Saturday Morning Special - Feb 5th

~
It was a very busy Saturday edition of The Pipeline Show as we covered the CHL, NCAA, the NHL Draft, some NHL topics, a charity game and one of the hosts returned for just his third appearance in 2011. All in all we had 6 guests crammed into the two hour program including the return of some familiar names and the debut of two new guests.

Avalanche Prospect Snap Shot

~
1995 was the year that the Quebec Nordiques relocated their franchise to the Rocky Mountains returning NHL hockey to Denver Colorado. While it was a kick in the junk to fans in Quebec City, getting the league back in a strong U.S. hockey market was obviously a positive for the league. The fact that the Aves were a contending team and actually won the Stanley Cup the next year likely made things worse for Nords fans but it probably helped cement the team in its new home market for years to come.

I personally like the fact that the Avalanche haven't forgotten where they came from with small gestures like having the old Quebec jersey present at Joe Sakic's retirement; that shows a level of class we haven't always seen with other clubs.

Colorado has captured the Stanley Cup twice in it's tenure, in 1996 and then again in 2001. While the Colorado Rockies were somewhat of a laughing stock, the Avalanche have been a power in the league almost every year since the move from Quebec. Where once they were able to rely on free agency to build their winning teams, now they've proven they can have success through the draft which is the goal of every team in the salary cap era. Matt Duchene, Ryan O'Reilly, T.J. Galiardi and Brandon Yip have all played significant roles with the team this year as rookies.

Here is a look at some of the up and coming talent in the pipeline of the Colorado Avalanche...

Wednesday Reset - Oct. 20th

~
Last night on The Pipeline Show we tried something new with Bad Ass Trivia, spoke with a former Oiler who is now an executive with the Colorado Avalanche, chatted up two prospects eligible for the 2010 NHL Draft and posed several questions to a Pioneer (some questions more than once).

First with Bad Ass Trivia - we got to thinking recently that we could have another guest each show if we changed trivia by asking a question as we go to a commercial break and take the calls off the air. That way we weren't spending part of our 2 hours/week playing trivia that listeners outside of the Edmonton area can't partake in. We tried it last night and it seemed to work so expect that to continue.

We began last night's edition of TPS with a segment of news and notes from around the hockey prospects world. We updated listeners on the QMJHL, OHL, WHL, USHL, NCAA and AHL. The show also featured a new intro, well at least a new music bed for the intro, let us know what you think of it. Hear that segment HERE.

Our first guest on the show yesterday was supposed to be Patrick Roy but apparently the Quebec Remparts had a team function so we'll have to re-schedule his appearance another week.

Instead, Dean and I had the pleasure of speaking with Jonathan Merrill, a name most fans probably don't recognize yet but definitely will by the time the draft rolls around. Merrill is a 6'3, 200 lb defender with the U18 US National Development team who will join the Michigan Wolverines next year. We talked to Merrill about the program, being a part of the USHL, his future at Michigan and of course his draft year. You can hear that interview with Jon Merrill HERE.

We also talked with another 2010 eligible prospect but this time it was a native Californian playing in Medicine Hat. Emerson Etem is another player probably off the radar of the casual fan but with the Tigers this year he already has 9 goals and 11 points in 13 games as a rookie so he's definitely making a statement. We spoke with the likable forward from Long Beach, CA about his past with the US National Development Program, playing away from home since he's been about 14, and making the move to Canada and the WHL. Hear what Emerson Etem had to say HERE.

The Denver Pioneers are off to a slower than expected start as the formerly #1 ranked program posts a 2-2 record after week 2 of the schedule. Joe Colborne (BOS) is now on the shelf with a broken finger so we had a chance to speak with the former AJHL star about the rough start for his team and also got an update on the injury. Joe also offered up his thoughts on his former team (Camrose) being awarded host status for the 2011 RBC Cup. Hear Colborne's comments HERE.

Another former Kodiak gave us his thoughts about that same topic as Dean had a chance to speak with of the Vancouver Canucks. That was one part of a segment featuring our AJHL Game of the Week and Alumni Player of the Week. Hear that Here.

Last but not least, David Oliver, Director of Player Development of the Colorado Avalanche, talked to us about a number of the prospects playing for the Lake Erie Monsters, junior, NCAA or at the NHL level like Ryan O'Reilly, Matt Duchene, Kieran Millan, Kevin Shattenkirk, Colby Cohen, T.J. Galiardi, Brock Bradford and more. Hear what the former Oiler and Michigan Wolverine had to say by clicking HERE.

TPS Reset

~
It was the big finale for Season 4 of The Pipeline Show this past Tuesday and to celebrate Dean went to Calgary and missed it. OK, he went to cover the Olympic camp for Team Canada and he didn't miss the entire show... but he wasn't around to lead the way.

In Dean's place I invited Dustin Nielson from the TEAM 260's morning show. Dustin and I go back a few years and have partnered up on the broadcasts of Viking Cup and ACAC events.

