PROSPECTS: Jalen Luypen, Oil Kings Capture WHL Title

It's been three whole years since a team was crowned as the Western Hockey League champion--a result of the COVID-19 pandemic--but on Monday, Blackhawks forward prospect Jalen Luypen helped the WHL's Edmonton Oil Kings earn the Ed Chynoweth Cup for the first time since 2014 and their third in franchise history.
The 19-year-old British Columbia native was selected by Chicago as the seventh-round pick in last year's draft and has since capitalized on his fourth season with the Oil Kings, finishing the regular season third in goal scoring for the league's third-highest scoring team with four goals and five assists in 19 playoff games.

In the championship series, Luypen posted two assists--bringing his playoff total to nine points (4G, 5A)--as Edmonton secured the Cup on home ice in six games. The Oil Kings were the second-seeded team in the playoffs thanks to a 50-14-3-1 regular season record that included a total 104 points collected, marking the third-highest total in team history, as well as their third-straight Central Division title.
To get to the championship, Edmonton swept both the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Red Deer Rebels before taking down the top-seeded Winnipeg ICE in five games in the Eastern Conference Championship. Wrapping up the postseason with a 16-3 record, Edmonton dominated at home in Rogers Place, holding down a 9-2 mark.
However, Luypen and the Oil Kings are not done playing just yet, as they are slated to compete in the 2022 Memorial Cup in Saint John, N.B. from June 20-29. Edmonton is set to play the QMJHL champions, the Shawinigan Cataractes, on Tuesday, June 21.