WHL Hammers Portland for Violations

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The WHL has announced massive penalties against the Portland Winterhawks today for violations which will result in the loss of 9 draft picks, a $200 thousand dollar fine and the suspension of GM and Head Coach Mike Johnston for the remained of the 2012-13 season and playoffs. 

As first reported by Dean Millard of The Pipeline Show and Global Sports back on November 13th, the league has been investigating the Winterhawks for several weeks.

After the jump, our reaction.

2013 Draft Blog: Eamon McAdam Pt.2

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The first chapter of Eamon McAdam's blog series this season arrived back on October 7th. If you missed that introduction you'll definitely want to check it out HERE. 

Since then, the USHL season has begun and the World Junior A Challenge also took place in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia with McAdam backstopping TEAM USA in the event. 

Sharing his thoughts and experiences of the last two months, The Pipeline Show is pleased to be able to present the second blog entry from Waterloo Black Hawks goaltender Eamon McAdam.

2013 Draft Blog: Curtis Lazar Pt.2

Back on September 17th Edmonton Oil Kings forward Curtis Lazar contributed his first blog post of the season. If you missed it you can find it HERE. Since then the WHL season began and the team has played 23 games. The Subway Super Series has come and gone and NHL Central Scouting's preliminary rankings have been released. 

Offering his thoughts on the last two months, The Pipeline Show is pleased to be able to bring you the second chapter in the 2013 Draft Blog by Curtis Lazar of the Edmonton Oil Kings.

2013 Draft: The Year of the Goalie

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No question that with 8 of the top 10 picks going to defencemen, 2012 was the Year of the Blueliner for the NHL Draft. It's starting to look like the Class of 2013 has an abnormal amount of high-end netminders.

Nowadays, it seems like many teams have taken a policy of not drafting goalies until the later rounds. In 2012 only two netminders went in the 1st round and that's the most since 2006 when four pipemen were selected early. Half the drafts since that year have seen no goaltender taken in the opening round. 

The reason most often given is that goalies mature so much later that it makes more sense to basically let someone else draft, develop and groom a netminder and then acquire him via trade when he's ready to contribute. It's a reasonable strategy considering the multitude of examples in the NHL of goalies draft in the 5th, 6th or 7th rounds.

But there are examples of teams who identify a goalie they think can be an exception to the rule; someone who could potentially play at the NHL during his entry level contract this making him worth using a 1st or 2nd round pick on.  Drafting such a goalie means not having to spend future assets to get him down the road. Harder to do but better asset management for those teams that have been able to pull it off.

I believe that with the 2013 crop there are already 5 goalies that fit that description. 

Blazers Gamble on Inglis

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With two of their 20-year-old stars on the sideline and only one of them expected to return this year, the Kamloops Blazers have added another vet to the their first place team. The move is not without risk however as the new Blazer is Charles Inglis, a player with baggage now joining his fourth WHL team. 

The official release from both teams is found here on the WHL website.

Saturday morning hockey talk

Now that the Subway Super Series is wrapped up and games are being played once again it was time get back in action.  Today we profiled a highly touted goaltender for the 2013 draft, or what Guy is calling, the year of the masked men.  Ok I just made that up, but he does think there could be 3 in the first round, and we spoke with one and about one today. 

Ewanyk out for a while

Early on in Wednesday's game between Russian and Team WHL, Travis Ewanyk was a one man wrecking crew.  Knocking down Russians like Walter Sobchak does pins...unless it's Shabbas. Unfortunately, the Russians caught up with Ewanyk in the second period and he was sent for a ride courtesy of Mikhail Naumenkov. You can see the video here.

10hDustin Nielson ‏@nielson1260

From Laxdal this morning. Travis Ewanyk will have an MRI on a lower body injury on Friday here in Edmonton.

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Word from out west has Ewanyk needing an MRI on his knee or quad as soon as he returns to Edmonton.  As for how long he'll be out, TPS is hearing that this isn't a day to day thing and could keep the Oilers prospect sidelined for a while.

Unfortunately it's deja vu for Ewanyk who sat out most of last year with a shoulder injury.  He ended up playing more playoff games then regular season games, but was key for Kings in their quest for the Cup.

2013 ISS Draft Rankings - November

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International Scouting Services (ISS) has released their November rankings for the 2013 NHL Draft. Head scout Ross MacLean can be heard every second Saturday on The Pipeline Show in our regular and ongoing ISS Draft Countdown segment. Ross spotlights five different members of the Class of 2013 and offers listeners his opinion on why a player should or should not be considered strongly for the draft next June.

After the jump, the top 30 skaters and top 10 goaltenders according to ISS.

Sutter back behind bench in Red Deer, adding Truitt

Last night on The Pipeline Show Guy and I discussed a possible coaching change in the WHL.  However we were discussing Saskatoon and how Jeff Truitt might be surfacing with the Memorial Cup hosts.  We were in the right conference, but wrong division. 

TPS learned this morning that Truitt will join the Red Deer Rebels staff along with  Brent Sutter who will return to the bench of the team he coached to a Memorial Cup championship in 2001. 

Shortly after TPS broke the story, the Rebels released the their statement.

Winterhawks about to be clipped?

This past August the Windsor Spitfires were handed a $400,000 fine for recruiting violations.  A month later it was reduced to a $250,000 fine, as well as, some draft pick relief.

TPS has learned from multiple sources in the WHL that the Portland Winterhawks could be the next CHL club to face sanctions for player recruitment.

The Rant

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Friday night's game between Air Force and Penn State ended in a 5-1 win for the visiting Falcons. But don't try and tell head coach Frank Serratore that his team deserved the win let alone that it was an easy one. After the game he went on an extended rant about his team's horrible performance, the only reason why they were even in the game and how no one should take the Nittany Lions for granted.

Coach Serratore was a guest on TPS a few years ago and was very generous in the praise of our show, we've highlighted a few of his comments on the right side of the blog since then. After the jump is the video of the soon-to-be-legendary rant and for me, it's not just what he says but the way he says it; the mannerisms, the facial expressions... CLASSIC.

Open Letter: CHL & NCAA

During all the CHLPA hoopla last week there was one chapter in the series I wrote which touched on the possibility of CHL players retaining their NCAA eligibility. While that may in the end prove to be nothing more than a pipe dream, the conversation about whether it would be a good idea or not was definitely interesting. 

I received a letter from an owner of a USHL franchise which outlined his opinion on the subject and I found it intriguing. Here is the owner of a team from a league largely considered to be a gateway to the NCAA and, to some extent, in competition for players with the CHL. 

I asked the owner for his permission to post the letter and he agreed. After the jump, an open letter from Josh Mervis, owner of the USHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks on whether allowing CHL players into the NCAA hockey should be considered.

CHLPA: Curtains?

"Could the last person out of the CHLPA please turn off the lights?" - Tony Saxon, Guelph Mercury

72 days, give or take a few hours. That was the public life span of the Canadian Hockey League Players Association. What became a story back on August 20th ended in a spectacular, controversial fashion on November 1st. 

In the wake of scandalous accusations, the abandonment of legal representation and the inevitable resigning of its Executive Director, the CHLPA is as good as dead. 

An Oiler becomes an Oil King

photo by Jon Howe

Edmonton Oil Kings G.M. Bob Green pulled off his biggest and toughest trade since becoming G.M when the team re-entered the WHL 6 years ago.  Green picked up a massive minute muncher who is also and Edmonton Oilers draft pick, which should make the parent club smile.