Dustin and I started the program off by speaking with A.J. Jakubec, the voice of the Edmonton Oil Kings. A.J. has been out with the local 'Dub club during training camp so we got an update on several of the players trying to make a good impression. Some of the key names we talked about included Keegan Lowe, Henrik Samuelsson and Mitchell Moroz. (Hear the Oil Kings Update)

In our second segment we spoke with an Edmonton product who plays in Saskatoon, went undrafted and yet has earned an invite to Oilers rookie camp. Burke Gallimore had a pretty decent rookie year in the WHL with the Blades and I was a bit surprised that no one picked him up in the draft. We talked to him about what getting the invite from the Oilers means to him and we also broke the news that his linemate Derek Hulak received his own invite earlier in the day. The entire line of Gallimore-Hulak-Milan Kytnar will be reunited at rookie camp. (Gallimore Interview)

Dean Millard joined us to discuss Team Canada's Olympic camp and we specifically talked about the chances some of the young guys in attendance might have of making the club. Drew Doughty, Steven Stamkos, Jonathon Toews, Milan Lucic, Carey Price, Steve Mason... all names we bandied about. (Millard's Interview)

Hour #2 began with another local product who has gone on to bigger and better things. Kieran Millan is coming off a NCAA National Championship freshman season and will head back to BU as a sophomore who was drafted by the Colorado Avalanche. Millan and the BU Terriers will take on their arch-rivals from Boston College at an outdoor game at Fenway Park this coming January and we discussed that as well. Finally we touched on Millan's previous time spent in the AJHL with the Spruce Grove Saints. (Hear Millan's Interview Here)

We played a spirited round of Bad Ass Trivia and asked a bunch of questions, many in regards to the Calgary Flames and their prospects. That led in to our final segment of the night, a discussion with D'Archy McGrath, the owner of www.Calgarypuck.com, the popular website/message board of Flames fans. We've regularly get criticized by members of the site for not having worthwhile insight into the Flames so we attempted to rectify that this week and I think we succeeded. (Calgary Puck Interview)

That's it for Season 4 but don't worry... we're back again on September 1st to kick off Season 5 of The Pipeline Show!

NCAA/CHL Free Agent Goalie Wishlist

~
Following my wishlist of forwards and blueliners, here are the goalies that interest me enough that I hope to see get consideration for an invite to summer camp here in Edmonton. Some of these guys are still eligible to get drafted at the end of June but all of them have been passed over at least once already.

Dean and I were talking a while back about save percentage and trying to compare it to goal scoring. What number would be equal in value to a team as say a 50-goal scorer? There were only 5 goalies in the NHL this year with a save percentage of .920 or greater. There was only one 50-goal scorer but there were eight who had 40 or more. So just for arguments sake... can we make a case for saying a goalie with a .920 save percentage is relatively as valuable as a 45-goal scorer?

Maybe, maybe not. Worth talking about.

Ben Scrivens - Cornell University Big Red
Born Sep 11, 1986 Spruce Grove, ALTA
Height 6.02 Weight 180 Shoots L

The jury is very much mixed on exactly how good Scrivens is; is he a product of an uber-defensive system of a team that plays in a relatively weak conference or is he as good as his numbers suggest? And really, that's the point of the invite. I spoke with a scout a couple months back and asked him that exact question and his answer was

"Without a doubt, he's a product of... maybe I'm wrong but I don't think so. He has made improvements in his game since last year, especially in his movement in the crease."

Scrivens posted the .931 save percentage in 36 games, 4th highest in the entire NCAA. This after a .930 in 2007-08 and a .911 in 2006-07. His 1.81 goals against average was another career best and ranked 3rd best in the NCAA. At 6'2 and 180 lbs his size is an asset and the fact that he's a local kid might have some intangible positive spin possibilities as well. He's headed back for his senior year so will be a UFA this time next season.

Zane Kalemba - Princeton Tigers
Born Dec 19, 1985 Saddle Brook, NJ
Height 5.11 Weight 185 Shoots L

The New Jersey product has bounced around in his amateur career with stops in Tri-City and Green Bay of the USHL followed by a year in the SJHL's Flin Flon Bombers. He's had two strong years at Princeton under head coach Guy Gadowsky. Kalemba's 1.82 GAA was right behind Scrivens but his .932 sv% was a hair better. Like Scrivens, Kalemba's team is also located in the ECAC Conference where there is a distinct difference between the strong and weak hockey programs.

I have only seen Kalemba play once and it was on TV so not the best way to get a scouting read. At 5'11 and 185 lbs he doesn't have the natural size advantage that are becoming the norm in the NHL but he appears to be athletic enough, like Dustin Tokarski, that he should be given an extra look.

Kieran Millan - Boston University
Born Aug 31, 1989 Edmonton, ALTA
Height 6.00 Weight 190 Shoots L

Near the top of my list would be the freshman sensation of the NCAA Champion B.U. Terriers. We've had Millan on the show before and he struck us as a mature and realistic young man. His play on the ice this past year, his first at the NCAA level, was obviously terrific as he helped the Terriers capture the national title. Coach Jack Parker told us during our Memorial Cup Coach's Show about how key a player he was on and off of the ice.

Millan's numbers are solid and considering the fact that Hockey East was arguably the best of the 6 NCAA conferences last year, the stats should mean even more. Millan posted a 1.93 GAA in 35 games and had a .925 save percentage to go with it. He held the opposition to 1 or fewer goals in 15 of those games including a shutout over UMass-Lowell in the Hockey East title game.

His AJHL days with Spruce Grove were less impressive but after working with ORSports later in the year he turned his game around and hasn't looked back since.

Aaron Sorochan - Alberta Golden Bears
Born Apr 17, 1984 Edmonton, ALTA
Height 6.00 Weight 180 Shoots L

Back in March I mentioned a bunch of Golden Bears past and present that I'd like the Oilers to look at next year, especially if former UofA coach Rob Daum is back at the helm of the Springfield Falcons and goalie Aaron Sorochan was obviously one of them. (I neglected to mention Ben Kilgour and Ian MacDonald again for the forwards wishlist but they'd still be on it).

Robin Brownlee typed up a nice outline of Sorochan recently for Oilers Nation so rather than me re-hashing what he said there or what we've written in the past about him here, suffice to say that I think he's deserving of another look.

