family,” said CHL President David Branch. “We are excited to work together to align our goals and build a strong partnership that includes creating a unique and memorable experience at our distinguished national championship. We look forward to the Memorial Cup Presented by Kia in Halifax this May, and our 2020 event in Western Canada.”

The Memorial Cup has a rich tradition that has shaped the way junior hockey is played in North America.  The trophy was originally known as the OHA Memorial Cup and was donated by the Ontario Hockey Association in March, 1919, in remembrance of the many soldiers who paid the supreme sacrifice for Canada in the First Wold War.  In 2010 the Memorial Cup was rededicated to the memory of all fallen Canadian Military Personnel.  Last season marked the centennial celebration of the Memorial Cup where it was presented for the 100th time to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in Regina.  The 2019 Memorial Cup Presented by Kia will feature the host Halifax Mooseheads along with the champions from the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL competing May 16-26.

“At Kia, we believe in the power that sports have to bring people and communities together so, as we enter our 20th year in Canada, we are proud to be a new partner of the Canadian Hockey League – the highest junior echelon of Canada’s favourite sport,” said Michael Kopke, Director of Marketing, Kia Canada Inc. “With our industry-leading quality and advanced safety and technology features, Kia’s lineup is a great fit for the CHL and Canadian hockey families wanting to stay safe and warm on their way to the rink; and everyone at Kia will be working hard to drive our national past-time and working within communities across the country to provide more opportunities for Canadians to watch, play and love the sport of hockey.”

Kia Canada will also have the opportunity to engage with CHL fans and communities across the country as an associate partner of the CIBC Canada Russia Series and the Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.  Throughout the regular season they’ll help spotlight some of the league’s best teams with feature content and title sponsorship of the CHL’s popular weekly top-10 rankings, then join each regional league as a playoff partner during the stretch drive towards the Memorial Cup Presented by Kia.  With commitment to community top of mind, Kia Canada will also present Humanitarian of the Year awards in all three leagues and to a national recipient at the annual CHL Awards Ceremony.

Established in 1999, Kia Canada has achieved impressive growth including recent record years that exceeded over 70,000 annual vehicle sales through our 188 dealerships nationally.  For more information please visit http://www.kia.ca/home

About Kia Canada Inc.
Kia Canada Inc. (www.kia.ca – www.facebook.com/kiacanada), a maker of quality vehicles for the young-at-heart is a subsidiary of Kia Motors Corporation (KMC) which was founded in 1999 and sells and services high quality, class leading vehicles like the Soul, Forte, Optima and Sorento through a network of 192 dealers nationwide. Kia Canada Inc. employs 154 people in its Mississauga, Ontario headquarters and three regional offices across Canada, including a state-of-the-art facility in Montreal. Kia’s brand slogan “The Power to Surprise” represents the company’s global commitment to surprise the world by providing exciting & inspiring experiences that go beyond expectations.

The 2018-2019 Ontario Hockey League season is just around the corner as the exhibition season is in full swing around the league and in Buffalo N.Y. this Labor Day Weekend for the OHL Showcase.

As we do every year at this time, we bring you the list of players eligible for the 2019 National Hockey League Draft from June 21-22, 2019 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver British Colombia.

This is not a final list as some players will not make their respective teams and will eventually take a different route whether it be the Ontario Junior Hockey League or the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League or other options available to them. And of course, there will be names added to this list. Once the season begins and teams have their final rosters, we will update this list once again.

Here is a team-by-team breakdown of players eligible for the NHL Draft (does not include draft re-entry candidates):