Jared Woolley wins third consecutive OHL championship, advances to Memorial Cup with Kitchener Rangers

Another year, another championship for LA Kings prospect Jared Woolley.

Earlier this week, Woolley did what he’s done for the past two seasons – win an OHL championship. Skating in what figures to be his final season of junior hockey, before he begins his professional career on a full-time basis in the fall, Woolley and the Kitchener Rangers completed the four-game sweep of the Barrie Colts to cement their place in the 2026 Memorial Cup, winning the organization’s first OHL title since 2008.

For Woolley, it’s his first title as a member of the Kitchener organization. Midway through the 2025-26 season, Woolley was traded from the London Knights, who were retooling their team a bit after loading up for consecutive championships and three straight appearances in the OHL Finals. Woolley joined a Kitchener team that was in the midst of a strong season and immediately slotted in on the team’s top defensive pairing, logging big minutes throughout the remainder of the regular season and throughout the playoffs. In the final series, Woolley tallied one assist in four games played and finished the OHL Playoffs with seven points (1-6-7) in 18 games played. Kitchener lost just twice throughout its playoff run, sweeping the first and fourth rounds, around five-game series victories in rounds two and three. Woolley played a big role in that process and will now compete in the Memorial Cup for the third straight season.

Certified Winners🤝

Jared Woolley and Sam O'Reilly join the exclusive 3-peat club after winning their third-straight #OHLChampionship!@OHLRangers | @CHLHockey pic.twitter.com/qhBLhQSYh9

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) May 13, 2026

What’s different for Woolley this time around is that it is a new role. He was more of a depth player in his first two trips, playing on the third pair in London in 2024 and the second pair last season with the Knights. Now, he’s a top-pairing defenseman, an older player, playing in his final season of OHL hockey. He’ll be a leader on a strong Kitchener team that will now try to win the ultimate prize in club hockey at the junior level with the four-game tournament getting underway in Kelowna on May 22, playing against the best of the best at the CHL level.

Next week there will be a full Memorial Cup preview next week before the tournament gets underway. Woolley will not be the only Kings prospect participating, as he joins forward Vojtech Cihar at the event. The two Kings prospects will actually square off the tournament opener on May 22, with Woolley and the Rangers taking on Cihar and the host club, the Kelowna Rockets. The tournament format is a four-team round robin, with the top three teams advancing to a single-elimination format. The second-seeded team will play the third-seeded team in the semifinals, with the winner advancing to the championship game to take on the top-seeded team from the group games. Both players are looking to build upon their own accolades, with Cihar coming into the tournament as the most valuable player at the 2026 World Junior Championships, winning a silver medal with Team Czechia. With three consecutive OHL titles, Woolley is one of the more accomplished players in that league’s history in terms of team honors.

Both Woolley and Cihar have already signed their entry-level contracts with the Kings organization and could potentially play professionally in North America next season. Cihar is eligible to play in the AHL immediately, as a 19-year-old, because he is from Europe, while Woolley is 20-years-old and can play in that league as well. Woolley is a near lock to do so, while Cihar will have more options on the table. Long time between now and then but you’ll be watching two players who you could potentially see in Southern California this fall, either in the AHL or the NHL, when the Memorial Cup gets underway next week.

For now, congratulations to Woolley on yet another OHL championship. Just what he does. Few games remaining for him now, as one of the final two players still playing hockey in the Kings organization.