One NHL scout told me after one of the Golden Bears' National Title wins that it was going to be an off-season priority for him to get his NHL team to invite both Sorochan and Ben Thomson to their next camp. Unfortunately that scout was not retained by that NHL club. Regardless, the interest from NHL teams has been there in the past and should be even more now that Sorochan in done his CIS career.

Torrie Jung - Edmonton Oil Kings
Born Jan 21, 1989 Nanaimo, BC
Height 6.01 Weight 170 Shoots L

At the moment Jung's NHL rights are held by the Tampa Bay Lightning but if they don't sign him by June 1st, he'll go back into the draft. If that happens, I will be very surprised if another team doesn't take him but... if that also happens then he will become a UFA and therefore up for grabs.

Jung had the 7th best GAA and the 5th best SV% on a team that finished just well enough to make the playoffs (thanks to him) and still bad enough to have a top-10 pick in the Bantam Draft. Jung was the biggest reason for the turn around the Oil Kings had this year and if that club actually gets him back for an overage year... well just making the playoffs won't be enough.

He's a quick and agile goalie but is pretty good positionally as well. His personality is terrific and his attitude is first class. He'd be a great addition to any organization and if he can duplicate last year's success as a 20-year-old then he'll definitely be worth signing.

Nicola Riopel - Moncton Wildcats
Born Feb 20, 1989 St-Pie-de-Bagot, PQ
Height 6.00 Weight 167 Shoots L

I honestly know nothing about Riopel except that his numbers this year were very strong, he's undrafted and yet he was the QMJHL's nominee for CHL Player of the Year. He backstopped Moncton to the third best record in the regular season but individually he was on top of the league for both GAA (2.01) and SV% (.931).

He's of average if not slight below average size but in a league that often sees ridiculous scores, giving up just a pair is pretty respectable. The next best GAA in the league was 2.37 so there was quite a bit of separation for him from the field.

He also represented the QMJHL in the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge in 2007-08, was an all-star in 2009 and picked up several Player-of-the-Week awards over his 3-year Q career in with the Wildcats.

(Photo credits: USCHO.com, QMJHL, WHL, Edmonton Oil Kings, University of Alberta)

Wednesday Re-Set

~
It was an overloaded edition of The Pipeline Show last night because we chose to go guest heavy as we shifted our spotlight back north on the CHL playoffs.

Our first guest of the evening was 2009 eligible prospect Peter Holland of the Guelph Storm. The big center is currently representing Canada at the World U18 Championship in Fargo-Moorehead. He's rated as a 1st round pick by both Central Scouting and ISS and last night he told us all about his year in Guelph, initially getting passed over by Hockey Canada and his enormous disappointment until he finally was a late addition for the U18s.

We also wrapped up our in-depth NCAA coverage by speaking with Dave Starman, analyst for CBS Sports. Dave's breakdown of the Frozen Four and especially the title win by Boston University was a terrific recap of last weekend's events. Will Miami recover from their stunning collapse? How differnet will BU look next year? Does Edmonton's Kieran Millan get drafted this June?

The CHL playoffs are well underway and all 3 leagues are down to their final four teams. Kevin Forbes of Hockey's Future took us through the QMJHL which features match ups between Drummondville and Rimouski as well as Quebec taking on Shawinigan. The Voltigeurs have completely destroyed their competition so far but now they come up against a legit test in the Memorial Cup host Oceanic. Patrick Roy's Remparts needed 7 games to get passed Cape Breton and have a short turn around before they begin again against the Cataractes. Forbes gives us his opinions and predictions on how things will play out.

One of our OHL insiders is Aaron Bell who talked about the semi-final which features all four division leaders for the first time in league history. Belleville is a veteran team that has tons of playoff experience but they are taking on a very talented Brampton Battalion squad that includes Matt Duchene, Cody Hodgson, Evgeny Grachev and Thomas McCollum. The other series will be another beauty as John Tavares and the London Knights hook up with Taylor Hall's Windsor Spitfires. There is little to choose between all four clubs which makes predicting the outcome pretty tough but we all cast our fearless picks anyway.

The Kelowna Rockets were still waiting to find out who they'd face while we spoke with their play-by-play voice, Regan Bartel. Bartel talked about the potential match up against Vancouver or Spokane and then went in depth in discussing how the Rockets had dispatched Tri-City and Kamloops. Jamie Benn, Colin Long, Cody Almond, Tyler Myers, Mikael Backlund and Ryley Grantham were all talked about. The Rockets and the Vancouver Giants begin their Western Conference final on Saturday April 18th.

Finally, we also played some Bad Ass Trivia and then got into the NHL Draft Lottery which was held while we were on the air. Dean and I started throwing names around for the top 10, part of which you can see in our first mock draft that Millard posted last night (see below).

If you missed any segments of the show last night, no worries because you can visit our site and listen to any of the archived interviews from the last four years. April 14th archived audio.

Playing Catch Up

Easter - it's more than just chocolate eggs and bunny rabbits, especially when you marry a Catholic. I found out early in my relationship with my wife that for Catholics, and maybe other religions too (I have no idea), Easter is a bigger holiday than Christmas. That didn't much make sense to me at the time, after all what could be bigger than Jesus' birthday? My wife, who is always able to dumb things down to my level, explained it best: Everyone has a birthday, not everyone returns from the dead and therefore Easter > Christmas.

Suffice to say that I've been busy the last few days and so this is my first chance to get caught up on the hockey events of the past weekend.

NCAA Champions

Boston University claimed the national title in an exciting come from behind victory over Miami on saturday night. The RedHawks blew a late 3-1 lead as BU scored twice in the final minute of regulation time to even the score and force sudden death (or sudden victory as I was hearing the politically correct refer to it recently!).

