Kelowna, BC –  The 2026 Memorial Cup begins on Friday night when the host city Kelowna Rockets and the OHL Champion Kitchener Rangers face off. This game will feature the only two Vancouver Canucks representatives: Parker Alcos for the Rockets and Gabe Chiarot for the Rangers.

Alcos began the season with the Edmonton Oil Kings, where he scored two goals and 12 assists for 14 points in 31 games. Come January, Alcos was traded to the Rockets as they looked to bolster their lineup ahead of hosting the Memorial Cup. With Kelowna, Alcos scored three goals and 13 assists for 16 points in 31 games.

The 6’4″ right-shot defenceman helped the Rockets to a 38-31-6-3 record, and fourth place in the WHL’s Western Conference. Kelowna swept their Okanagan rival, the Kamloops Blazers, in the first round of the playoffs. Alcos went on to pick up three assists in that opening series.

Kelowna had its struggles in the second round against the Everett Silvertips – the eventual WHL Champions. Alcos and the Rockets narrowly avoided the sweep in Game 4. After going down 3-0 after the first period, the Rockets scored three goals in the final 12 minutes of the third period to send the game to overtime. Utah Mammoth prospect Tij Iginla scored the game-winner in overtime. While the Rockets had more late-game magic in Game 5, tying the game with under two minutes to go, it was the Silvertips who iced the game in overtime to eliminate the Rockets.

Chiarot had a similar start to his season as Alcos. The Hamilton, Ontario native began the season with the Brampton Steelheads before being traded to the Rangers in late December. While getting acclimated to his new location, Chiarot struggled to produce offensively. The power forward had just five goals and six assists for 11 points in 31 games.

However, come playoff time, Chiarot stepped up his game. He matched his regular season point totals in just 18 playoff games. Where Chiarot’s story differs from Alcos’ is that the Rangers had next to no trouble in the postseason, losing just two games in their entire run.

Fast-forward to present day, and the slate is clean. How each team got here no longer matters; it’s all about what the players can do in their short round-robin outings. Every game is pivotal.

Kitchener finished well ahead of Kelowna in the standings, with nine more wins and 16 more points. The Rockets may have more firepower offensively with Iginla finishing with 90 points in 48 games. However, the Rangers have Jack Pridham (90), Dylan Edwards (87), and Christian Humphreys (85) as the next top regular season scorers in this game.

On top of those three, the Rangers have Sam O’Reilly (Tampa Bay Lightning) and Cameron Reid (Nashville Predators), who are NHL first-round picks. Outside of Iginla, the Rockets do not have another first-round pick on the roster. Kitchener has the edge in NHL-drafted players, with 12 to Kelowna’s eight.

Canucks fans can watch Gabe Chiarot (#20) and Parker Alcos (#6) on TSN. Puck drop is set for 6:00 PM PT.