What's Old is Young Again

~
On the heels of recent re-signings of goalie Devan Dubnyk and Colin McDonald, both 1-year deals, the Edmonton Oilers have just announced the return of defenceman Bryan Young to the fold as well.

I should say that the Springfield Falcons have made the announcement, as usual the Oilers haven't gotten around to it quite yet. Here is the release from Springfield.

It should be noted that this is strictly a minor-league deal so it will not count against the 50-contract limit the Oilers have been consistently up against in recent years.

Young was originally a 5th round draft pick back in 2004 and was known throughout the OHL as one of the most feared open ice hitters in the junior loop. That trait has not followed him to the AHL though. I'm told that while he does deliver the occasional body blast to an unsuspecting opponent, those incidents are few and far between.

While he's always been known as a defensive defenceman, it's been described to me that he has struggled at the pro level to adjust to bigger, stronger and faster opponents. "He's always backing up" is how one person in the know put it. Perhaps with another year of experience under his belt that will change and if so, he's a decent signing for the farm although at this point he's a depth guy at best. He's been past on the depth chart by a lot of Oiler prospects and his upside is probably now considered to be "a good career minor leaguer".

Random Signing Notes: Interesting to see that the Vancouver Canucks have signed Kellan Tochkin of the Everett Silvertips to an entry level contract. Tochkin went undrafted in 2009 despite winning the WHL rookie scoring race in 2008-09 with 74 points in 72 games. I was surprised that no one chose him in Montreal last June. Taking a flyer on a guy who may be small and not the fastest guy but can obviously produce... doesn't sound like a bad gamble with a late round pick to me...

According to CapGeek.com the Calgary Flames have signed 3 players to entry level deals including Greg Nemisz of the Windsor Spitfires. This wasn't a player I really liked much in his draft year but I do now after getting to see him play at the Memorial Cup. He's big and can score, at least at the OHL level but I think he'll be a good Flame too. Also getting inked were blueliners T.J. Brodie (4th round 2008) and Keith Seabrook who was originally drafted by Washington and played for the Calgary Hitmen...

Former San Jose 1st round pick Lukas Kaspar has been signed by the Philadelphia Flyers. Kaspar has spent the last 4 seasons in the AHL and has put up decent numbers with a career high 44 points last year in Worcester. He managed to dress for 16 NHL games with the Sharks...

Wednesday Re-Set

The March 31st edition of TPS presented previews and discussion on the OHL playoff picture as well as a look ahead to the Frozen Four. We also spoke with another notable 2009 eiligible draft prospect and chatted with a top prospect recalled by the Edmonton Oilers.

Taylor Chorney started the show off by joining us for a pre-game conversation while Liam Reddox and Marc Pouliot waited to go for supper. Chorney discussed his situation with the Oilers, his performance early on in Springfield compared to the second half of the season and also what the coaching change has meant for some of the AHL roster.

Our OHL insider, Sam Cosentino of Rogers Sportsnet, then walked us through the goings on of that league's post season including a eye witness account of Ottawa 67's bench boss Brian Kilrea's final game. Sam laid out who we should expect to see in the OHL semi-finals and then we all made our predictions as to who would represent the league at the Memorial Cup in Rimouski.

The WHL rookie scoring champ this year was Kellan Tochkin of the Everett Silvertips. The playmaker talked to us about the year that was and looked ahead to the draft and the U18s which he suprisingly isn't going to be a part of. His acceptance of that news and his outlook on the draft rankings was quite surprising. Tochkin has already got us thinking that he could be a steal at the draft if he goes in the mid-late rounds as ISS has him slotted (123rd).

Finally, our planned NCAA Frozen Four round table didn't come off as expected as one of our contributors fell ill and couldn't join us. So it was up to D.J. Powers of Hockey's Future to carry us through explanations of why NCAA relies so heavily on the pairwise rankings system. Then we all took turns with our Frozen Four and Hobey Baker predictions.

It was a big show and if you missed it live you can click the archive... RIGHT HERE.

Coming Down the Pipe... next week: Our Annual Frozen Four Coach's Show featuring interviews with all four coach's of the four NCAA team vying for the National Championship.

The Down-Low with Bristowe--Western Conference 1st Round Playoff Preview

The Down-Low with Bristowe
Posted by Allan Bristowe

Western Conference Playoff Preview

Where will the West be won? The Western Conference playoffs appear to be a 4 horse race. You may have heard our predictions on The Pipeline Show on Monday night where I had a chance to share my opinions with Guy Flaming and Dean Millard. First and foremost I promise not to go on and on (and on) about the Cougars in their series with the Vancouver Giants.

(1) Vancouver Giants vs. (8) Prince George Cougars

I won’t go on and on….because this series won’t go on for very long. There was a 66 point difference in the standings between the teams in the regular season. The Giants feature arguably the best defence in the league and the Cats main go to player is 16 year old forward Brett Connolly. The Cougars lost the season series 8 games to none and were outscored 40-11. In their last contest over the weekend the Cougars were shut out by the Giants back-up goalie. The Giants will use the series to get their game on track after going 4 and 4 in March. The Cats will use the post season to gain some valuable playoff experience for their young team. Giants in 4.