Colby Cohen scored the game winner at the 11:47 mark of the overtime. Kevin Shattenkirk made a drop pass at the offensive blueline to set up Cohen who let fly a blast that was partially blocked, but not enough as the puck flipped high into the air eluding everyone before it landed over the shoulder of Cody Reichard and into the back of the net. Cohen could have been the goat because he had taken more than his fair share of penalties during the game but ended up being the hero.

Edmontonian Kieran Millan stopped 29 of 32 shots for the win although the broadcast duo of Barry Melrose and Gary Thorne described the goalie as "fighting the puck" and "looking nervous" for much of the game.

For anyone not staunchly behind the Terriers, this was a painful end to the RedHawks' season. With a minute left to play I remember clearly thinking that with the way the rest of the tournament had played up to this point, "would it really be a surprise if BU was able to come back to tie this game in the dying seconds?" And sure enough...

I felt horrible for Enrico Blasi's club. Miami (of Ohio) has never won a national championship in any sport and here they were less than a minute away from stealing one from the #1 ranked hockey team in the country... only to let it slip away. Failure to convert on their 7 power play opportunities has to be considered the biggest reason why they couldn't get it done. Tommy Wingels played another terrific game for Miami after his big contribution against Bemidji State in the semi-finals. Carter Camper showed he could dangle when he set up the second Miami goal, and Justin Mercier impressed me as well.

One last thought on the NCAA final game - thanks to Corey Graham from the TEAM 1260's Post Game Show for texting me after he stumbled across the live coverage of the game on The Score network. I don't know if promoted it at all but if not for the text i would have missed the game and it was a beauty.

Here are the highlights from ESPN:


Hobey Baker

He was the runner-up on my list two weeks ago but since my own pick didn't make the Hobey Hat Trick, I was pleased that Matt Gilroy took home the award for the top NCAA player. Now that the Frozen Four is over, the Gilroy watch is on to see which NHL team signs the 24-year-old defenceman.

CHL Playoffs

The QMJHL is almost down to the final 4 teams. The semi-finals are almost set pending the outcome of the Quebec/Cape Breton series which could conlude tonight should the Screaming Eagles knock of Patrick Roy's Remparts in Game 6.

So far the playoffs have pretty much gone as expected with Drummondville sweeping through the first and second round. The Voltigeurs will now play the Memorial Cup host Rimouski Oceanic who are a much better team now that they are healthy compared to during the season when they were regularly missing big contributors. The Volts should still be the favored club as they played the fewest number of game possible yet have the four leading scorers in the playoffs. Yannik Riendeau has 28 points in 8 games, Chris Didomenico (pictured) and Dany Massé both have 25 points for Drummondville.

Their opponents from Rimouski seem to be getting it done in large part because of their netminder. Keven Veilleux leads them in scoring with 15 points but goalie Maxime Gougeon has the best GAA in the Q playoffs with a paltry 1.78.

The Shawinigan Cataractes await the winner of Quebec/Cape Breton and will be the favourite no matter which team they face.

Tuesday night on The Pipeline Show we plan on speaking with someone on the scene covering the Q playoffs so we can get all of the particulars and sidebar stories going on.

In Ontario, the semi-finals feature the four teams that pretty much everyone predicted would there. Belleville will face Brampton while the London Knights take on the Windsor Spitfires. Both series begin on Wednesday so all four clubs are benefitting from a nice rest.

Brampton, my pick to be OHL champs, have Cody Hodgson (VAN), Matt Duchene ('09), Evgeny Grachev (NYR) as well as Thomas McCollum (DET) between the pipes. Belleville counters with Eric Tangradi (PGH), P.K. Subban (MTL), Luke Pither (UFA) and goalie Mike Murphy (CAR). I still like the Battalion.

The other series features a pair of teams that will do whatever it takes to win including huge deals at the trade deadline. London's addition of John Tavares ('09) gives them the series marquee players but the Knights also have Nazem Kadri ('09), Michael Del Zotto (NYR) and Phil Varone. My pick is Windsor though thaks to Taylor Hall ('10), Andrei Loktionov (LA), Ryan Ellis ('09) and Greg Nemisz (CGY). Could you imagine if the New York Islanders took Dean's advice and sent Josh Bailey back for the Memorial Cup run too?

A couple of weeks ago we spoke with Sam Cosentino of Rogers Sportsnet for his take on the OHL playoffs, we'll speak with another OHL contact tomorrow night on the show.

Out west it's been an entertaining post season. The Calgary Hitmen swept through Edmonton and Lethbridge in 8 straight games and arguably had a tougher time with the Oil Kings than the Hurricanes - as much a credit to the OK Kids as a sign that the Hitmen just keep getting better.

It's no suprise that the Hitmen have reached the Eastern Conference finals and their opponent isn't really a stunner either although no one expected that the Brandon Wheat Kings would also be a perfect 8-0. The Wheaties cruised past Kootenay and then a battle weary Medicine Hat team to get this far and they've put up big numbers in the process. Brayden Schenn ('09) and Scott Glennie ('09) both have 15 points, more than any Calgary player, and Matt Calvert (CLB) has an even dozen which is equal to the higest Hitmen scorers.

The goaltending edge has to go to Calgary's Martin Jones (LA) but Andrew Hayes has been solid for Brandon to this point as well.

The Western Conference Final will feature the Kelowna Rockets and against either the Vancouver Giants or the Spokane Chiefs. Spokane failed to close out their series last night allowing the Giants to force a game 7 back home after a 3-2 overtime win. The numbers for Dustin Tokarski (TBY) and Tyson Sexsmith (SJ) are pretty much a saw-off as one has a slighty better GAA while the other's save perentage is a touch better.

