Where Are They Now? 2017 Windsor Spitfires’ Memorial Cup Part 2

The Canadian Hockey League’s (CHL) Memorial Cup is a fantastic showcase of some of the best junior hockey talent in Canada. As the 2026 tournament plays out in Kelowna, BC, we look back at the Windsor Spitfires’ 2017 championship and start to wonder – where did their roster wind up?

In 2009 and 2010, the Spitfires won their first and second Memorial Cups in franchise history. Those teams were loaded with talents like Taylor Hall, Adam Henrique, and Ryan Ellis. In 2017, the club had the opportunity to host the tournament at the WFCU Centre, and then-general manager Warren Rychel pulled no punches in putting together the best roster that he was able to. They went on to win the championship, beating the Erie Otters 4-3 in the final. However, we wondered what happened to some of those players after they graduated. We did part one of this in 2021, so now it’s time for part two. Let’s take a look.

Forward Jeremiah Addison

When Rychel started making moves in the summer of 2016, one of those included a slick little trade to get Ottawa 67’s overage (20-year-old) forward Jeremiah Addison (Montreal Canadiens). The Brampton native was good for about 50 points a season and played with some grit. It worked like a charm.

The Spitfires sent a pair of conditional second-round picks (2019 and 2022) to get the sniper, and there were no complaints. He co-captained the team with defenceman Jalen Chatfield and wound up with 43 points in 51 games. However, his biggest work came in the Memorial Cup when he scored a hat trick in the final round robin game to give the club a 4-2 win over the Otters, sending them straight to the championship. They beat the Otters in that game, as well, 4-3, to win their third Memorial Cup. So, what happened to the crafty veteran after he graduated from the OHL?

Addison spent a season with the Laval Rocket in the American Hockey League (AHL) before going to St. Francis Xavier to play university hockey. He was there from 2018 to 2021 before joining Ryerson University in 2021-22. After that, he headed overseas to play for HC Topolcany in Slovakia2, which is their third level of professional hockey. In 2023-24, he joined Fuchse Duisburg in Germany3 (Oberliga – third tier in Germany) and had a brief stint with the Utah Grizzles (ECHL) before moving on to the Perth Thunder of the Australian Ice Hockey League for 19 games.

Since then, he’s moved back to Ontario, where he’s a head coach in the Ontario Hockey Academy and the head coach for the Credit River Capitals U13. He’s expected to return to them in 2026-27.

Defenceman Connor Corcoran

Every team needs a steady, reliable player who can control the ice at both ends. That was defenceman Connor Corcoran for the Spitfires. Their second-round pick in 2016, he was an important piece to their Memorial Cup run, despite being a rookie. He got in regular action, seeing 59 games, though he didn’t see any time in the Memorial Cup.

What happened after that big first season? Corcoran continued with the Spitfires through the COVID-19-shortened 2019-20 season, including being named alternate captain. From 2020-23, the Vegas Golden Knights’ prospect split time between the Henderson Silver Knights (AHL) and the Fort Wayne Komets and Savannah Ghost Pirates (ECHL). In 2023-24, he also saw action with the Bakersfield Condors (AHL) and the Komets again. This season, he joined EC Salzburg of the IceHockeyLeague (IceHL), which is the top tier of hockey in Austria. However, he has now signed on with Kiekko-Espoo of Liiga in Finland as of May 5.

Forward Tyler Angle

Another rookie during the Memorial Cup run was forward Tyler Angle. The club’s sixth-round pick in 2016 was just 5-foot-11, 175 pounds, but he was a sponge and could do a bit of everything.

In the Memorial Cup season, he earned four points in 41 games but spent most of the playoffs watching and learning from the veteran team. It came in handy. What happened to him after that season?

Like Corcoran, he spent the next three seasons growing as an OHL player. In his final season of 2019-20, he had 67 points in 62 games before COVID-19 took over. Following that, the Columbus Blue Jackets’ prospect spent 2020 to 2024 between the NHL and their AHL farm club, the Cleveland Monsters.

In 2024-25, he jumped over to the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, the highest level in Germany, and played for Dusseldorfer. This season, he came back to the AHL and suited up for the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Forward Graham Knott

Similar to Addison, Knott was another one of Rychel’s veteran acquisitions for the Memorial Cup run. Averaging about 40 points a season, the 6-foot-3, 192-pound Etobicoke native wasn’t a flashy player but could produce and throw his weight around a bit. Rychel paid a fair bit to get him and the rights to highly-touted US prospect forward Trent Frederic, who didn’t report, including five picks and two additional conditional picks. However, Knott added 35 points in 45 games plus another four points in the Memorial Cup, making the picks easier to swallow.

After the season, Knott moved on with his hockey career. Where did he go? The Chicago Blackhawks’ prospect spent the next two seasons with the Rockford IceHogs in the AHL. Following that, he spent time with various AHL and ECHL teams before shifting his career to Europe, where he joined Black Wings Linz in the IceHL in 2022-23. There, he’s been a point-per-game player through 184 games and was named an alternate captain for them this season.

Ultimately, a player wants to find success in the NHL. However, sometimes life takes you on a different path. From coaching to Europe and the minor pros, these four players have found success in different ways, and we wish them all the best in the future.