Key Match-up in the series: Brett Connolly vs. Jonathon Blum

(2) Tri-City Americans vs. (7) Everett Silvertips

This series on paper appears to be a mis-match. The Americans claimed their second straight US division title, while the Silvertips were one of the big sellers around the WHL trade deadline making a block buster deal with Lethbridge where they unloaded Kyle Beach. Tri-City won the season series 8-1-0-1 and held the Tips leading scorer Kellan Tochkin to only 6 points in the 10 games. There is some question about Americans goalie Chet Pickard after suffering a concussion late in the season but he was the teams back-up in their final two regular season games. This is another series where the top team is going after another league title and the lower seed is looking to gain from the post season exposure. Americans in 4.

Key Match-up in the series: Kellan Tochkin vs. Mitch Fadden

(3) Kelowna Rockets vs. (6) Kamloops Blazers

The battle of the K town teams was one sided during the regular season. The Rockets blasted the Blazers this season winning all 9 meetings and had 30 more goals. Kelowna is looking to make a run this season while the Blazers were a middle of the pack team all season and had trouble finding their consistency. I do think the Blazers might give the Rockets a better run in the playoffs. Goalie Justin Leclerc might be able to pull out a game or two. Plus the Blazers do have some guys that could surprise. C.J. Stretch had 86 points while Tyler Shattock was a point a game player. Rockets in 5 or 6 at the most.

Key Match-up in the series: Justin Leclerc vs. The entire Rockets offense

(4) Spokane vs. (5) Seattle

The 4 versus 5 series is usually the closest and that should be the case here. Spokane won the season series with 5 wins in 9 games. The Seattle Thunderbirds could be the team to dethrone the defending Memorial Cup champions. With Canadian World Junior captain Thomas Hickey anchoring their blue line and forwards such as Ottawa Senators first rounder Jim O’Brien up front the T-Birds have more talent than some people might realize. The Chiefs have the experience of knowing how to win going all the way last year. Spokane has the Canadian World Junior goalie in Dustin Tokarski who some how finds a way to get the job done when the games are on the line. I think this will be a hard fought series with Spokane prevailing in either 6 or 7 games.

Key Match-up in the series: Thomas Hickey vs. Drayson Bowman

That’s the Down-Low with Bristowe for the opening round of the Western Conference Playoffs.

2009 Draft Performers of the Week - Nov. 2/08

Each week, International Scouting Services (ISS), Sports Management Worldwide (SMWW), Hockey Now, and The Pipeline Show recognize the Top Draft Eligible player from each of the WHL, OHL, QMJHL, & USHL leagues for the upcoming 2009 NHL Entry Draft based on their play over the course of the week. Players are nominated and the selected by graduates of the SMWW Hockey GM & Scouting with each of the winners receiving a gift acknowledging their selection.

ONTARIO HOCKEY LEAGUE – OHL

Ontario Hockey League – Ryan Ellis, Windsor Spitfires
Defense
Born Jan 3 1991 -- Freelton, ONT
Height 5.10 -- Weight 178 -- Shoots R

Ryan Ellis had an outstanding week on the blueline for the Windsor Spitfires, recording 2 goals and 5 assists in 2 games while registering a plus-8. Ellis, with 10 goals and 23 assists on the season is tied for first in OHL scoring with teammate Taylor Hall. Ellis is known for being offensively gifted as well as responsible when the puck is on his stick, a rare combination for a player his age.

WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE – WHL

Western Hockey League – Kellen Tochkin, Everett Silvertips
Right Wing
Born Feb 15 1991 -- Abbotsford, BC
Height 5.09 -- Weight 170 -- Shoots R

Everett winger Kellen Tochkin had an impressive week in the WHL, notching 1 goal and 2 assists in 3 games. The 5’ 9” native of Abbotsford, BC has 6 goals and 11 assists and is a plus- 9 in 16 games for the Silvertips this season. Tochkin skates very well and has good on ice vision.

QUEBEC MAJOR JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE – QMJHL

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League – David Savard, Moncton Wildcats
Defense
Born Oct 22 1990 -- St-Hyacinthe, PQ
Height 6.01 -- Weight 201 -- Shoots R

David Savard had an outstanding week for the Moncton Wildcats, registering 1 goal and 3 assists in 2 games. Savard, a native of St-Hyacinthe, QC has 3 goals and 10 points on the season with posting a plus-9 rating in 18 games. The 6’ 1” defenseman plays a physical game and moves the puck well from the back end.

UNITED STATES HOCKEY LEAGUE – USHL

United States Hockey League – Brett Chartier, Lincoln Stars
Forward
Born Jun 28 1991 -- Winnipeg, MAN
Height 5.09 -- Weight 175 -- Shoots L

Brett Chartier is the USHL draft performer of the week for the second time this season after recording 2 goals and 1 assist while racking up 15 PIM in 2 games for Lincoln. On the season the 5’ 9” forward has 5 goals, 6 assists and 24 PIM in 9 games. The Winnipeg, MB native has a quick first step and is not afraid to play physical.