NY Islanders' prospect Luca Romano and the Kitchener Rangers win the Memorial Cup

A NY Islanders prospect hoisted some hardware today, as Luca Romano and the Kitchener Rangers were crowned Memorial Cup champions.

Romano, the Islanders third round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, played a significant role in Kitcheners' triumph, registering a goal and two assists in the tournament, playing some of his best hockey of the season.

After a relatively pedestrian start to the OHL playoffs, Romano showed up in a big way in the later stages. Registering just three points in his first 10 games of the postseason, he rallied off two goals and three assists in the final six games of the playoffs, en route to defeating Kashawn Aitcheson and the Barrie Colts in the OHL Finals.

After being crowned champions of the OHL, Kitchener was the CHL's most dominant team in the Memorial Cup, securing the top seed following round-robin play - going undefeated. The Finals went the same way most of the season, winning in a dominant 6-2 fashion, defeating the Everett Silvertips and the projected 2027 NHL Draft first overall pick, Landon DuPont.

Though Romano didn't put up eye-popping numbers this season or in the postseason, he's still a prospect who has time to make a real impact within the prospect pool.

"He's not necessarily a dynamic offensive player with possession, but he has the tools for it," says Mitchell Brown, Director of North American Scouting for Elite Prospects. "He toe-dragged off a reception to get off the wall for a high-danger chance, for example. And he has shooting and passing skills at speed. It just comes down to leveraging his crossovers more, changing pace, and taking the middle early."

Having a Memorial Cup to your name is a prestigious thing for a hockey player, and Romano is now one of those select few.

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