SAGINAW, Mich. — The Saginaw Spirit punched their ticket to the Memorial Cup final on Friday night with a resounding victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors by the score of 7-1. The Warriors seemed out of sorts the entire week. The majority of their star players delivered less than what they are capable of, resulting in an uphill battle for the entire group.
Saginaw, on the other hand, is a motivated group heading into the final against their OHL-rival London Knights. The Knights defeated the Spirit in the OHL Western Conference playoffs with a 4-2 series win. They followed up with a hotly contested 4-2 series win in the round-robin on Wednesday, giving London a direct bye into Sunday’s final.
Some of my scouting notes from the tournament:
Off the rails
Friday night’s semifinal was tied, 1-1, heading into the second period. But heading into the third, the score was 6-1 in favour of Saginaw.
The Spirit defended with more purpose and detail than the Warriors and followed up with eye-popping execution offensively. They also got timely saves from overage goaltender Andrew Oke.
The third-period clock couldn’t tick away quick enough for both clubs.
Depth players rise up
One of the most fascinating aspects of playoff hockey, or high-leverage games in a tournament like the Memorial Cup, is witnessing depth players rise to the occasion and unexpectedly carry lead their team to victory.
Saginaw forward and Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick (seventh round, 211th overall in 2023) Ethan Hay had himself a night. Hay had one assist in 17 playoff games before Friday. He contributed two goals and two assists against Moose Jaw. The six-foot-one, 194-pound forward hunted pucks, created turnovers and generally won more battles than his opponent.
When bottom-six forwards contribute offensively in high-leverage games, at any level, it relieves some of the stress on their top scorers and makes the entire team harder to check.
Player notes
· Saginaw captain Braden Hache was the recipient of the Mickey Renaud captain’s trophy in the OHL this season. The award goes to the player who embodies leadership on and off the ice. His leadership on the ice this week has stood out for me.
Hache was drafted by the Florida Panthers in the seventh round (210th overall) in 2021. They elected not to sign the rugged six-foot-four, 210-pound left-shot defenceman. Hache is a free agent who plays with a presence at the junior level. He’s physically engaged, blocks shots and occasionally chips in with offence. His skating will have to continue to evolve if he has sights on a pro career, but his character and work ethic are undeniable.
· Oke, another overage player for the Spirit, made a spectacular save on Warrior forward Matthew Savoie at the beginning of the second period. He tracked the play from his left to right before extending his right pad in desperation. The game was tied 1-1 at the time. If that puck beats Oke, momentum might have swung over to Moose Jaw.
Oke is trying to earn the trust of NHL scouts. Stops, like the one on Savoie, definitely grab their attention. Oke has good size for a goalie (six-foot-two, 194 pounds). He tracks well, has good feet and overall athleticism. Goalies generally take longer than skaters to develop, and Oke has enough foundation to build upon at the pro level. He could earn a contract from an NHL club if he comes up with a grade-A performance in the final on Sunday.
· Speaking of Savoie, I’m not sure if he was 100 per cent healthy at this event. If he was, my takeaway from his play this week raises some concerns.
The Buffalo Sabres first-round pick (ninth overall in 2022) has the skill to take over shifts offensively. He sees the ice very well and has the ability to slip off checks in open ice, and coming off the wall below the goal line, to create chances.
Savoie ended the tournament with one goal and three assists. He averaged a point per game, but his effort and detail defensively will have to vastly improve for the NHL game. Coaches in the NHL expect their offensively gifted players to, at least, provide average results defensively.
· Moose Jaw captain Denton Mateychuk ran out of gas in the game Friday night versus Saginaw, but his body of work for the week was positive. He gave all he had, trying to lead the Warriors to success at the tournament. The Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman prospect (12th overall in 2022) ended the tournament with three goals and four assists in four games played. He, easily, logged over 25 minutes per game and was deployed in all situations.
· Moose Jaw forward Lynden Lakovic is a 2025 draft prospect. He’s a “late birthday” who’s too young for this year’s draft. Lakovic celebrates his birthday in December, which gives him an extra year of development. The cut-off date for draft-eligible prospects is Sept. 15. Anyone born after that date is considered too young for the current cycle.
Lakovic is a six-foot-four, 185-pound left-shot forward who produced 18 goals and 21 assists in the regular season and five goals and three assists in the playoffs. He was deployed in a secondary role for the Warriors but he stood out at times.
I appreciate his size, compete, skating stride and skill on projection. He’s on my radar for next season.
Final impression
Sunday night marks the last game on the scouting calendar before the NHL Draft. Sure-fire first-round, likely top-10, prospects Zayne Parekh (Saginaw) and Sam Dickinson, plus potential second-rounder Sam O’Reilly (London) will be trying to leave a lasting impression in the final.