Casey Pierro-Zabotel (PGH) may have led the league in regular season scoring but he's well behind the postseason race. He has just 11 points thus far, as does Evander Kane ('09). Leading scorer for Vancouver is actually defenceman Jonathan Blum (NSH) with 15 points.

Spokane's defensive game has served them well but they need to get more offence out of what I consider to be an underrated collection of forwards. Drayson Bowman (CAR)and Mitch Wahl (CGY) only have 13 points apiece and Ondrej Roman has a disappointing 5 points. Levko Koper ('09) is third in team scoring right now with 10 points but guys like Tyler Johnson, Brady Calla (FLA) and Justin McCrae have barely factored into offence for the Chiefs so far.

Meanwhile the Rockets get a nice rest as they await the outcome of Game 7. Jamie Benn (DAL) has been a dynamo and leads the WHL in playoff scoring with 23 points. Recently signed Cody Almond is second in team scoring with 17 points followed by Tyler Myers (BUF), Tyson Barrie ('09), Colin Long (PHX) and Mikael Backlund who missed 3 games due to injury.

Tomorrow night we'll be joined by Regan Bartel, voice of the Rockets, who can give us a recap of Kelowna's series wins over Tri-City and Kamloops.

NHL Signings

A couple weeks ago I wrote up a list of signings from the month of March and there have been a bunch more worth mentioning since then. Here's a recap:

The San Jose Sharks came to terms with goalie Alex Stalock who they drafted back in 2005. Stalock has played the last two years in Duluth with the Bulldogs and was great for them in the playoffs but outside of that stretch drive, his record is downright vanilla. He seems like a pretty average goalie prospect to me but the Sharks have proven over the years that they know what they're doing with goalies and they chose this guy over Timo Pielmeier so...

Duluth also lost defenceman Evan Oberg to the Vancouver Canucks. The former Camrose Kodiak went undrafted and spent the last two seasons with the Bulldogs. His offensive numbers jumped from 3 points as a freshman to 27 this past year as a sophomore. The two-way blueliner hails from Forestburg, AB.

The Detroit Red Wings also signed a goalie taking Notre Dame's Jordan Pearce. Pearce spent his first two NCAA years playing back up to David Brown (PGH) but took the Irish to the NCAA title game last year and was terrific again this year, until the national tournament upset loss to Bemidji State. This could be a very good signing for the Wings but can't be good news for Thomas McCollum. It will also be interesting to see what happens next year with Jimmy Howard and Daniel Larsson in regards to what Detroit does at the NHL level. The Wings have a lot of excellent prospect goalies right now.

Dan Sexton, a 5'9 forward from Bowling Green, was signed by the Anaheim Ducks. I don't know anything about Sexton outside of his stats line but it's not bad at all: 21 points as a freshman followed by 39 this past year as a sophomore. Taken in context, he's about to turn 22-years-old, and he's producing as you'd expect someone his age to do at the NCAA level but he's diminutive and on a poor team. Bob Murray found Dustin Penner and some other NCAA unknowns though so maybe this pans out for them down the road.

Buffalo just signed Michigan Wolverines senior forward Travis Turnbull. He had a career high 28 points this past year but appears to be a role player of average size and ability. He's appeared in 3 games already for the Portland Pirates but has no points to show for it.

Marco Scandella was a 2nd round pick by the Minnesota Wild in 2008 and now he's playing out the year in Houston with the AHL affiliate. The Val d'Or defender had 37 points in 58 games, number that don't scream "sign immediately" yet the Wild are obviously very high on the Montreal native.

Calgary Hitmen star defenceman Paul Postma was recently inked by the Atlanta Thrashers. That's a hell of a 7th round pick by Atlanta assuming his late development continues as a pro. Postma was arguably the best blueliner in the WHL's eastern conference this year and was probably the MVP for the Hitmen, the #1 ranked CHL team.

The New York Islanders signed a pair of prospects yesterday in Mark Katic and Justin DiBenedetto. Katic was a 3rd rounder in 2007 while DiBenedetto was taken in 6th round just last year. Katic is a small but smooth skating defenceman who played with the Sarnia Sting for four season. DiBenedetto is a winger that also skated with Sarnia this past season.

Like I mentioned before, the watch is now ongoing to see who lands Hobey Baker winner Matt Gilroy. I've heard that as many as 24 teams have kicked tires in regards to him although I am also told that Oiler fans shouldn't expect to hear that their team is in the running. I have it on pretty good authority that the Oilers aren't looking at signing undrafted NCAA grads this year.

(Photos Courtesy: ESPN, Melissa Wade of USCHO.com, L.Express, WHL, Kelowna Rockets, Minn.Duluth, OHL, Brandon Wheat Kings)

Tuukka Goes Bananas and 3 Outstanding Goalies from this weekend

The Providence Bruins lost to Bridgeport last night in a shoot out. That's not really that odd, but what happened after the shoot out was. Tuukka Rask went absolutely nuts. Not great composure for a goalie some think has a bright future with the Bruins. Watch for yourself.

I've seen some freak outs before, and had a few as well, but not really like that. I always find it funny when a guy gets so mad he falls over. For another funny freak out, check out Waterloo Head Coach P.K. O'Handley of the USHL, courtesy of The Unofficial USHL Hockey blog.


Speaking of goalies, how about these 3 guys over the weekend. Alberta Golden Bear goalie Aaron Sorochan makes 31 saves to shut out Saskatchewan 7-0 in the Canada West final. The Bears win their 2nd straight, and 7th Canada West title in 8 years. It's also their 47th total. This is Sorochan's last year with the Bears and he should get a pro contract next year. Despite the 7-0 score, the Bears last line of defence was brilliant, making big saves when the game was close to keep the dogs at bay.

