Memorial Cup trophy coming to Oakville

Vancouver Canucks prospect Josh Bloom is bringing junior hockey’s “Holy Grail” to Oakville.

The Oakville Rangers alumni, who helped lead the Saginaw Spirit to a Canadian Hockey League championship last season, is bringing the Memorial Cup trophy to Sixteen Mile Sports Complex on Friday afternoon (August 9).

Fans will have the opportunity to meet Bloom, who scored the Memorial Cup winner, and get an up-close look at the trophy that was awarded to the national junior hockey champions.

The four-team national tournament features the champions of the Ontario Hockey League (London Knights), Western Hockey League (Moose Jaw Warriors) and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (Drummondville Voltigeurs), plus the host team (Saginaw).

Played in early June, Bloom scored with just 22 seconds remaining to help Saginaw beat London 4-3 in the championship final and clinch the franchise’s first Memorial Cup title.

The six-foot-two, 185-pound forward had 17 goals and 23 assists for 40 points in 34 games with the Spirit after being returned by the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League.

Bloom was originally a third-round pick (95 overall) of the Buffalo Sabres in the 2021 NHL Draft. He was traded by the Sabres to Vancouver in return for defenceman Riley Stillman in February of 2023.

Bloom and the Memorial Cup will be upstairs outside Rink 1 at the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m.