Saturday Morning Special - July 30th

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We officially wrapped up Season 6 this morning without a lot of fanfare or celebration, we just had a kick ass show instead. I was flying solo today with Deano off to Calgary for a friend's wedding so I had to call in some heavy hitters to carry the load for me. We covered the U18 and U20 Canada camps with a scout and a participant, we touched on the CHL/NCAA border war and then welcomed a pair of players into the studio for the second half of the show.

Oleksiak Picks Canada

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A busy week for Dallas Stars 1st round pick Jamie Oleksiak who officially left college for the CHL a couple of days ago and now has officially chosen Canada over the United States for his international hockey.

Canada's U20 summer camp begins next Wednesday here in Edmonton. A 46-man camp list has been out for a long time now but that was been bumped up to 47 yesterday by Hockey Canada as they added the 6'7 blueliner to the mix.

TPS Saturday - In Studio Guests

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This Saturday Dean is on vacation so I've recruited a couple of guys to come in studio in his place. I'll be joined by a pair of Edmonton-area players who are still around this summer before they head back to their teams. Both are players who chose the NCAA path as the right one for them, one is still in school while the other is now a second year pro.

The Summer of the CHL

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It's been a banner off season for the Canadian Hockey League, and one of disappointment for their NCAA cousin. College hockey has seen teams jump from conference to conference and players leave schools or back out of commitments left right and center and join junior hockey north of the border.

Tuesday night on TPS

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Tonight we were joined by prospects of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers, the head scout for Hockey Canada, our CHL insider and a new member of the Winnipeg Jets. We also discussed a couple of new coaches in the CHL and NCAA and a player who left college for the OHL.

Broncos Hire Andy Murray

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The Western Michigan Broncos have made a major hire today landing Andy Murray to be their new head coach. It's reportedly a 5 year deal that WMU secured Murray with as they looked to replace Jeff Blashill after the rookie coach left the program for the Detroit Red Wings a couple of weeks ago.

Here is the official release from the team.

Pats Closing in on Coach

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Rod Perdersen suggested this morning that Pat Conacher will be the next head coach of the WHL's Regina Pats and TPS is hearing the same thing. Conacher was in the WHL last season as an assistant to Marc Habscheid in Chilliwack with the Bruins. He also has a NHL background having played for 6 different NHL clubs including his hometown Edmonton Oilers, the New York Rangers and the L.A. Kings.

Winnipeg Soars With Jets Logos

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The Winnipeg Jets unveiled their new logos last Friday and as we mentioned on Twitter the day before, they are indeed blue, red and silver. There has been a lot of talk about the new look and while I think a lot of fans were hoping the team would just use the old cresting, I'm sure people can understand the financial necessity to re-brand the Winnipeg Jets.

The club will make a mint on the initial rush by Jets fans (old and new alike) as they seek to adorn themselves with the latest hats, jerseys and other paraphernalia. The die-hard fans already have two or three classic jerseys so the team needs to find a way to sell to that group and, this is it.

If you care, my thoughts on the logo designs come next...

Saturday Morning Special - July 23rd

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Back from the 3rd annual TPS Invitational Golf Tournament in Jasper, we were happy to be joined by three live guests but also selected 3 highlight interviews from the first 6 seasons of The Pipeline Show. We spoke with a top prospect who was recently involved in a major NHL trade, we chatted with the voice of another CHL team and also heard from a new media contact south of the border about the ramifications of the NCHC.

We opened our vault and picked a trio of must-listen conversations we had in the past, two with Hall of Famers looking back at their junior days and another spotlighting an infamous moment during the 1987 World Junior Championship.

Shockey Headed to Victoria

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TPS has received word this morning that AAA Calgary Bisons head coach Parry Shockey has resigned his position with the club and that he will likely resurface in the WHL with the Victoria Royals. Sources indicate to us that the former coach of the Moose Jaw Warriors, Lethbridge Hurricanes, Regina Pats and Spokane Chiefs will be named the team's Director of Player Development.

