Canucks prospect Josh Bloom’s Saginaw Spirit set for Memorial Cup final showdown

The allure of the Vancouver Canucks’ playoff run may be behind us, but diehard fans still have one last opportunity to catch a piece of the organization’s depth in action.

Josh Bloom and his Saginaw Spirit have officially clinched a berth in the Memorial Cup final as tournament hosts on Sunday, defeating the Moose Jaw Warriors 7-1 in the semifinals.

Bloom picked up a crafty assist in the lopsided effort.

The Memorial Cup has seen Bloom’s Spirit dominate as the tournament’s scoring leaders, netting 18 goals across three round-robin games and one semifinal game. Bloom, featured exclusively on the team’s top line throughout the week, has contributed to three of those tallies with a goal and two assists.

Bloom’s goal came in the tournament opener, where he capitalized at the net front to find the five-hole. The goal held up as the eventual game-winner, leading to one of the team’s four wins thus far.

The finals promise a showdown between the tournament’s heavyweights, as Bloom’s Spirit face off against the only team to beat them so far, the London Knights.

The Knights are considered the crown jewel of the OHL this year, running through the league to grab the best regular season record and eventual OHL Championship. Coming into the finals undefeated, they have been awaiting their opponent as they were awarded an automatic berth into the finals.

Win or lose, this will be Bloom’s final appearance as a junior hockey player.

As a 20-year-old, he began the 2023-24 campaign at the professional ranks, seeing limited minutes in Abbotsford and eventually in the ECHL. Ultimately, his transition did not go quite to plan, and minutes were sparse during his pro stint. In need of a reset, Bloom was sent back to the OHL, rejoining the team that drafted his rights in the Bantam Draft and where he kickstarted his junior career.

His return to junior hockey has allowed Bloom to regain his form and confidence, firing at a point-per-game (21 goals, 30 assists) through 51 combined games (regular season and playoffs). This included an incredible 16-game point streak in which he posted 29 points to wrap up the regular season.

Bloom will vie for a roster spot in Abbotsford for the second straight season next fall, where the hope is his experience as a leader in high-stakes games will help his odds of securing a more prominent role in his second pro audition.

If you want to catch one last big moment involving a Canuck product, the puck drops at 4:30 PM PT on Sunday in Saginaw.