In a shocking turn of events, the Saginaw Spirit have been awarded the 2024 Memorial Cup, beating out a lot of favoured frontrunners for the event, which included the Soo Greyhounds, Oshawa Generals, and Kingston Frontenacs.
Saginaw Spirit Awarded Memorial Cup
We’re going south of the border 🇺🇸@SpiritHockey will host the 2024 #MemorialCup presented by @KiaCanada❗️
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) March 29, 2023
In a statement released yesterday, the CHL announced the selection of Saginaw, Michigan as the host for the 2024 memorial cup, which is the OHL’s year to host.
Although this may seem surprising, considering Saginaw really is not that notable of a franchise, they do have one of the more notable prospects to come out of the GTHL in Michael Misa. Giving him a chance to win a memorial cup while he is still in the OHL is key, as it gets their stars more name recognition. Plus, they don’t have to rely on the Spirit actually building for two playoff runs; rather, they can focus on the more important one.
Despite that, the Spirit has actually been decent this year. As of writing, they sit fourth in the western conference with a 36-27-3-2 record and will face the Flint Firebirds in the first round, making it an all-Michigan matchup.
How this Impacts Misa
As mentioned earlier, this is a massive opportunity for one of the brightest OHL prospects in Michael Misa. This year he has 22G, 45A, for 56b pts in 45 GP for the spirit, and it has been a stellar rookie season for him. Those numbers will rapidly grow, and getting him into a memorial cup in time for his breakout year in the OHL is a brilliant play by the CHL.
In his last tournament before jumping to the OHL, he had a standout OHL Cup with the Mississauga Sens, putting up 20 points in 7 games, making his OHL draft stock rise, where he was drafted first overall.
Why Saginaw?
As explained before, it all comes down to the bid the team put in, and the marketability of the tournament in that specific city.
According to CTV Ottawa’s Ted Raymond, four teams put in a bid for the 2024 Memorial Cup; Saginaw, Kingston, Niagra, and Sault St. Marie. Out of those four, the Frontenacs were reportedly the frontrunner for the bid, putting in a bid which would provide $635,000 in financial support for the tournament.
Although it is one of the more surprising locations, they are one of the only teams in the bids that actually finished in the top half of the standings this season, with a 36-27-3-2 record, which clinched them a playoff spot in the west. if they begin a re-tool either this offseason or next season, they could build a memorial cup winning roster, in time for their memorial cup season.
It also allows a team from Michigan to have a shot at hosting the tournament, something which has not been done before, as mentioned earlier.
All in all, this should be a really good tournament for Saginaw.
Main Photo: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
