2014 Draft Blog: Jordan Papirny Pt.2

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Last month we were introduced to Brandon Wheat Kings goaltender Jordan Papirny. He introduced himself to us with the first chapter of his 2014 Draft Blog which he's agreed to share with us and our audience over the course of this season. 

If you missed Part I you can find it HERE. And now here is a quick follow up from Jordan Papirny.

2014 Draft Blog: Jordan Papirny

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It's become an annual tradition; guest blogs written by a handful of draft eligible players who share their experiences throughout the key season. Some of the names of players who we have recruited and agreed to give us their time in the past include 1st round selections like Mark Pysyk, Jordan Eberle, Joe Colborne, Curtis Lazar, John Moore, Michael Matheson and Brett Connolly. 

This year's first entry come from a goaltender of note from the WHL, Jordan Papirny of the Brandon Wheat Kings. Papirny was a recent guest on the show as part of our IN STUDIO summer series and after meeting him I was compelled to ask if he'd like to take on this project over the season. 

After the jump, the first chapter in the season-long blog written by Brandon netminder Jordan Papirny.

One To Watch: Ottawa Senators

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This one was easy. Not that the Senators pool of prospects is shallow, not at all in fact, but for me there is one guy that is beginning a huge chapter in his career this year that I can't overlook. 

No, it's not any of the OHL picks in recent years although I'm not going to criticize anyone who has taken a shine to Cody Ceci, Shane Prince, Stefan Noesen or Matt Puempel. All are solid prospects in their own right.

Swedes Mika Zibanejad and Robin Lehner? Worthy but also neither are the guy I am thinking of. It's not the Love Expert, Louie Caporusso, or Frenchman Stephane Da Costa either. 

My pick as one to watch for the Senators is a former King. 

Wheat Kings Shuffle The Deck...Twice

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My inbox buzzed twice in less then two hours today with 2 separate deals that Brandon Wheat Kings G.M. Kelly McCrimmon pulled off. He added stability to the crease and some firepower up front.

Wheat Kings on Royal Roll

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The Brandon Wheat Kings have gone through quite a few changes on and off the ice in the last year. They dealt franchise forward Brayden Schenn at last year's deadline, and this off season watched Kelly McCrimmon step down as Head Coach and hire Cory Clouston to coach the club. But the Wheaties haven't missed a beat early in the season as heading into Thursday nights action they sat a point out of first place in the East Division.

Hands of Stone

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Up to this point the term 'Hands of Stone' has always been used in a negative way to describe a player who just can't produce offensively even when goals are gift wrapped for him. That saying might be due for an update because after notching 8-points in Canada's two Red/White games, Brandon's Mark Stone (OTT) is proving that there's absolutely nothing wrong with his hands.

Saturday Morning Special - Aug 6th

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Hockey Canada's U20 camp dominated discussion today on TPS as should be expected when the summer World junior camp is going on in our back yard. But we also made time for a WHL GM who made a massive coaching move this past week and we also went south of the border to check in on Team USA's summer camp as well.

The Coaching Carousel Continues

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It was very interesting to see Kelly McCrimmon step down in Brandon today and had the Head Coaching duties over to Cory Clouston McCrimmon who is also G.M. and owner of the team brings in a guy who despite being only 41 years old has a wack of experience at the junior and pro level. The official release can be found here.

So why was now the right time for McCrimmon? I've been told that the 2nd winningest coach in team history has reviewed his situation each season. We'll find out if that's true this Saturday when he joins us on The Pipeline Line at 10:25 am mst. You can hear the interview on the TEAM 1260 in Edmonton or online here. It's good to see that assistant coach Dwayne Gylywoychuk is staying with the club and that Darren Ritchie will become a full time assistant coach. Both guys bring tremendous assets to the team.

Rebels, Hawks get out the broom: WHL playoff round up

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Ryan Nugent-Hopkins did a lot of damage to the Edmonton Oil Kings with his hands, and vision. But it was the Red Deer Rebels leg/knee that did the Kings in for good Thursday night in Edmonton.

Blades Get Their Man

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It's no longer rumor; the Saskatoon Blades have acquired the 2011 World Junior Championship MVP from the Brandon Wheat Kings for the hefty cost of four 1st and two 2nd round picks.

