Drouin raises 'WOW' factor, will it help him in June?

If you haven't seen Jonathan Drouin's remarkable shift from Sunday night, prepare to have your jaw dropped.

As the title of the video states, it is the best shift of the year, an incredible domination of one team by one player.

Drouin has been the biggest pleasant surprise of the draft year. He was playing midget at one point last year and was as high as 3 in the January ISS rankings.  He dropped to 4th on February's list but other scouts I have talked to love him as high as 2.

The question is, does a single shift like this impress the hockey scouts enough when it comes down to crunch time on draft day?  Does this play come up in conversation at the draft table when debating Drouin/MacKinnon/Barkov/Nichushkin?

We'll discuss this tonight on a TPS, special Monday edition.  7-9 on the TEAM 1260.  Email us your thoughts here.

Suspension coming for broken jaw in QMJHL

First saw the video over at Buzzing the Net courtesy of Neate Sager and it's below as well

The word 'control' will be used a lot in this situation.  How many games with Ross Johnstone get?  Like Neate points out, it would be a lengthy ban in the OHL.  How many games should it get?  Do you think he should be suspended?  We'll discuss this plenty tonight on TPS with our CHL insider Sam Cosentino of Rogers Sportsnet.

Drop us a line pipeup@theteam1260.com and share your thoughts.  Tonight 7-9 pm mst on the TEAM 1260. 

New Season = New Rules

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All 3 leagues hit the ice Thursday and there are changes from coast to coast; Stiffer penalties, suspension and freedom for goalies stand out to me.

Branch Shoots Down Spitfires

Friday was a huge day in the Ontario Hockey League and quite possibly for the entire structure of North American amateur hockey. David Branch, the President of the Canadian Hockey League and Commissioner of the OHL, dropped a bomb on the Windsor Spitfires in the form of massive fines and the stripping of several high end draft picks. 

The official statement released by the OHL can be read here. Media friends of TPS wrote several fantastic features on the subject and a couple of them will be on the show as guests later this Saturday morning. Neate Sager from Yahoo! and Buzzing the Net can add to this piece written by Cam Charron. 

TPS regular Patrick King's story can be found at Sportsnet.ca.

Chris Peters offers the American based perspective and it's a terrific read. You can find that here and he'll touch on it with me on the radio this morning as well.    

After the jump, I'll offer my own initial thoughts which are more about, "What happens next?"

Big Changes for the Champs

Just a couple of weeks after winning the Memorial Cup, the Shawinigan Cataractes have blown up the roster having dealt 5 players including overtime hero Anton Zlobin.

Three separate deals on QMJHL draft day saw Shawinigan move Zlobin, goalie Alex Dubeau, defencemen Justin Haché and Jonathan Racine plus forward Yannick Veilleux. 

Matheson Addresses CHL Rumors

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First it was Boston University's Charlie Coyle leaving for Saint John. Then it was Cam Reid leaving St. Cloud for Portland. Recent collegiate defections to the CHL have some people on edge and ready to believe any small suggestion that might point to another seemingly NCAA-bound player choosing his other option and heading to major junior.

The Moncton Wildcats traded impact defenceman Brandon Gormley to the Memorial Cup host Shawinigan Cataractes last week, before the QMJHL deadline, and got a pretty good return. 6 draft picks, including a 1st in the 2013 CHL Import draft, and the rights to defenceman Michael Matheson.

Yes, the same Michael Matheson who is eligible for the 2012 NHL draft this June and has been one of the players blogging for The Pipeline Show this year from his current home with the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL.

So will the defenceman leave the Fighting Saints and report to Moncton? More after the jump...

Blain Traded

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TPS has learned that Edmonton Oilers prospect Jérémie Blain has been traded today in the QMJHL. The Acadie-Bathurst Titans have dealt him to the Tigres of Victoriaville, one of four clubs considered to be true contenders for the QMJHL title this year.

