Rookie Watch: Vancouver Canucks

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Each Day until September 15th TPS will take a look at one team from the East and one team from the West and spotlight a few rookies to watch for this season. Today in the West it’s the Vancouver Canucks.

Hodgson Can't Buy a Break

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Vancouver prospect and Manitoba Moose rookie Cody Hodgson is on the shelf again. The good news is it's not his back. The bad news is he has a broken orbital bone. What makes it even worse is that he took the stick from teammate Billy Sweatt in practice. Tim Campbell of the Winnipeg Free Press has the story here.

Golden Gophers Lose Two More

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As first reported here, the Minnesota Golden Gophers are about to lose two players. The Chicago Blackhawks are expected to sign defenceman Nick Leddy and forward Josh Birkholz has left the program and is likely headed to the WHL's Everett Silvertips.

Massive Recap of Signings

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With all the excitement of the playoff stretch drive in the NHL, the CHL playoffs and the Frozen Four the news of all the free agent and entry level signings during the last month or so. If you're wondering who recently picked up NCAA free agents or signed their drafted CHL prospects I've tried to piece together a team-by-team list.

There are way too many players to go into depth on each guy but I'll give you a bit of info along the way.

Schroeder gone, Tikhonov back, and WHL awards

While the Oilers await a decision from Michigan State defenceman Jeff Petry, the Canucks received good news regarding prospect Jordan Schroeder who signed an entry level deal today, leaving the Minnesota Golden Gophers after 2 seasons. The Canucks release can be found here. After a terrific freshman season where he racked up 45 points in 35 games he fell to just 28 points in 37 games on a Gophers team that struggled much of the season. I would expect Schroeder to be joining the Moose for the rest of the season.

Meanwhile Viktor Tikhonov has rejoined the Phoenix Coyotes after playing in the KHL for most of the year. He was assigned to San Antonio earlier this season but then returned to Russia where he scored 14 goals in 25 games. No word whether he'll say with the Ex Jets or be sent to the Rampage. Speaking of San Antonio, Kyle Turris was supposed to join The Pipeline Show last night, but something unavoidable came up and Turris will be joining us this coming Tuesday instead.

The WHL has released it's eastern conference all stars and award nominees today. The only unanimous all star selection was Regina Pats forward and Oiler prospect Jordan Eberle. The complete list can be found here.

USA WJ Camp Opens Today

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While Canada has wrapped up their WJC camp and named it's 22-man roster, the American squad is opening their first ever 3-day December camp today in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

The 30-man camp features a plethora of talented players including 22 NHL drafted players and 5 others who will be eligible for that distinction for the first time in June of 2010.

But will they be good enough to challenge for a medal let alone contend for the gold?

Top 5 Tuesdays: Hobey Baker Candidates

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The NCAA season officially begins this coming weekend, unless you're in the ECAC Conference which doesn't start until the end of the month. I've been looking ahead to the season and wondering if I might be able to correctly predict this year's eventual Hobey Baker winner.

Probably not but I'm going to offer up my top 5 list, and realistically this could have been a top 10 list so I'll toss out some honorable mentions as well. So without further adieu, here is my list of Top Hobey Baker Candidates for 2009-10.

10) Andrew Volkening (Air Force) - The senior has enjoyed three straight seasons of diminishing GAA with rising save and winning percentages. The Falcons were a hair away from the Frozen Four last year so 2009-10 is a chance to address some unfinished business. A goalie hasn't won the award since Ryan Miller in 2001.

9) Garret Roe (St. Cloud) - He's small but the Los Angeles Kings still him couldn't resist him after the 5'9 forward put up a 45-point freshman campaign. The Kings drafted Roe (pictured) in the 7th round of 2008 and he responded with 48 points last year for the Huskies.

8) Ian Cole (Notre Dame) - Property of the St. Louis Blues, Cole is a terrific rearguard for the Fighting Irish. Not flashy and certainly not a pure offensive minded player, Cole's 26 points last season stand as a career high. There is no reason to think he can't eclipse that as he enters his junior year.