Hoping Schenn Starts a Domino Effect

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The LA Kings made the coaching and scouting staff of Hockey Canada breathe a little easier on Thursday. By sending Brayden Schenn back to the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL, the Kings also gave Hockey Canada it's #1 centre and all around best player. Schenn also makes the Wheat Kings an interesting team to watch, as getting back last year's co-captain could easily vault them a few spots up the standings.

The Wheat Kings sit tied for a playoff spot right now but are only a few wins out of 6th, and if they keep Schenn they could make a run for a home playoff game, which would be a pretty amazing accomplishment considering the players they lost after hosting the Memorial Cup.

Schenn decision soon?

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On Monday, Hockey Canada released the invite list for it's training camp starting December 10th. 39 players made the list with hopes that a couple of NHL guys will be made available. The two guys being talked about the most are Tyler Seguin in Boston and Brayden Schenn with LA. The decision on Seguin will likely be a last minute one and will be based on their salary cap situation when Marc Savard returns.

As for Schenn word is the Kings will be letting Hockey Canada know this week If he'll be made available for training camp. The 5th overall pick from 2009 just came back from a 2 week conditioning stint in Manchester and has two more games in the NHL before a year of his entry level deal kicks in.

LA could loan Schenn to the World Juniors and call him back up or send him back to Brandon. Returning him to Brandon would likely only happen if they knew he would be traded to a contender. The 2 most likely destinations are Portland and Schenn's home town of Saskatoon.

Hartsburg To Undergo Heart Surgery. "Chewey" On the mend

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Everett Silvertips head coach Craig Hartsburg will undergo heart surgery and will be lost to the club for atleast the first half of the season. The Tips release can be found here. Obviously the main concern is Hartsburg's health, but you have to wonder how this will effect the Tips, if it does at all. They're currently 5-2-1-1 in what might be the most competitive division in all of junior hockey, with apologies to the mid-west division of the OHL. 4 of the 5 teams in the WHL's U.S division are atleast 3 games above .500 and Portland leads the way with an 8-2-1 mark.

Meanwhile Brandon Wheat King assistant coach Dwayne Gylywoychuk is getting closer to returning to the bench. In early August 'Chewey' suffered a broken back after falling at the rink in Brandon. Former Wheat King and Gylywoychuk teammate Mike Vandenberghe took over the assistant coaching duties, but word is 'Chewey' is set to return December 1st.

Sea Dogs add goaltending depth

Last year Jacbob De Serres went from the Seattle Thunderbirds to the Brandon Wheat Kings and had a chance to play in the Memorial Cup. He wasn't particularly good in that tournament, but did get Brandon to the final. Today he cleared waivers and has been picked up by the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL. The Dogs are a strong team and have to be considered a contender to win the Q league title, meaning if the one time Flyer draft pick in 2008 might have a chance to get back to the CHL championship.

There is nothing just yet on the Sea Dogs web site, but here is the release from Brandon.

Schenn Having Knee Problems?

According to Rich Hammond Brayden Schenn has suffered a knee injury and the Wheat King captain will get undergo an MRI Thursday in Los Angeles.

Brandon Wheat King Voice Bruce Luebeke the LA first round pick from 2009 left Brandon's training camp Tuesday.

Wheat Kings Find Stand-In for "Chewie"

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The Pipeline Show has learned that the Brandon Wheat Kings will soon announce that they have found an interim assistant coach while Dwayne "Chewie" Gylywoychuk recovers from a broken back. We expect that former Brandon player Mike Vandenberghe will assume the duties of assistant coach for the coming season.

Vandenberghe played three and a half years for the Wheat Kings back in the late 1980's and has moved on to the coaching ranks after hanging up his skates. He coach at Notre Dame in Wilcox, SK when Jaden Schwartz was still at the school and last season he was scouting for the Prince George Cougars.

Sports Performance Analyzer is a tool that Vandenberghe has helped develop and distribute to coaches at many different levels. For more on that product, visit HERE.