Saturday Morning Special - July 16th

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This morning on TPS we spoke with 5 guests and pushed our charity auction total to over $5000 as we raised more funds to help the victims of the fire and flooding in Slave Lake. It was the third opportunity for fans and listeners to get in on the action, to help out some folks in need and to come out of it with some pretty neat stuff.

J.T. Miller Heading to Plymouth

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The Pipeline Show has now confirmed with the player himself that New York Rangers prospect J. T. Miller is indeed detouring away from his NCAA commitment to North Dakota and will instead play for the Plymouth Whalers in the OHL.

The Ohio product was chosen 15th overall by the New York Rangers last month at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft in Minnesota. His first appearance on The Pipeline Show was back in April and he confirmed to us back then that he would officially decide after the draft where he would play next year.

This is obviously a blow to the Fighting Sioux of North Dakota who have lost 6 of their top 7 scorers from last year to graduation or to pro hockey (Jason Gregoire).

We had asked Miller to appear on the show this weekend but after initially agreeing to do so, he opted to take a pass and join us at a date in the near future instead.

Warriors Hire Stothers: Dave Barr set to join Devils

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As Rod Pedersen reported earlier this week, the Moose Jaw Warriors hired Mike Stothers today as head coach. Assistant coach Mike Vandenberghe was also retained as an assistant coach. The official release can be found here.

Tuesday night on TPS: More money raised for wildfire victims

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Tonight on the big show we got the latest on an upcoming huge trade in the Q, discussed some upcoming coaching hires in the WHL and chatted with an American forward heading to the BCHL. We also raised more money for the victims of wildfires and flooding in the Slave Lake, Alberta region.

Last Saturday we auctioned off a similar package with a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins autographed jersey and the winning bid came from O2's Taphouse in Edmonton ponying up $2800. Tonight we put up a Mark Pysyk autographed Oil Kings jersey, along with the Jasper Park Lodge golf and spa package, and a Moosehead prize package and thanks to One 9 Construction inc we were able to raise another $1600 for our cause. That's $4400 so far with one more auction to go on Saturday. We will have the JPL and Moosehead packages up for grabs along with a signed Tyler Ennis Buffalo Sabres jersey and thanks to our good friend Sam Cosentino a couple of autographed baseballs from Aaron Hill and Adam Lind!!!! That's Saturday from 10-noon mst.

New Man in Moose Jaw

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Regina based media mogul Rod Pedersen is reporting that the Moose Jaw Warriors are expected to name Mike Stothers as their new head coach. He has a NHL background as both a player (30 games) and as a coach (2 years). Stothers was behind the bench of the OHL's Owen Sound Attack for 5 seasons so obviously is well known by Warriors Director of Hockey Operations Alan Millar.

It's also expected that assistant coach Mike Vandenberghe will return in the same capacity for the 2011-12 season.

Other recent WHL vacancies have been filled by new head scout Dan Bonar (Calgary) and head coach Mark Ferner (Everett).

Mooseheads Set to Acquire MacKinnon

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Thanks to TPS regular Kevin Forbes for the heads up who notified us that the QMJHL club in his backyard is about to land the next Big Thing. The Halifax Mooseheads have reportedly agreed on a deal that will bring in phenom Nathan MacKinnon from Baie-Comeau in exchange for two players and a trio of 1st round draft picks.

The Chronicle-Herald is reporting that something will eventually be done once the August 1st trade window arrives.

It's a lot to give up but Halifax can afford the price because they just dealt a USHL based prospect named Adam Erne to the Quebec Remparts for two 1sts and a 2nd round pick.

With MacKinnon joining Martin Frk, the Mooseheads will have two of the most highly regarded U18 players in the world on their roster.

Oil Kings Lose Key Prospect to BCHL

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If there is one thing the modern-era Edmonton Oil Kings haven't had a lot of over their 4-year existence it's big, impact centermen. Yes, Jeff Lee had a 62-point season in 2008-09 but that's about the end of the list. Can Travis Ewanyk become that guy? Maybe, although offensive production isn't what most are expecting of him. Jordan Hickmott was good for the team last season but at 6' and 185 lbs, he wasn't the kind of center we're talking about here.