7) Patrick Wiercioch (Denver) - 35 points last year as a freshman has vaulted the former BCHL blueliner to star status in the NCAA. He'll surely take part on Canada's WJC camp again this December and it won't surprise anyone if he makes the club this year. Wiercioch was a 2nd round pick by the Ottawa Senators in 2008.

6) Rhett Rakhshani (Denver) - There were two Boston University Terriers in the final three last year so seeing a pair of Pioneers on my list shouldn't be that big of a surprise. The Islanders prospect posted a career high 37 points last year and will look to finish of his NCAA career in dramatic fashion this season. He opened the schedule with a 3-point exhibition game against the University of Calgary.

And the Top 5 are...

5) Jacques Lamoureux (Air Force) - A weak Conference should help pad some Falcons stat lines but Lamoureux is without running mate Brent Olson as well as graduated defenceman Greg Flynn. The trio finished in sequence a top Air force scoring in 2008-09. Still, he was a finalist last season and if he can somehow increase his 53 point junior output then we might see him back in the mix again. Easier said than done considering the Falcons won't be taken lightly by anyone this year and Lamoureux in particular will be a player that other teams will focus their defensive strategy around.

4) Riley Nash (Cornell) - I was speaking with a contact in the WCHA and asked him for his thoughts on Hobey Baker candidates this year and he not only said Big Red forward Riley Nash might be 'in the mix' but that he was his choice to actually win the award. The ECAC's short schedule might seem like a disadvantage since lower point totals should reasonably be expected. However, Nash has been a scoring leader for Cornell through two seasons and plans to take his game to another level this coming year. Edmonton drafted Nash in the 1st round back in 2007 while he was still playing in the BCHL with Salmon Arm.

3) Jordan Schroeder (Minnesota) - The Golden Gophers look to rebound from a substandard year and the newest Vancouver Canucks 1st round pick is expected to be a big part of whether those plans come to fruition or not. His 45 point freshman campaign has set the bar high for Schroeder who was taken 22nd overall by Vancouver in the draft. The Gophers forward has experience at the WJC and has represented the U.S. several times on the international stage. There were rumors that he was ready to leave to join Vancouver of the NHL but those stories quickly disappeared once it became obvious that he wasn't leaving the NCAA.

2) Louie Caporusso (Michigan) - The Wolverines are an annual powerhouse in the CCHA despite also having a constantly revolving roster. When Andrew Cogliano left for the Edmonton Oilers, his timely replacement was another former St. Mike's Buzzers forward from Toronto - Louis Caporusso. The Ottawa Senators selected the forward in the 3rd round in 2007 while he was still playing Junior A in Canada (like Cogliano) the season before his NCAA career at Michigan began. Since joining the Maize and Blue, Caporusso has become a scoring machine striking for 49 points last year as a sophomore and, like with Schroeder, expectations are very high that he'll continue on his torrid pace as a junior.

1) Carter Camper (Miami) - Earlier this summer I went on the record with my prediction for the Hobey and I've decided to stick to my guns. Camper has scored 41 and 42 points for the RedHawks the past two seasons and will be expected to lead Miami back to a national title game again this season. Despite being undersized like Schroeder, Caporusso, Roe and Rakhshani, Camper is the only one of the group who went un-drafted and is still not property of a NHL team. The 21-year-old is an Ohio native that played one season in the USHL with the Lincoln Stars where he compiled an impressive 71 points in 56 games. I've asked several different scouts, media and coaches about Camper and to a man (or woman) the player gets a positive review. Might a pro contract and a Hobey Baker award await Carter Camper at the end of the year? At this point, that's my bet.

(Photo credits: USCHO.com, Michigan Wolverines)

Top 5 Tuesday:Americans On The Rise

USA hockey is holding it's Olympic team summer camp right now and it's clear with the 2010 team that youth will be served in Vancouver. Players like Patrick Kane, Erik Johnson and Kyle Okposo were born in 1988, the same year that elder statesman Mike Modano was drafted. Here's 5 players who might be ready for the 2014 games in Sochi Russia. You should see most of them at the World Junior Championship in Saskatoon/Regina this year and can catch glimpses of them with their respective junior and college programs, as well as hear from them this year on The Pipeline Show.

