Congratulations to Gabriel Vilardi of the Windsor Spitfires on winning the Memorial Cup Championship as the best junior hockey team in Canada.
The Memorial Cup is an annual four team tournament that features the league champions of the Ontario Hockey League, Western Hockey League and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, as well as a host team. All three of these leagues are part of the Canadian Hockey League which is Tier I Junior Hockey in Canada.Vilardi came to CIHA in 2014-2015 to continue his development as an elite hockey player and prime himself for the 2015 OHL Draft. He was selected 2nd overall by the Windsor Spitfires that spring, and made the jump to the OHL for the 2015-2016 season. Now after completing his second season in the OHL and winning a Memorial Cup, he prepares for the next stage of his hockey career.There won’t be much time to rest as Vilardi will attend the NHL Scouting Combine which goes from May 29th-June 3rd. NHL organizations will get a final look at prospects via one on one interviews and off-ice testing. On June 23rd, Vilardi will hear his name called early at the 2017 NHL Draft with many scouting agencies ranking him as a top 5 pick, and what will be CIHA’s first ever NHL draft pick. For more on Vilardi’s Championship, click here.