The Lethbridge Hurricanes are a step closer to hosting the Memorial Cup.
The Western Hockey League (WHL) team has officially submitted its bid to host the 2026 tournament, which is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL).
The CHL is comprised of the three major junior leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States: the WHL, the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).
The five WHL teams vying for the 2026 hosting job are the Hurricanes, Medicine Hat Tigers, Brandon Wheat Kings, Kelowna Rockets and the Spokane Chiefs.
All five franchises will have to formally present their bid before a selection committee in the coming weeks. Officials say each of the bids will be evaluated based on four categories: business operations, local atmosphere/community engagement, event logistics, and hockey operations.
The winning bid is tentatively set to be announced by the end of December.
“It’s very exciting for us to once again bid for the Memorial Cup. We felt like we were very close with our bid for the 2020 tournament, but moving forward we think we have a better opportunity this time,” says Terry Huisman, general manager of business operations for the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
“There are many things that we have to get through in the four-step process, but we really feel good about where we are at, and we are going to work hard and do our due diligence to make sure we have the best bid.”
Both the Hurricanes and Medicine Hat Tigers are aiming to host the tournament for the first time in team history. The Spokane Chiefs hosted in 1998, while the Kelowna Rockets hosted in 2004 and the Brandon Wheat Kings hosted in 2010.
Between the five bidding WHL clubs, they have collectively won the Memorial Cup five times, with Medicine Hat winning in 1987 and 1988, Spokane in 1991 and 2008 and Kelowna in 2004.
The 2024 Memorial Cup was hosted by the Sagina Spirit of the OHL. This was the first time in 26 years that event was held in the United States. The Spirit captured the championship by defeating the London Knights 4-3 in the final to secure the team’s first-ever CHL title.
The 2025 Memorial Cup, which will be the 105th edition of the tournament, is set to take place in Rimouski, Quebec from May 22 to June 1.
READ MORE: Lethbridge City Council gives thumbs up to 2026 Memorial Cup hosting bid