5. Zach Budish-Minnesota Golden Gophers
He missed almost all of his final high school season in Edina, Minnesota but was still a 2nd round pick of the Nashville Predators. Budish is a beast at 6.03, 230 pounds who will play for his home state Gophers this season. He gives the U.S.A some beef who can skate up front. A more skilled version of Dustin Byfuglien might not be ready for prime time in 2014 but is certainly one to watch at this year's WJC.

4. John Carlson-London Knights
This is one guy I think will end up being a absolute steal in a few years. The Washington Capitals snagged him 27th in the first round of 2008. Last year with the Knights he quarterbacked their pp and put up 16 goals, 76 points in just 59 games. Carlson is close to being physically ready to play pro, and has 16 games of AHL hockey under his belt, including helping Hershey win the Calder Cup championship this spring. Providing he doesn't make the caps this year, he'll be team USA's top blueliner in Saskatchewan. At their summer camp he scored a power play goal along with 7 assists in 6 games.

3. Kyle Palmieri-Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Will USA hockey forgive and forget? They kicked Palmieri off their U-18 team last year for off ice issues. Some say he wouldn't rat out teammates, but the official reason has never been revealed. This year he'll attend Notre Dame instead of playing in Guelph where some thought he might end up after being turfed from the team last year. In 4 plus years, I'm sure USA hockey will welcome him back into the fold, after all he was at their World Junior summer camp. At 5.10 and 190 pounds he was nearly a point per game player with the U18 team while putting up 51 pim.

2. John Moore-Kitchener Rangers
John Moore and John Carlson have 2 things in common. The same first name and the potential to be the guys in their drafts that makes people wonder how they slipped so far. Moore was drafted by Columbus 21st in 2009, right before where the Oilers were hoping to draft him, if they could have snagged another first round pick. He was slated to play for Colorado College, but is heading north to Kitchener and might instantly be the best skating defenceman in the entire CHL. After 2 years in the USHL it will be interesting to see if he can have the success that Carlson had in his first OHL season.

1. Jordan Schroeder-Minnesota Golden Gophers
We started with a Gopher on this list and we'll end with one. Schroeder will certainly have plenty of experience wearing the stars and stripes should he be on the radar for the Olympics in 4 plus years. The offensive dynamo will represent the States for the 3rd time this year in Saskatoon/Regina. The 5.08, 175 pound centre might be small but he oozes skill with 45 points in 35 games as a freshman with Minnesota last year. At the summer evaluation camp for team USA's world junior team he racked up 14 points in 6 games. The Canucks grabbed him 22nd overall last June and in 4 years he might be playing on a line with fellow prospect Cody Hodgson, as well as getting set to face Hodgson on the international stage again.

Tune in tonight as we may speak to one of the above players, as well as Oilers forward Patrick O'Sullivan, Air Force head coach Frank Serratore, and Jaden Schwartz who helped Canada win the Ivan Hlinka tournament. As well as BAD ASS trivia and your questions to the ST. ALBERT SOURCE FOR SPORTS inbox, pipeup@thepipelineshow.com.

A Top Ten Pick, At Least

So the Oilers finish 21st in the league, leaving them picking atleast 10th barring Tuesday's draft lottery, which for some reason is on TV.

The Oilers can move up to as high as 6th overall and here are some players that might be available in the 6-10 spots where they could be drafting this June in Montreal.

Jacob Josefson is a centre who plays in Sweden. He's 6.0 - 187 pounds and is a well rounded player, which is probably code for good but not great offensively. He did have 5 points at the 5 nations in February, but none were goals. Josefson is pretty fast and is playing for his country at the U-18's right now. So far he has a goal and 3 assists in 2 games. Josefson is ranked 10 by ISS.

Dmitri Kulikov is a Russian defenceman who plays for Drummondville of the QMJHL. Kulikov's club has cruised to the Q league semi-final after back to back sweeps and now take on Memorial Cup hosts Rimouski. So far the 6.0 190 pound left shooting rearguard leads all blueliners in playoff scoring with 2 goals and 12 assists in 8 games. This after a 61 point regular season effort in just 54 games. He missed time this season while playing for Russia at the World Juniors where he notched 4 assists, and was plus 4 in 7 games. Kulikov is a potential power play qb who loves eying up forwards with their head down in the neutral zone. He's ranked 9th by ISS.