Wishing Gylywoychuk a speedy recovery

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Some sad and shocking news out of Brandon that assistant coach Dwayne Gylywoychuk has suffered a broken back after apparently falling down some stairs at the Keystone Centre yesterday. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

I've known Dwayne, or "Chewy" as he was known to his friends, since he played with the Wheat Kings. My family billeted players back then and Dwayne was always friendly to us brats who followed around the hockey players. He was given the nickname "Chewy" I believe by Trevor Kidd, because of the noises he made while sleeping on the bus. Word is he sounded a lot like Chewbacca the Wookie from Star Wars.

The Winnipeg product is the leader in games played for the Wheat Kings (323) and has been on the bench since 2003 as an assistant coach.

Gylywoychuk is recovering at Brandon General Hospital. Hope to see you up and around at the rink soon Chewy.

Wheat Kings and Windsor: Winner takes all.

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The city of Brandon is buzzing with nervous excitement as their team will play in a Memorial Cup final for the first time since 1979. Brandon will be looking for it's first title in franchise history. Windsor on the other hand is looking to go back to back and win their 7th straight Memorial Cup game after rattling off 3 straight last year to take the title.

Overtiiiiiiiiiime Winner: Wheaties and Windsor on Sunday

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I didn't get to hear one of my favorite play by play men's call Friday night when Brandon beat Calgary in the Mastercard Memorial Cup semi-final, in overtime. He could have borrowed fellow sportsnet colleague Kevin Quinn's line if he wanted to, but I'm sure as clever as Peter is, he came up with something great.

As did the Wheat Kings.

Meaningless Game? Hitmen pound in message to Wheat Kings

Well that was interesting. Calgary skated away with dominating 5-1 win to wrap up the round robin portion of the Mastercard Memorial Cup and set the tone for Friday's semi-final rematch.

The Hitmen didn't dominate the whole game, but just about. I thought Brandon came hard in the first, but the difference was Martin Jones who battled for rebounds and after getting beat just 29 second after Calgary had opened the scoring, didn't give the Wheat Kings a sniff. He made cross crease, reaction and 2nd and 3rd saves the whole first period. Then when Brandon was hoping to build momentum in the 3rd for the semi final, Jones snuffed them out on back to back 5 on 3 power plays and a 5 minute major.

At the other end, Jacob De Serres struggled along with Brandon's blueline. To many times De Serres gave up a rebound and couldn't corral it before Calgary put it behind him. It didn't help that his mates stood around to much and gave Calgary chance after chance to beat him.

Once again Jimmy Bubnick was terrific for the Hitmen, scoring once and setting up 3 others on route to a +4 night.

Brandon's Scott Glennie didn't play much after the first period and wasn't on the bench for the 3rd. One Wheat King player with tongue firmly planted in cheek, said Glennie had a cut lip. Kelly McCrimmon didn't offer much about his status in the post game and some media members were wondering out loud if there even was an injury. Glennie hasn't been great during the tournament, but I can't see Brandon benching a top ten pick during the biggest time in franchise history.

As for Calgary, Captain Ian Schultz is someone to keep an eye on for Friday night. Schultz blocked a shot on a late Brandon power play, and it was a rocket, as in possibly bone breaking. I asked head coach Mike Williamson after his news conference and he told me Schultz is ok...but who knows.

This one did have some rough moments, like when Rigby Burgart cross checked Shayne Wiebe after the Brandon agitator stuck out his knee and left Calgary sniper Kris Foucoult limping off the ice. Burgart was given 5 and a game. There also 2 fights, in which Cody Beach of Calgary was beaten up twice. First by Travis Hamonic and later courtesy of Michael Ferlund, who had his pick of opponents when Ben Wilson also opted to drop his mitts. That's pretty much the only thing Brandon can take into Friday night from this one.

Or maybe it was planned...yah...play so bad Calgary is lulled into a fall sense of security. That one will be floated by the same people who think Kelly McCrimmon started Andrew Hayes last Friday against Windsor because he thought they were going to lose anyway.

One thing is for sure, Brandon has to bounce back on Friday, like they did against Moncton in their 2nd game, and they have to get their lack of success against Calgary out of their collective heads. The Hitmen, don't have to change a thing.

One final note, this tournament is the reason Matt Calvert came back to Brandon this year, instead of signing with Columbus and playing in the AHL. Friday night has been on his mind for months, and he told me after most of the media had left, 'you don't come back to lose, and failure is not an option.' Brandon fans are hoping Calvert has 2 more games as a Wheat King.