Ansons first Penguins prospect to win Memorial Cup in 8 years

For the first time in eight years, a Penguins prospect is a Memorial Cup champion.

Penguins forward prospect Raivis Ansons and the Saint John Sea Dogs defeated the OHL champion Hamilton Bulldogs in the Memorial Cup Final by a score of 6-3 on Wednesday to take home the championship.

The Memorial Cup is the annual tournament between the winners of the OHL, QMJHL, and WHL leagues in order to crown the top team in Canadian major junior hockey. The field of teams in the tournament is completed with the addition of the team from the host city. With the tournament being held in Saint John, New Brunswick this season, the Sea Dogs earned their bid to the tournament as the host city, and were considered the underdogs of the tournament.

Ansons was scoreless and recorded three shots on goal in the championship game, skating on the left side of Saint John's second line. He scored one goal and four assists in the four games of the tournament. His goal came against the WHL champion Edmonton Oil Kings in round robin play:

Ansons had three primary assists in Saint John's first game of the tournament:

Ansons, who was the Penguins' fifth-round pick in 2020, is the first Penguins prospect to win the Memorial Cup as a member of the Penguins organization since Tristan Jarry won it with the Edmonton Oil Kings in 2014. Before Jarry, the last Penguins prospects to win the Memorial Cup were forward Anton Zlobin with the Shawinigan Cataractes in 2012 and defenseman Simon Despres with the Sea Dogs in 2011.

Ansons also becomes the second Latvian player to ever win the Memorial Cup, following forward Edgars Kulda with the Oil Kings in 2014.

This was the final year of junior hockey for Ansons, who signed his three-year entry-level contract with the Penguins in May. Next month he'll attend the Penguins' development camp, which will be held from July 10-14 in Cranberry.