Nazem Kadri is hoping to play in a second straight Memorial Cup this year after helping Kitchener put on a great show as hosts last year. Kadri was part of the Steve Mason trade that sent this year's NHL rookie of the year hopeful to the Rangers from London. The odd part of the deal was that Kadri stayed in Kitchener until the start of this year and played in the tournament last year. Now he's the Knights second leading playoff scorer with 14 points in 9 games as London gets set to face Windsor in the OHL's semi-final. Kadri was hurt at Canada's World Junior camp and thus didn't make the squad, but he's had a terrific season with 25 goals and 76 points in just 55 games. He's only a shade over 5.11 and tips the Toledos at 180 pounds and while his skating won't wow you he is able to pull away from defenders with an extra gear when he has to. Kadri also isn't afraid to drive to the net. ISS has him slotted at 8.

Jared Cowen at one point was a consensus top 5 pick, with some people slotting him in at #3, but the old saying "out of sight, out of mind" rings true with the Spokane Chief defenceman. Cowen suffered a season ending knee injury in January and since then has fallen in the rankings. Luckily scouts saw him quite a bit last year as Spokane won the Memorial Cup. The skinny on Cowen is anything but. He's over 6.04 and weighs in at 220, and is the prototypical shut down D-man.

Evander Kane, nicknamed after Evander Holyfield is also the real deal. His grandfather was a big boxing fan and scouts are liking what they see from this World Junior champ. Kane who skates with Vancouver of the WHL was originally cut from Canada's squad, but joined the team after Dana Tyrell was injured in pre tournament action. He played a nice enery role for Canada. With the Giants he's Mr. Offence with 47 goals and 95 points in just 60 games, the second best totals of any draft eligible player in the CHL behind only London's John Tavares. Kane is tough, smart and has terrific hands. He's right now ranked 6th by ISS.

Here a two other guys that the Oilers could be looking at, one would have to slip a little, the other the Oilers might be taking earlier than he's ranked or trading down for.

Brayden Schenn is 5th by ISS. He plays for Brandon and can score, hit and and play defence. Jordan Schroeder is 11th by ISS. He plays for Minnesota and has a wicked shot, but is a little on the small side. There are some questions about Schroeder's competitiveness as he put up big points against weaker teams in the WJC while he was less visible in the big games for team U.S.A.

If the Oilers want to trade down even later, guys like Scott Glennie, Zach Kassian and Carter Ashton are big forwards with some pretty nice skill that might fit the bill. And here's a second round pick for you to watch for. Tomas Vincour. The Edmonton Oil King has a lot of what the Oilers are either looking for or has worked for them in the past:

1. He's from the Czech Republic.
2. Has nice size-6.02, 200 pounds.
3. He's a LW with a good shot.
4. He doesn't shy away from tough areas.
5. They will never get a more honest scouting report, as the Oilers own the OK kids.

One final note, I've been reading here or there that Kevin Prendergast should take the fall for the Oilers struggles. I don't understand why some regular media members and some bloggers think this. I can't speak for the Oilers but I do think KP and his staff have done a nice job. Guy might have more on this soon, so I don't want to steal his thunder, but I will point out the following players that Prendergast has been responsible for.

-Sam Gagner-drafted 6th overall 2007
-Andrew Cogliano-drafted 25th overall 2005
-Tom Gilbert-acquired for Tomi Salo
-Denis Grebeshkov-acquired for Marc-Andre Bergeron

Time will only tell whether Taylor Chorney(2nd), Jeff Petry (2nd) or Theo Peckham (3rd) will pan out, but in the last 4 years Prendergast and his staff have done a pretty nice job, with players like Jordan Eberle and Phillipe Cornet enjoying good junior seasons this year.

Top 5 Tuesday

Today we take a look at 5 players to watch for on Team USA at the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championship.

