Former London Knight Sam O’Reilly wins MVP trifecta as Kitchener Rangers capture Memorial Cup

Kitchener Rangers' Sam O'Reilly and OHL commissioner Bryan Crawford pose with the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy after O'Reilly was named the tournament MVP after Kitchener defeated the Everett Silvertips to win the Memorial Cup final hockey game, in Kelowna, B.C., on Sunday, May 31, 2026. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck)

Sam O’Reilly and Jared Woolley have done it again — one year after winning the Memorial Cup with the London Knights, the duo led the Kitchener Rangers to the team’s first junior hockey national championship in 23 years.

The Rangers defeated WHL Champion Everett 6-2 in the final, giving them their third Memorial Cup in franchise history, adding onto their triumphs in 1982 and 2003.

O’Reilly came up big in the final with a four-point performance, including three assists, to earn another MVP award — becoming only the fourth player to be named most valuable in the regular season, playoffs and at this tournament, joining past and present NHL stars Brad Richards, Corey Perry and Mitch Marner. He finished tied for the tournament lead with eight points.

“I’ve been really fortunate with the teams I’ve been a part of and the coaches I’ve been able to learn from, because I wouldn’t be here today without all my good buddies and good coaches I’ve had,” O’Reilly told TSN after the victory.

“It’s pretty crazy. I think I don’t think I’d be thinking about that coming into my junior career. So, I’ve been really grateful for the opportunities I’ve been put in, and thankfully it has worked out like this.”

His good friend and teammate Woolley, whom he was traded with to Kitchener at the deadline, scored what stood up as the winner in the final.

“This team is unreal,” Woolley told TSN. “They accepted us right away. We bonded right away. We got tight, and it’s great”.

When asked what he’ll remember most?

“I guess wearing a different jersey coming over and doing it here and doing it again and coming out from the win,” replied Woolley.

The captain of the Rangers is Cameron Reid from Copenhagen, Ont. near Aylmer.

He expressed how “extremely proud” he was of his teammates when speaking with TSN.

“It’s the city, it’s the boys, the staff, you know, my family. It’s literally everything,” said Reid.

“This is what you dream of as a kid, especially Canadian kid. The Memorial Cup is just like the Stanley Cup, so it’s awesome.”