It’s a junior tournament stuck smack dab in the middle of both the Stanley Cup playoffs and the IIHF world championships, and this year the MasterCard Memorial Cup shifts from the bright lights of Quebec City to the prairie town of Red Deer, Alberta.

In London, Brandon, Rouyn-Noranda and the host Rebels, it’s a tightly-bunched field, as was the case last spring when Oshawa needed overtime to claim the title. It’s one of the hardest championships to win in hockey because even the best juniors get very few chances.

History tells us quite a few of the players involved in the tournament will become influential NHLers down the road.

So here are 10 reasons an NHL fan needs to tune into the MasterCard Memorial Cup starting Friday:

1. Nolan Patrick, C, Brandon Wheat Kings

Just like last year, we were barely done talking about Connor McDavid when the Auston Matthews watch began. So too this year, with Matthews set to be No. 1 next month in Buffalo it’s time to start talking about Patrick, already the presumptive favourite to go first overall in 2017.

The son of former NHLer Steve Patrick was the top rookie in the WHL last season, and this spring leads all scorers in the western league with 13 goals and 17 assists in 21 playoff games. He’s big, too, coming in at about 6-3, 195 pounds. Let the ’17 race officially begin.

2. RW Mitch Marner, C Christian Dvorak and LW Matthew Tkachuk, London Knights

This is the most prolific scoring line in major junior hockey. In 18 playoff games, the trio has been unstoppable, combining for 50 goals and 119 points. Marner is headed to the Maple Leafs, Dvorak will rejoin former London teammate Max Domi in Arizona and Tkachuk (son of Keith) is expected to be a top 10 pick next month in the NHL draft.

3. Timo Meier, RW, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.

If he wasn’t competing in the Memorial Cup tournament, Meier could have been either with his Swiss teammates at the world championships or with the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference final. As it stands, the power forward was dealt from Halifax to the Huskies during the season and has 11 playoff goals for his new junior club.

4. Haydn Fleury, D, Red Deer Rebels

Drafted seventh overall by Carolina in 2014, Fleury will try next fall to crack the all-American defence corps sported by the Hurricanes this season. He and 20-year-old defence partner Kayle Doetzel will be Sutter’s top defensive pair as the Rebels try to claim the Memorial Cup for the first time since 2001.

5. A.J. Greer, LW, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies

The Colorado second rounder became one of the latest examples of the ongoing turf war between the CHL and NCAA this season when he bolted Boston University after 18 games to join the Huskies. After scoring four goals in 55 college games over the past two years, he’s got 28 goals in 53 regular season and playoff games this season for the “Q” champs.

6. Tyler Parsons, G, London Knights

Parsons is the No. 3 ranked goalie by NHL Central Scouting among North American puckstoppers for the ’16 draft behind Sherbrooke’s Evan Fitzpatrick and Carter Hart of Everett, but it’s close. A big Memorial Cup tournament could change the conversation. All the other goalies likely to see significant action in the Memorial Cup competition were passed over entirely in their draft years.

7. Ivan Provorov, D, Brandon Wheat Kings

Philadelphia GM Ron Hextall is preaching patience above all else in the City of Brotherly Love, but many would be surprised if Provorov doesn’t join Shayne Gostisbehere and others on the Flyer blue line next season. This year, he had 73 points in 62 games after being the seventh pick overall last June.

8. Jake DeBrusk, LW, Red Deer Rebels

Son of Louie, Debrusk was selected 14th by Boston last June when the Bruins had three consecutive first round picks in GM Don Sweeney’s first draft. Soo winger Zach Senyshyn and Saint John defenceman Jakub Zboril were the other picks. Debrusk was traded to the Rebels by Swift Current this season as Brent Sutter sought to make sure the host team would be a worthy challenger for the Memorial Cup.

9. Olli Juolevi, D, London Knights

Juolevi blew away the competition at the world juniors and is widely expected to be the first defenceman selected next month. If Edmonton keeps the No. 4 pick, a big “if” at this point, Juolevi could be the favourite to go to the Oilers to join Darnell Nurse on a blue line that badly needs building.

10. Conner Bleackley, C, Red Deer Rebels

Bleackley has had an eventful season. A former first round pick, he was traded by Colorado to Arizona in the Mikkel Boedker deal at the NHL trade deadline. He has missed huge chunks of time this season to injury, first with a broken kneecap suffered in January then with a sliced tendon in his wrist at the end of the regular season.

He’s iffy for the start of the Memorial Cup, an important competition for Bleackley as the Coyotes haven’t yet said if they plan to sign him. If they don’t, he goes back into the NHL draft next month.

In this week’s edition, Jeff is joined by Sam Cosentino, Joey Kenward and Timo Meier for a wide-ranging MasterCard Memorial Cup preview.

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