What the Oil Kings have lacked is a 6'2, nearly 200 lb pivot that can step in and anchor the second line spot and give the team a pair of effective scoring lines. Unfortunately for them, that guy appears to have chosen the BCHL and NCAA over just such an opportunity here in Edmonton.

Saturday Morning Special - July 9th

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What a fantastic way to start your day - not only did we have terrific guests today but we had major breaking news occur during our broadcast and our listener auction produced almost $3000 for charity!

Congratulations and a huge "Thank You!" to the Owner(s) of O2's Taphouse & Grill who coughed up the high bid on the day, a cool $2800. For that they picked up the trip to Jasper, the Moosehead prize pack and the autographed Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Red Deer Rebels jersey.

If you were one of the many who were in on the fierce bidding war, don't worry; We're doing it again on Tuesday and next Saturday with a signed Mark Pysyk Edmonton Oil Kings jersey followed by a Buffalo Sabres sweater autographed by local product Tyler Ennis!

Win a trip to Jasper by helping out people of Slave Lake

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Starting on Saturday we will have the first of 3 live auctions with the proceeds going to the folks affected by the Slave Lake fires. If a good portion of the town burning down wasn't tough enough, there are now flooding concerns. So here at TPS we want to help make what has been a year from hell just a little better. That's where you come in, and how you can enjoy an amazing getaway.

What you missed on Tuesday NIght!!

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Tonight Guy and I chatted with prospects from 2 NHL teams, welcomed back our CHL insider, spoke to the voice of the Portland Winterhawks, and checked in with the UND Fighting Sioux. We also teed up our upcoming charity auctions where you can win a trip for 2 to Jasper Park Lodge, a Moosehead prize pack and an autographed Ryan Nugent-Hopkins jersey.

All the proceeds from our charity auctions will go towards the people of Slave Lake and here's what you can win. 2 nights at the amazing Jasper Park Lodge, 2 rounds of golf at the Stanley Thompson designed course, and a $200 spa package, with breakfast each morning. Tune in Saturday morning 10-noon MST to get your hands on a sweet prize pack and help out the fine folks in Slave Lake who were ravaged by fire this spring.

Saturday Morning Special - July 2nd

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With Canadians celebrating Canada Day and our American neighbors preparing for Independence Day, it was time for our annual salute to the national programs in each country. We spoke with an executive from both sides of the border and also a current NHL defenceman who skates for the Los Angeles Kings but has represented his country a number of times. We also chatted with a player hoping for the opportunity to do just that at the 2012 World Juniors. Plus, in his final weekly visit of the season, our NHL Insider looked at the feeding frenzy that is NHL free agency.

Oilers sign RNH to max contract

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It didn't take long for the Oilers and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to come to terms on a deal, as RNH signed his entry level contract today at an Edmonton Capitals game where he also threw out the first pitch. The Oilers own the North American Baseball League team.

Kevin Lowe got the ball rolling by contacting the RNH camp and a contract was quickly worked out with Assistant G.M. Rick Olczyk. The pact will pay the first overall pick the maximum $925,000 and with bonuses could jump to $3.775 million. Some of the bonus triggers are goals, assists, points, points per game, ice time, plus/minus and various awards. Interestingly enough winning the Calder trophy is not an eligible bonus do to the current CBA.

Nugent-Hopkins will join other Oilers prospects Monday morning in Sherwood Park at the team's prospect camp.

Canada/U.S.A: What's your favourite memory?

On Saturday's show we are paying tribute to both Hockey Canada and U.S.A Hockey for a full two hours. Representatives (both players - Jack Johnson - and administrators) will join us from both organization.

How did the programs start? Who were the key guys in getting them off the ground? Why are they so successful? What's coming down the pipe with both hockey powers?

We also want to hear from you. What's your favourite or worst Canada/U.S.A hockey memory? We'll open up the lines at 780-426-8326 or toll free in Canada 1-800-243-1945 from 12-12:25 pm eastern time. You can also email us pipeup@theteam1260.com or drop us a line at twitter.com/thepipelineshow.

As always the show runs from noon-2 pm eastern time and can be heard on the TEAM 1260 in Edmonton or online here.