Travis Rolheiser made 20 saves for the Spruce Grove Saints last night, as they clipped the Olds Grizzly's 2-1 in game 2 of the AJHL semi-final. Rolheiser was especially good in the 3rd period where the Saints were outshot 10-4. The AJHL's top team also received 33 saves from the netminder in a 4-1 win Friday night as they lead the series 2-0.


Boston University will enter the NCAA tournament as the top seed (more on that later today) thanks in large part to goaltender Kieran Millan, a past guest of TPS. The Edmonton product and former Spruce Grove Saint was named MVP of the Hockey East tournament. Millan made 32 saves as the Terriers shut out UMASS 1-0 in the clincher. He turned away 8 River Hawk power play chances as well. The Freshman was also solid in BU's opening game, making 21 saves in 3-2 victory over rival Boston College.

What do these 3 goalies have in common? They are all products of Lyle Mast's ORSPORTS. You might have heard me mention the program a few times on our show, in fact Millan himself as well as Spruce Grove assistant coach Ryan Marsh spoke glowingly about it as well. It's a system that worked for Mathieu Garon when he was with the L.A. Kings, and one that Kings goaltending coach Bill Ranford is still using. It's also one that I think could help struggling Montreal goaltender Carey Price. Watch for more on the system that's gaining steam this week on Global Edmonton Sports.

Wednesday Re-Set

Last night on The Pipeline Show we double-dipped with the Springfield Falcons. We led off the program with an extended conversation with new head coach Rob Daum who talked a lot about what he expects from his players, how he feels about taking over the team in mid-stride, and what differences the Falcons fans might notice with him at the helm.

Daum also weighed in on some specific players like Colin McDonald, Ryan O'Marra, Rob Schremp, Taylor Chorney and Cody Wild to name a few.

The Springfield theme continued with the recently acquired Ryan Stone who came to the Edmonton organization from Pittsburgh via the Mathieu Garon trade. Stone began talking about how he and the team heard about the firing of Jeff Truitt, about the guilt the players are feeling and how the club will move forward from here. The former Brandon Wheat King also spoke in regards to his role within the organization as a whole and then also chimed in about his time in Manitoba during his WHL career.

Edmonton product Kieran Millan also joined us in the opening hour. He's the top freshman goalie in the NCAA this year and just helped the #1 ranked Boston University Terriers to another victory in the annual Beanpot tournament. We spoke about why BU was the right fit for him, the fact that he's still undrafted, the positives about possibly getting overlooked again this June and much more.

Our guest representing the 2009 Draft Prospect Performer of the Week was defenceman John Moore of the USHL's Chicago Steel. Moore talked about the WJAC in Camrose, the USHL All-Star game last week and what those two showcase events mean to him this year. He also talked at length about what the resurgence of the Chicago Blackhawks has done for hockey at all levels in and around the city.

For any and ALL of the above interviews you can hit the archives by clicking HERE.

Top 5 Tuesday

Right now there isn't a European in the top 10 of CHL scoring, but a quick glance at the rookie scoring leaders and several imports lead the way. Having said that most teams don't succeed without a successful "Euro" and with that The Pipeline Show presents 5 players to watch for in this summer's CHL Import draft.

5. Tomas Tatar-Slovakia


Tatar was easily the most dynamic Slovakian at the World Junior Championship in Ottawa this year, piling up 7 goals and 4 assists in 11 games. He certainly caught the eye of my co host Guy Flaming with his superior skills and flare for celebrating.

We at TPS thought he might have been show boating a little, but after speaking with Oilers prospect, and Tatar WJC teammate, Milan Kytnar, we came to find out he's not a hot dog and just "didn't know what to do for celebrations." At 5.11 and 170 pounds, Tatar is being projected as a late second round pick right now for the upcoming draft, but should be a top 5 pick in the import draft, especially if he shows a willingness to come overseas and improve his game. A conversation with his countrymen Kytnar might help to sway him.

4. Jacob Josefson-Sweden

A versatile forward who can play both C/LW who is projected to be a top 10 pick in this June's NHL draft. However he might be a risk reward type guy for a CHL team. He might stay in Sweden until the WJC, then bolt for Canada, much like Mikael Backlund did recently, joining Kelowna. (By the way Backlund is scheduled to join Guy and myself tonight on TPS) Backlund's reason for leaving his home country was a lack of playing time. Josefson suffered a similar fate during the WJC in Ottawa where he failed to register a point. The 6.00 187 pound pass first player is strong on the puck and very smart, and could turn an average player into a sniper. The Rockets picked up Backlund 43rd overall in 2007, so watch for a team to take a chance on Josefson.



3. Robin Lehner-Sweden

Last year a Swedish netminder was the 3rd pipeman to be taken, as Florida snatched Jacob Markstrom with the first pick in the 2nd round. This year history could repeat itself as Robin Lehner is projected by ISS to be a 2nd rounder and the 3rd best goaltender available. The sweet stats on this Sweede are his size. He's 6.03 and 200 lbs, and reportedly moves extremely well. Lehner is said to have a never quit attitude who has the ability to win games by himself. There are a number of CHL teams who could use a stand out tender, including next year's Memorial Cup hosts, which could be the carrot dangled in front of him that gets him across the pond.

2. Stanislav Galiev-Russia

The first of 2 Russians on the list, and guy who's already used to the North American game. Galiev is currently with Indiana of the USHL where he's racked up 18 goals, 23 assist for 41 points in just 39 games. At 6.01 and 182 lbs the slick forward can dangle with the best of them and as a sizzling shot. Right now he's a top 20 pick for 2010, and I'd be shocked if he didn't jump to the CHL next year where he would get more exposure than the always improving USHL. Galiev could be the 2nd player picked even though a guy like Magnus Svensson-Paajarvi is a better prospect, there is a greater chance that Galiev will play in the CHL.



