Saturday Morning Special - April 16th

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We ran the gauntlet of prospect hockey on Saturday morning covering major junior, NCAA, Canadian Jr.A, the AHL and even some NHL stuff too. Four guests made their debut appearance on The Pipeline Show as well this weekend.

Oilers recall 3

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It's not yet confirmed by the Oilers or the Barons but TPS has learned that the Edmonton Oilers have recalled Ryan O'Marra, Chris VandeVelde and Alex Giroux and that all three will be in the line up on Thursday night. The trio arrived in Edmonton just after midnight after playing in Grand Rapids on Wednesday evening.

O'Marra collected 3 points in 9 games with the Oilers earlier this year, Giroux's recent stint in the NHL saw him pick up 2 points in 5 games.

This will be the NHL debut for VandeVelde (above). The former member North Dakota Fighting Sioux center has 12 goals and 16 points with Oklahoma City this year.

(Photo: Steve Christy / OKC Barons)

O'Marra Injury Update

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Ryan O'Marra sustained a shoulder injury during Oklahoma's 5-2 win over Milwaukee on Sunday. Late that night I mentioned that the incident occurred when O'Marra was initiating contact with an Admirals opponent but that the severity of the injury wouldn't be known until after x-rays on Monday. The results are in and so is the initial estimate of time loss expected for the Barons center.

This n' That - Mid November

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Time for another trek through the vast vacuum of space that occupies the emptiness between my ears. Here are some random thoughts and observations spanning the three leagues in the CHL, the NCAA, minor pro, international play and whatever else I might touch on. Grab an extra large Tim Hortons, get comfortable and click for more...

Omark Scores 5; Barons on Fire

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Fans in Springfield are probably wondering "Where the hell was this last year???"

The Oklahoma City Barons are riding atop the AHL's Western Conference with 20 points and have won 6 of their last 7 games, 9 of their last 12. The farm club of the Edmonton Oilers has rebounded nicely from a 0-3 start to the season that had some people wondering if 2010-11 was going to be a repeat of the last three years spent in Springfield.

Tuesday Night on TPS:Injury updates, Across the CHL, OK City Update And More

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Tuesday night on The Pipeline Show featured a lively debate on a scary incident over the previous weekend, an interview with a potential 1st round pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, one of the most respected coaches in the NCAA, the GM of the hottest team in the AHL and of course a visit from CHL Insider Sam Cosentino.

TPS Weekend Recap

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Saturday's show featured the debut of one of our new weekly insiders, we also pointed the spotlight on the NCAA's Ice Breaker tournament in St. Louis, we spoke with one of the 2011 players from the Saint John Sea Dogs and we were updated on the situation for the Oklahoma City Barons as the AHL season began.

Saturday Morning Special

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Another busy show this weekend as The Pipeline Show looked ahead at the coming NHL season and bravely predicted this year's Calder trophy winners and candidates - with the help of an old friend from Hockey Night In Canada. We also went South to check in on the Barons of OK City as they prepared for their one and only pre-season tilt in advance of the regular season. Our 2011 eligible guest is considered the top player available from the AJHL. And after a wild affair last night in Regina we were joined by someone who was not only in the building but had the call of the brawl between the Pats and the Oil Kings.

"If you missed it live... click the archive!" but continue reading for more of a re-cap.

Rocky Thompson Hired In Oklahoma City

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The Oklahoma City Oil Barons have rounded out their coaching staff by hiring former Edmonton Oil King assistant coach Rocky Thompson to do the same job in OK City.

Thompson coached with the WHL team for 3 years before getting let go this past off season.

This will mark the 3rd time Thompson has been associated with the Oilers organization - they also own the WHL's Oil Kings - as he played for the Road Runners when the team operated their AHL franchise out of Edmonton in 2004.

Thompson told me tonight that head coach Todd Nelson wants him down in Oklahoma City right away to start putting together a game plan.

OK City GM and Goalie Found at Last

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The Edmonton Oilers have announced the hiring of Bill Scott for the dual role of AHL General Manager/pro scout ending a rather lengthy period of uncertainty in regards to the position. The official press release can be found at the Oilers site, here is the one from the American Hockey League where Scott has been employed for the past for seasons as Director of Hockey Operations.

The team also just announced the signing of 35-year-old veteran goalie Martin Gerber to a contract. He'll be the starter in Oklahoma City after his stint in the KHL where he posted a .914 SV% and a 2.19 GAA.

Nelson OK for OK City

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As widely reported yesterday from many outlets including right here at TPS, Todd Nelson has been named as the head coach of the Oklahoma City Barons. Also, as was written in this space back on July 5th, Gerry Fleming is indeed back with the team as the assistant coach.

Nelson is in the middle of the photo above patrolling the Atlanta bench last season.

Interestingly, the Edmonton Oilers also announced the bench staff for the 2010-11 season today which will pretty much drown out the minor league team's thunder.

Kelly Buchberger is back and, surprise surprise, Steve Smith has returned to the organization as well. That name alone will be a contentious one for much of Oilerville.

I'm a little surprised the Oilers and Barons would present these announcements on the same day - I would have thought, especially from the Edmonton end, that they'd want to help the Barons a bit with the publicity. Perhaps it won't matter in the end but would giving the Barons the media spotlight in Edmonton for one day be a bad thing?

Is Todd Nelson the New Coach for OK City?

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The Oklahoma City Barons coaching staff will be announced tomorrow but today a few names have come out as candidates for the job. Kelly Buchberger and Mark Lamb were mentioned on Oilers Lunch by Bob Stauffer as was the name Todd Nelson. Nelson's name also appears on the Edmonton Journal's site so he should be added to the list and possibly placed at the top of it.

If the name Todd Nelson doesn't ring a bell, don't worry because you're not alone.

Bonner Not Joining Edmonton as Asst.GM

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"One day I would like to work for the Edmonton Oilers, I don't hide that fact, but... will it be next season? Probably not."

That from the man himself who appeared on The Pipeline Show on Tuesday evening and effectively put an end to the reports that he would be replacing Kevin Prendergast as the Assistant GM in Edmonton.

Bonner, a native of Edmonton, gave specific reasons as to why he wasn't going to leave his comfortable surroundings in Vancouver to take on the job as the Oilers described it to him.

List of UFA Goalies Shrinking

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Teams looking to add goaltender depth with their AHL affiliate in mind are seeing their shopping list get shorter and shorter as the UFA season continues. 9 UFA goalies who will probably spend the year on the farm have been inked to contracts already and that leaves about 10 guys for other teams to zero in on.

Bucky For the Barons?

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I mentioned it on Monday in my lengthy "This n' That" write up - Kelly Buchberger's name was given to me as someone who is being considered for the vacant coaching position with the AHL's Oklahoma City Barons. Buchberger was one of three names I brought forward on Monday (Gerry Fleming and Don Hay being the other two, a tip of the hat to Jim Matheson for Hay being mentioned).

This n' That - Early July '10

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A surprisingly busy start to the NHL off-season has provided plenty of fodder for fans around the league. There have also been other rumblings from the major junior, minor pro and NCAA ranks as well, some of which has gone largely unnoticed by the mainstream media. As always, when it affects the future of hockey, it attracts the attention of The Pipeline Show.

Tambellini's Great Week is a Good Start

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It's been a a long time since Oilerville has felt this much optimism. After 4 years of non-playoff hockey that has featured seemingly endless stretches of futility, injury and turmoil, Edmonton fans are starting to get a sense that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Time to give credit where and when it's due: General Manager Steve Tambellini, who has been criticized a lot in this space, has had one hell of a week.