On Monday night, the Guelph Storm topped the Saginaw Spirit in Game 7 of the Ontario Hockey League Western Conference Finals to advance to the OHL Final against the Ottawa 67’s. Chicago Blackhawks prospect Mackenzie Entwistle of the Storm joins fellow prospects Alexis Gravel and Jake Ryczek of the Halifax Mooseheads in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League as the three Chicago prospects to play in a CHL league final this spring. All three attempting to advance to the Memorial Cup in May as league champions, although Gravel and Ryczek will play in the Memorial Cup tournament as the host team in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Mackenzie Entwistle, Guelph advance to OHL Final
The Guelph Storm have had quite the ride on their way to winning the Wayne Gretzky Trophy as the OHL Western Conference champions. After sweeping the Kitchner Rangers in the first round, the Storm came up against the London Knights with Blackhawks defensive prospect Adam Boqvist. It looked as if the Knights were on their way to a second series sweep after taking a 3–0 series lead over the Storm. But after allowing the Knights to score seven goals in both Game 2 and Game 3, the Guelph defense held the high-powered Knights in check and came back to win four straight and advance to the Western Conference Finals against the Saginaw Spirit.
In the Western Conference Finals against Saginaw, the Storm again fell behind in the series, dropping to a 3–1 series deficit and again facing elimination. Again, the Storm’s defense came up big with their back against the wall, holding the Spirit to just three goals over the final three games of the series, and finishing another series comeback win. Guelph captured their third Wayne Gretzky Trophy in team history and advances to their sixth J. Ross Robertson Cup Final in team history. Guelph has won three OHL championships in 1998, 2004 and 2014.
🏆 Western Conference Champs ✅#IamtheSTORM pic.twitter.com/wV0cwqxNcs
— Guelph Storm (@Storm_City) April 30, 2019
Entwistle has been one of the major factors for Guelph on their road to the OHL Final. Acquired from the Arizona Coyotes as a part of the Marian Hossa trade, Entwistle ranks fifth on the Storm in postseason scoring with 15 points in 18 games so far. Last season in the OHL playoffs with the Hamilton Bulldogs, Entwistle tallied 17 points in 21 games as the Bulldogs won the OHL championship.
The OHL Final begins on May 2 in Ottawa as the 67’s host the Storm.
Alexis Gravel, Jake Ryczek set for QMJHL Final with Halifax
Also making a memorable run to their Canadian league final are the Halifax Mooseheads, who are hosting the Memorial Cup this year. Led by Gravel in net, the Mooseheads topped the Quebec Remparts in seven games in the first round of the QMJHL playoffs and in doing so also knocked out fellow Blackhawks forward prospect Philipp Kurashev. Following the seven-game opening round matchup, the Mooseheads made quick work of the Moncton Wildcats, sweeping the second round and moving on to face another Blackhawks prospect in Nicolas Beaudin and the Drummondville Voltigeurs.
Jake Ryczek skates with the Halifax Mooseheads. (Photograph courtesy of Katie Whitty Photography)
In the QMJHL Semifinals, the Mooseheads dropped Game 1, but were able to string together three wins in a row to take a commanding 3–1 series lead heading into Game 5. Drummondville didn’t go quietly, taking a 6–2 win in Game Five to push the series to a Game 6, which would need overtime. Making 33 saves in the deciding game, Gravel was able to hold off the Voltigeur attack long enough to allow Xavier Parent to find the series-clinching goal early in the extra frame. Halifax moves on to their fourth President Trophy Final in team history to face the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, having won the QMJHL championship once in 2013.
President Cup Final here we come! pic.twitter.com/bwsy7ONOP0
— Halifax Mooseheads (@HFXMooseheads) April 28, 2019
Two Chicago Blackhawks prospects reside on the Halifax roster, as Gravel has led the team in net and Ryczek has been a standout defensively. Yet to find the back of the net in the postseason, Ryczek ranks seventh on the Mooseheads in playoff scoring, and leads all defensemen with 11 points in 17 games played. In net for the Mooseheads, Gravel has been stellar on his way to multiple three-stars of the game awards and was named the QMJHL Player of the Week during the back half of the Semifinal series against Drummondville. In the postseason, Gravel holds a 12–4–0 record with a 2.52 goals against average and a .921 save percentage in 17 appearances.
Alexis Gravel has backstopped the Halifax Mooseheads en route to a spot in the QMJHL’s final playoff round.
While Ryczek’s standing with the Blackhawks organization is a gray area, given the depth of the prospect pool at the defensive position, Gravel has staked his flag firmly in the ground to be in the mix as a future netminder for the Blackhawks. Given the general unknown outlook of the goaltender position for Chicago beyond Corey Crawford, Gravel looks to be developing into a promising option.
The QMJHL Final begins on May 2 in Rouyn-Noranda as the Huskies hosts the Mooseheads.