5. Jonathan Blum-Defence

The United States Captain has been lights out with Vancouver the past 2 years in the WHL. He notched 18 goals last year and already has 14 this season. A stand up guy off the ice, Blum was a great choice as captain but a surprising one seeing as he plays in the CHL. However counting Blum there are 8 kids who play north of the border. Blum is the only non NCAA blueliner for the stars and stripes but the highest scoring CHL player on the roster with 44 points in 28 games in Vancouver.

4. Danny Kristo-Forward

The only USHL player selected, it's not known how much ice time Kristo will get, but was great at the World Junior A Challenge this past November in Camrose. The Omaha Lancer notched 3 goals and 4 assists for team USA, with 2 of his goals coming on the power play. The Montreal Canadiens 2nd round draft pick from 2008 is a point per game player in the USHL where he's more of a passer with 16 of his 23 points coming from helpers.

3. Jordan Schroeder-Forward

The only 2009 draft eligible player for team USA, Schroeder is no bit player. He was a member of last year's team, and will skate on the club's top line with Colin Wilson and James Van Riemsdyk. Last year he notched 8 points in 6 games, 7 of them assists. So far this season the 5'9" 175 pound Minnesota Golden Gopher has 21 points n 16 games as a freshman. Schroeder wants to up his stock for the 2009 draft and will use the WJC as a springboard.

2. Drayson Bowman-Forward

Bowman who plays for Spokane, didn't make last year's team despite a season where he went on to snipe 42 goals and end up with 82 points in just 66 games. This year he's actually on pace to put up less points, but being an older player got the nod from his home country. He could end up on an all WHL line with Spokane teammate Mitch Wahl and Seattle Thunderbird forward Jim O'Brien, who will be playing on the ice he hopes to skate on in a few years, as Ottawa drafted him 29th overall in 2007.

1. James Van Riemsdyk-Forward

This will be the 3rd, and likely last WJC tournament for the 2nd overall pick of Philadelphia in 2007. It should also be his most dominant. Van Riemsdyk has great size and soft hands, and has pretty good stats in his one and a half years with New Hampshire (60 points in 48 games so far) As mentioned above he'll skate with Colin Wilson and Jordan Schroeder. Wilson will clear out bodies and drive to the net, while Schroeder will play set up man and for the Americans sake, hopefully Van Riemsdyk will fill the net.

Wednesday Re-Set

Last night on The Pipeline Show we continued our preview coverage of the 2009 World Junior Championship (click here).

First Dean and I, wearing our brand spanking new Hamilton "Youngblood" Mustangs sweaters (courtesy Madbrothers.com), debated the cuts and choices made by Hockey Canada on Monday.
In our second segment we spoke with Canadian sniper Jordan Eberle. The 2008 1st round pick talked about his excitement over making the team, who he expects to play with and what he's most looking forward to about the tournament.

Next we chatted with Cornell's Riley Nash. Another 1st round pick but this time one who didn't make the final grade for Canada. Riley was candid about his experience at the short camp and why he felt he didn't make the team.

Next up was Jordan Schroeder of the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Schroeder (pronounced Shray-der) is expected to be a top 10 pick at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and is a returning ember of Team USA for the WJC this year. He'll be a key player lining up next to James VanRiemsdyk and Colin Wilson and we touched on that as well as why USA this year won't failt to live up to their potential.

We closed out the show by playing an interview I had with Saskatoon Blades defenceman Stefan Elliot. He was was a recent winner of the 2009 Draft Prospect Performer of the Week Award that we're apart of and we talked about his draft year, the suprising success of the Blades this year and also a bit about the 2010 WJC that will be held in Regina/Saskatoon.

You can hear all of these interview by checking out the Media Archive section of our website.

It's time to start making podium predictions for the 2009 event. Dean is on record going with Sweden-Canada-USA while I have Canada-Sweden-USA. Peter Loubardias from Rogers Sportsnet, and a good friend of TPS, selected Canada-USA-Sweden but did say if Oscar Moller was playing (as he now is) that he'd strongly consider the Swedes as the gold medal favourites.

What are YOUR predictions for who will take home Gold, Silver and Bronze?