(Like Barry Manilow, Kirill "Copacabana" Kabanov is also of Russian ancestry)
1. Kirill Kabanov-Russia

Affectionately dubbed, "Copacabana" by TPS, Kabanov impressed me at the World Junior A Challenge in Camrose this past November. More so for his passion than his talent, even though his passion/temper landed him in hot water with the referees and his coach. The 6.03, 176 pound Left Winger who's a right handed shot, notched 3 goals, 4 assists and 12 penalty minutes in just 4 games for a very young Russian squad. It's not the first time he's dominated the point and penalty minute sheet in an international tournament either. At the 2008 World U-17 tournament, Kabanov had 11 points in 5 games to go along with 28 penalty minutes. Can dominate a game with his all world skill and will challenge Taylor Hall to be the first overall selection in the 2010 NHL entry draft. Will want to up his draft stock and that will come by jumping to the CHL.

You can here the November interview TPS did with Kabanov, where he basically told us there was a CHL bidding war for him here.



Tonight on TPS we're all over the map starting with Boston University goaltender Kieran Milan. The Edmonton product led his Terriers past rival Northeastern in the final of the Beanpot tournament with 23 save performance in a 5-2 win. From there we hope to speak with Springfield Falcon forward Ryan Stone whom the Oilers picked up in the Mathieu Garon trade with Pittsburgh a few weeks back. We'll find out how Stone is adjusting to Springfield where life has not been fun lately. Stone played junior hockey in Brandon, the same league as the Kelowna Rockets (okay it was a cheap way to mention the Wheat Kings) where Mikael Backlund is trying to lead the Rockets deep into the playoffs. So far so good for Backlund who has 13 points in 13 games for Kelowna who has clinched a playoff spot, hasn't lost in their last 9 regulation games, and could sneak into 3rd in the west. Finally from the WHL we'll check out the USHL where 2009 draft prospect John Moore plays for the Chicago Steel. The USHL is an underrated league that is starting to produce a large number of NHLers. You can catch the show live from 7-9 PM mountain time on the TEAM 1260 in Edmononton, or online around the world at http://www.thepipelineshow.com/. But as Guy likes to say, if you miss it live, click the archive.

School Wrap Sunday

Here's what the NCAA Top 20 looked like heading into action this past Friday and the brief results for each of the ranked teams:

1 Boston University - Beat Mass-Lowell on Friday and will play Beanpot final Monday
2 Notre Dame - O.T. win over Ohio State Friday, play again Sunday
3 Northeastern - Beat Merrimack Friday, play BU in Beanpot final
4 Michigan - Swept Lake Superior Firday and Saturday
5 Cornell - Beat Quinnipiac but lost to Princeton
6 Denver - Split series with Duluth
7 Vermont - a pair of 4-1 wins over Providence
8 Miami - Did Not Play
9 Minnesota - Swept at home by Wisconsin
10 Princeton - Beat Colgate in OT and then Cornell
11 New Hampshire - Split series with Maine
12 Boston College - Beat the Minutemen on Friday, play Harvard on Monday
13 North Dakota Did Not Play
14 Yale Wins over Harvard and Dartmouth
15 Ohio State Lost in OT to Notre Dame, play again Sunday
16 Wisconsin Huge sweep of the Gophers on the road in Minnesota
17 Minnesota-Duluth Split with Denver
18 Colorado College Win and a tie against Michigan Tech.
19 Dartmouth Beat Brown but lost to Yale
20 St. Lawrence 0-1-1 against Clarkson

I don't anticipate any movement from the top 4 teams of last week's poll simply for the fact that none of them lost. True BU and Northeastern only played once but they have a HUGE game against each other on Monday night as they battle for the Beanpot title. #1 against #3 in that monumental clash - it should be a wickedly entertaining game. It features two netminders having terrrific seasons in Junior Brad Thiessen for the Huskies and sophomore Kieran Millan of the BU Terriers. The Pipeline Show is thrilled to announce that we'll be speaking with Millan, an Edmonton native, on the air this Tuesday - the night after the big game.

I believe that both Cornell and Denver will slip because the Catamounts of Vermont will leapfrog them on the strength of their series sweep of Providence. The RedHawks were idle so I'm not sure that The Big Red or the Pioneers will slide more than one ladder rung each. Vermont is a bit lost in the Hockey East shadow of BU and Northeastern but I wouldn't want to face them in the National Tournament - they've already beaten the Terriers (twice) and the Huskies so confidence won't be an issue.

The wheels are coming off in Minnesota as the always tough Golden Gophers have now dropped 6 of their last 8 games including the last 4 straight. Wisconsin continues to forge ahead after a dreadful start to the year and while I expect the Gophers to drop to 11th or 12th, the Badgers should surge right up to them, if not just ahead.

Princeton's win over Cornell will help them up the ladder a bit but I don't know if they'll move all that much. The Tigers do have a loss to Cornell from early this year so a jump from 11th to 9th or 10th might be all Princeton gets this week.

The team that is on the move in my mind is Yale. The Bulldogs continue to roll having picked up wins this weekend against Harvard and Dartmouth and increasing their win streak to 6 games. Yale has lost only once in their last 12 contests.

There was another ugly incident in NCAA hockey this past weekend during the Firday game between Notre Dame and Ohio State. A Buckeyes freshman by the name of Ian Boots was given 5 and a game for spearing Irish blueliner Ian Cole late in the third period. Cole, property of the St. Louis Blues, would eventually factor in on a late tying goal that put Notre Dame in a position to win it in overtime. Boots will automatically miss Sunday's game because of his ejection.

