Kraken Prospect Firkus Finishes Junior Career With Goal In Memorial Cup Loss

Under the big top in Saginaw, MI, the "Firkus Circus" entertained major junior hockey fans for the final time Friday night.

In the 2024 Memorial Cup semifinal, Firkus' Moose Jaw Warriors were beaten by the host Saginaw Spirit, 7-1. Saginaw will face the OHL power London Knights in the championship match on Sunday.

Firkus scored the lone Warriors goal, tying the score 1-1 after one period.

Despite Moose Jaw posting a 1-3 record at the Memorial Cup, this was a season and junior career of historic, prolific memories for the Seattle Kraken prospect.

During his first two full seasons in Moose Jaw, Firkus became a scoring machine, pouring in 36 and 40 regular season goals. In between, Seattle drafted him in the second round in 2022.

For those wondering what the 20-year-old Alberta native could possibly do for an encore, Firkus found a way. He scored 61 goals and 126 points in the 2023-24 regular season, then met the moment in the postseason with 15 goals and 33 points.

In the process, Firkus led the Warriors to the first Western Hockey League title in franchise history. Moose Jaw had never before played for the Memorial Cup.

“He’s so creative,” teammate and Penguins prospect Brayden Yager said to CHL.ca about Firkus. “He finds a way to sneak through guys.  He takes guys one-on-four and finds a way to get through and somehow get a shot off. He goes to the dirty areas. He works a lot harder than I think people think.”

Next stop for the hard working, high scoring center will likely be with the AHL Coachella Valley Firebirds this autumn. The parent club in Seattle will no doubt be watching with great anticipation to see if Firkus' goal-scoring ability translates to pro hockey.