Blain returns to the organization that he first broke into the league with in 2008-09. He has 6 goals and 24 points in 29 games this year. He was suspended last month for uttering racial slurs towards player Jonathan Racine during a game against the Shawinigan Cataractes.

Blain was drafted in the 4th round (91st overall) by the Oilers in 2010.

The deal involves a pair of draft picks and 18-year-old defenceman Francis Godin headed back to Bathurst. The Titan has released the details via Twitter.

OHL - The New Goalie Factory

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There are 10 different nations represented in the World Junior Championship but nearly half of the goaltenders expected to be on those roster will come from teams based in the Canadian Hockey League. Is the CHL, and more specifically the Ontario Hockey League, becoming the new place for goaltenders to develop?

Here's a look at the CHLers from around the globe.

Oilers Prospect Suspended 2 Games for Racial Slur

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It is being reported by media in the QMJHL that Acadie-Bathurst defenceman Jeremie Blain has received a 2-game suspension for his actions during a 3-1 loss to Shawinigan on Friday night.

Willy Palov from the Halifax Chronicle-Herald referenced the incident on Twitter this evening by saying the ban has been given to Blain "for directing inappropriate remarks towards Shawinigan's Jonathan Racine. Racine is black."

Racine was a 3rd round pick by the Florida Panthers in 2011. Blain became property of the Edmonton Oilers in 2010 after they used a 4th round pick to select him.

Inglis gets 10: Video

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It's not just Brendan Shanahan or the OHL that are ruling the roost when it comes to lengthy suspensions, as WHL discipline dude Richard Doerksen has slapped 10 games on Prince George leading scorer Charles Inglis for a head shot over the weekend.

Here is the video courtesy of CKPG and our good friend Allan Bristowe. 10 games is a nice round number for what seemed to be a player targeting another players head.

However unlike the NHL and OHL's suspension you had to dig a little on the WHL's website to find info on it. It's under the NEWS and WHL DISCIPLINE section, and only this was written.

0/04/11 Charles Inglis Prince George 10 games for match penalty for checking to the head versus Victoria on October 1

We've all seen "The Shanny Show", and the OHL is doing something similar, although without a former NHLer hosting it. The QMJHL also gives a detailed explanation, although I haven't seen any video evidence with their rullings.

What I liked about the OHL's version is it was front and centre on their website. Not hiding it a few mouse clicks away. Junior leagues need to be transparent and totally open with their rulings. The WHL should follow suit and give more then one line about a suspension. As for the latest one handed down by Doerksen. I think it sends a strong message and hopefully it means he has to hand out fewer suspensions this year.

Inside the World of Hockey Prospects

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Tonight we previewed the CHL league that will host the Mastercard Memorial Cup, went in depth with the CHL scholarship program, spoke to a future Boston College Eagle who will play in the USHL this season and checked in on the Traverse City rookie tournament as well as went inside the AJHL.

Interleague Play in the CHL

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Training camps are well underway in the CHL, the Q has even played exhibition games already. Now wouldn't it be nice if you lived in Regina and were able to watch Gatineau take on the Pats or Sarnia face off with Medicine Hat? How about living in Quebec and having the opportunity to see Kelowna skate against Belleville in the pre-season?

If the CHL held interleague play during the pre-season you would get to see that.

Tuesday Recap: August 23rd

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After one of the best episodes of The Pipeline Show last weekend the only way we could possibly follow it up was with another stellar line up of guests and that's what we were able to come up with for last night's show. A league commissioner made his TPS debut, we got the no-B.S. insight on the Plymouth Whalers and their off-season activities, one of last year's top NCAA freshmen joined us, a NHL GM kicked off hour 2, we hit Kelowna for a pre-season update and ended the show in the midst of a hot debate.

If you caught this edition of TPS, we know you were entertained.

Does David Branch 'Wear Too Many Hats'?

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The three CHL leagues have their own leadership in the form of Commissioners Gilles Courteau (QMJHL), Ron Robison (WHL) and David Branch (OHL). The leagues share many rules and regulations and during times like the CHL Top Prospects Game and the CHL Import Draft, they work in conjunction with each other.