Top 5 Tuesdays: NCAA Goalies You Don't Know

It might be because they are as yet undrafted by a NHL team or perhaps they don't play for a NCAA program that gets a lot of recognition but there are a bunch of terrific goalies up for grabs playing south of the border. The NCAA hockey circuit doesn't get much attention here in Canada even though a large percentage of the players come from this country. Consider this a personal interest list - they might not be the "best" 5 goalies in the NCAA but these are the ones that are making me check in on them every weekend out of personal curiosity.

5. Andrew Volkening - Air Force

My man-crush on Andrew Volkening began last spring as I tuned into the ridiculously entertaining game between Air Force and Miami in the opening round of the National Tournament. The RedHawks went on to win that one in overtime but the fact that the upstart Eagles nearly bounced a true contender like Miami was remarkable and it was largely due to the stellar play of their netminder. Listening to the game online it sounded like Volkening was 'in the zone' but you be the judge:



Unfortunately the future for Volkening (and the rest of the Air Force squad) won't likely include hockey. I spoke with a pair of NHL scouts just a couple of days ago and asked about guys like Volkening and his teammate Jacques Lamoureux who has been near the top of NCAA scoring all year. The guys I talked to said there is no point scouting them because for them to get their release from the Air Force they have to prove how their playing pro hockey would better serve the military than their wearing the uniform in the field. It's only happened twice and never for a hockey player (David "The Admiral" Robinson left the Navy to play NBA and a football player did the same - someone else can remind me who).

4. Kieran Millan - Boston University Terriers

I'm not going to lie... I'm a bit embarrassed to say that I had no idea Kieran Millan was from Edmonton until I clicked on his bio. I found it really interesting that BU, a perennial force in Hockey East, was going with a pair of freshmen this year so I've been following their progress with interest. The Terriers are currently second in the HE standings right now but oddly enough are ranked #2 in the entire NCAA.

Millan is playing about two thirds of the games for BU and has a 1.63 GAA and .928 sv% in his 14 games and was named Goalie of the Month for the conference. Those are pretty strong numbers for a guy in his rookie collegiate year. Millan joined the Terriers after spending two seasons with the Spruce Grove Saints of the AJHL, further adding to my red-face considering I really should have clued in that they were the same guy. He was an AJHL All-Star and Rookie of the Year so it's not like he was going under the radar. Well, just mine apparently... but not anymore.

3. Jordan Pearce - Notre Dame Fighting Irish

He had to bide his time while David Brown played out his eligibility but once he got his chance to shine, Jordan Pearce has grabbed the reins and run with it. The native Alaskan has picked up a ton of awards and accolades during his tenure with the Irish but somehow has not gotten the attention of the NHL - yet. I find it pretty hard to believe that a second fantastic season won't end with him signing a pro contract with someone at the conclusion of the NCAA schedule this spring.

The Irish were runners up for the National Championship last season and are currently ranked #1 in the country so he's definitely not going under the radar this year. Still, Pearce has strung together a 18-3-3 record this year with a 1.55 GAA and .936 sv% all while playing in a very competitive CCHA conference. The Irish won't be the surprising underdogs this time around but they'll still be fighting for another shot at the National title.

2. Bryan Hogan - Michigan Wolverines

One thing I've learned since I got into the hockey prospects biz is that in college, politics are huge. The pecking order for ice time begins with the seniors and trickles down to the freshmen unless we're talking about standout players. You have to expect James vanRiemsdyk or Kyle Turris to get their fair share of shifts but if you're an incoming role player... don't expect to play much.

With that in mind, the fact that sophomore Bryan Hogan is the go-to guy now at Michigan is MASSIVE considering Billy Sauer, a drafted senior (COL), has been the starter for the last 3 years. Hogan is undrafted despite a decent USHL career with Lincoln but you have to think he's going to get some attention now. He just turned 20-years-old so he's not an aged collegian with inflated numbers playing against players mostly younger than he is. His 1.83 GAA and .920 sv% are main reasons for his 13-2 record not to mention Michigan's top 10 ranking in the polls.

1. Ben Scrivens - Cornell Big Red

Topping my personal interest list is a local product who is getting recognition from those who like to project Hobey Baker contenders. Scrivens hails from Spruce Grove and played a year in the AJHL for the Calgary Canucks before heading to Cornell and the Big Red. He only got into 12 games as a freshman in 2006-07 and had a losing record but last year Scrivens (and Cornell) bounced back in a big way. Scrivens had a .603 winning percentage and a 2.02 GAA as a starter with 35 games under his belt.

This year Scrivens has taken his game to another level. He leads the NCAA with a stellar 1.17 GAA, a .956 sv%, 5 shutouts and a 13-1-1 record. His only loss came against North Dakota and it's still the only game of the year where he hasn't held the opposition to 2 or fewer goals. Some will argue that Scrivens is a product of an uber-defensive system at Cornell who plays in a ECAC Conference that doesn't get as much respect as a hockey power as the CCHA, WCHA or HE. However, it's worth noting that Scrivens has face 25 or more shots in 10 of 17 games and more than 30 in 4 of those. It's also interesting to point our that Scrivens has shutouts against Princeton, who directed 43 shots at him, and Niagara who hit him 31 times.

I don't think Scrivens will get drafted this summer but that's only because I expect some NHL team out there that needs a goalie in their system will step up in April and sign him. I haven't talked to anyone in Cornell about it so this is just speculation on my part but I could see Scrivens (now 22-years-old) leaving Cornell at the end of the year and not returning for his senior season.