But what happens when there is a dispute involving a couple of the leagues? Of course they take their issue to the CHL, however, the President of the Canadian Hockey League is the same David Branch that occupies the OHL office.

Is this a classic case of a conflict of interest? That's an argument coming out of the QMJHL right now and one that should be considered.

Maineiacs are done, Sherbrooke joining QMJHL

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For quite a while now our CHL insider Sam Cosentino has been talking about the Lewiston Maineiacs leaving Lewiston. Sam was half right. While we all thought they were going to PEI, it turns out they are going into thin air. This from the QMJHL tonight.

BOUCHERVILLE, Tuesday, May 31, 2011 – The Commissioner of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Gilles Courteau, today announced that the Lewiston MAINEiacs franchise will be bought out by the League.

The decision was rendered this afternoon following a vote from League Members. The financial terms were not disclosed.

“Following a vote from League Members, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is purchasing the Lewiston MAINEiacs franchise,” said the Commissioner. “Therefore, the franchise will be dissolved and the players submitted to a special draft. Details surrounding a special dispersal draft will be unveiled as soon as they become available.”

The Commissioner added: “I am disappointed for the fans in Lewiston. The MAINEiacs enjoyed some very good moments, including a President Cup championship in 2007. I know that Mark Just and his ownership group did all that they could to save the franchise, but the situation was no longer viable.”

“I am truly sad for MAINEiacs fans,” added majority owner Mark Just. “For those that supported the team over the past few years, I would like to thank you. Nonetheless, mounting financial losses became too much to bear for our ownership group.”

The Commissioner also announced that following the 2011-12 season an expansion team will be awarded to a group of investors which is led by former QMJHL and NHL All-Star Jocelyn Thibault. The team will begin play in the 2012-13 season and will play its games at the Palais des Sports Léopold-Drolet in the city of Sherbrooke.
“The QMJHL is very excited to welcome Sherbrooke back into its fold,” said the Commissioner. “With strong local ownership, I am convinced that major junior hockey will once again flourish in Sherbrooke.

In the next few days, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League will work toward completing a seventeen team 2011-12 regular season schedule.

I'm not sure anyone saw this coming. To scrap one team and give an expansion to another is an interesting move that could be very successful.

Saint John Claims the Q Crown

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It was another overtime thriller in the CHL to decide a league title as the Saint John Sea Dogs scored in double OT to eliminate Gatineau en route to their first ever QMJHL title. Alex Beauregard's first ever playoff goal came at 15:45 of the second extra session but better late than never - the Sea Dogs will head to Mississauga and represent the QMJHL at the Memorial Cup.

Overtime Bonanza in CHL Tonight

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Wednesday night saw Game 4 action in both the QMJHL and the WHL and in each league, regulation time wouldn't be enough to solve anything. And I don't think anyone in attendance minded a bit. Fans were treated to exciting hockey in Gatineau and Kootenay as both contests went into overtime.

Olympiques Force Game 7

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The Gatineau Olympiques shutout the Quebec Remparts 4-0 on Sunday to extend their QMJHL playoff series to a 7th and deciding game. Defenceman Nicolas Deslauriers (LA, 3rd 2009) led the home team to victory with a 3-point effort and Philip-Michael Devos scored the winner on the power play less than 7 minutes into the game.

Saturday Morning Special - April 30th

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We closed out the month of April with plans to preview the RBC Cup, go over the CHL playoffs, discuss round 2 in the AHL and NHL and speak with the coach of the hottest team in Canada. Some of that came together as planned... some of it didn't.

CHL Playoffs: Half of Memorial Cup Field Filled

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2 of the 4 teams have been decided for the 2011 Mastercard Memorial Cup, one Q league finalist has been decided and Mad Max dominates Medicine Hat in Kootenay. It was a wild night in the CHL playoffs.