Eberle, Potulny, Chorney off to World Championship

According to TSN's Darren Dreger Jordan Eberle will be a member of Team Canada for the upcoming World Hockey Championship. Eberle will reportedly start as an extra, but might have the chance to play his way into a more prominent role, like Jonathan Toews did a few years ago. This news comes on the day where Eberle was named the WHL's Eastern Conference Player of the Year. He should go onto win the league award, and be a strong contender for CHL player of the year, after a 50 goal, 50 assist season in just 57 games. He also added 14 points in 11 games with Springfield this season. Global Edmonton will talk with Eberle tonight at 6 on News Hour Sports.

Also heading to the Worlds, but wearing stars and stripes will be Oilers forward Ryan Potulny and defenceman Taylor Chorney. Potulny was one of the first cuts this training camp, but made his way back up for good and scored 15 times while adding 17 assists in 64 games. Chorney struggled in his first full season putting up just 3 assists while racking up a -21 rating. Here's hoping a trip to the Worlds will help him regain his confidence after a shaky year.

While it's good news for these three, it doesn't appear to be the same for Dustin Penner who's name hasn't been called out yet by Hockey Canada, and according to some insiders I spoke to today, likely won't.

Math Atheist

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Sometimes I get jealous of the blogging community and not just because 'Lowetide' draws visitors like Disneyland or 'Oilers Nation' reminds me daily that I have zero Photoshop skills. I get jealous of the intelligence of the various QWERTY mashers out there, specifically those in the "Oilogosphere". I'm impressed by the guys who have the ability to navigate the fine print of the NHL CBA and those who have mastered the art of stats analysis for use in their blog posts.

Speaking strictly for me, I understand that there is value, probably great value, in all the stats work that's done but it doesn't hold my attention at all. I'm not trying to say that David Staples' "error stat" isn't worth the time he spends with it but just that between that new stat and "Corsi numbers" and "Qual Comps" and whatever else is out there... I quickly get headaches.

So like Calvin, I'm declaring myself to be a math atheist.

O'Marra Earning His Shot

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Tuesday night Dean and I had a conversation with Springfield Falcons head coach Rob Daum and we discussed a bunch of different current events including the development of some Oilers prospects. One such player was Ryan O'Marra who had been called up to the NHL earlier in the day.

The former 1st round pick made his NHL debut on Tuesday night against the Ottawa Senators literally minutes after getting off the plane. I contacted O'Marra earlier in the day and he explained to me that his plane was due to land in the nation's capital about 35 minutes before the opening faceoff and that he was going to miss the pregame skate but hoped to still get the chance to play. He did, getting exactly 6:00 of ice time in his first NHL game.

The decision had raised the eyebrows of some people as the theory that the Oilers were "showcasing" him was brought up on the air and message boards. How you showcase a guy who had started to become labeled as a "bust" is anyone's guess but the simple fact is that, contrary to some belief, O'Marra was the best choice for a recall at the time.

The Oilers NHL roster is decimated by injury and illness. The team lacks players who can win a faceoff at the best of time and even more so while Shawn Horcoff is sidelined. The Oilers are also generally pretty small up front. Ryan O'Marra is a 6'2, 208 lbs forward that is the best Springfield center at taking draws. He's not a scorer, a playmaker or a finesse player - but he's exactly what Edmonton was lacking on Tuesday night.

We spoke with Daum and asked him about the recall. He gave us a lot of insight on how the decision of which player is made and also offered a pretty descriptive scenario of his meeting with O'Marra as he told him the news.

"...it was really exciting to see his enthusiasm and the excitement for [O'Marra] of fulfilling a lifelong dream is something he'll never forget and it's exciting when you can deliver that kind of news." said Daum. "You get different reactions from guys depending on the personality of the player. With Ryan it was... he was overwhelmed with the news."

Hearing a bit of the behind-the-scenes stuff of the time line from the first call from Edmonton, the Oilers' line of questions as they seek a call-up, Daum's recommendation and then the subsequent call back... is quite interesting to hear.

Daum also went on to explain the growth he's seen in O'Marra over the course of the last few years. The former Islander was hardly a blip on the radar at best over the past two seasons and yet here he was on the ice in a NHL uniform in November. Daum cleared up the reasons why.

"The doubters and the sceptics were pretty accurate based on his play last year," he began, "I was only [in Springfield] for the last 29 games but in that time, Ryan O'Marra was not a factor."

Over the course of the summer O'Marra changed up his training, spent some time in Finland and returned to Oiler camp with a new focus and a new attitude.

"...Instead of being negative about his season last year, he used it as a motivator for himself. He came to Edmonton, I know, with a very positive attitude in training camp and had a good camp..."

Daum continued to praise O'Marra for his performance in Springfield which has included an acceptance of a set role - that of a shutdown, defensive center.

We also talked to Daum about another player that some Oiler fans had written off long ago. Colin McDonald, drafted as a scoring machine out of New England, had lost his offensive touch during his 4-year NCAA career and had struggled as a pro to find his place. McDonald told us during training camp in Edmonton that having Rob Daum take over the team last year had a major impact on him because the coach had finally given him a job description. This year the former Friar has picked up where he left off and the coach couldn't speak any higher about him that he did to us on Tueday night.

"[McDonald] has been excellent. I thought he was pretty good for us last year doing the things that he did but he's been even better for us this year," said Daum, "His game has taken a real step forward."

We had an email come in from Minnesota that asked Daum to comment on the progression of Taylor Chorney from last year. The coach pulled no punches when describing the struggles Chorney went through as a rookie and also talked about how he's gone from the AHL to the NHL in such a short time.

From Chorney we moved to another Springfield defenceman in Cody Wild. Many Oiler fans, especially those who often rely heavily on statistical analysis and mathematical breakdowns, have been questioning the organization's apparent misuse of Wild, especially when compared to Taylor Chorney. I posed the question directly to the coach and asked him to compare the two players and Daum opened his explanation by commenting on stats.

"I think statistics can be extremely misleading and if that's what you're basing a player comparison on... it's one tool that you can use but there's a lot more to a player than his stats good or bad."

Daum did oblige the question and went to great lengths to discuss the two defenceman and explained how different the two are compared to the belief of some outsiders.

It was a very informative discussion with the coach that should have some fans rethinking their opinions on some key Oiler prospects. The full with interview with coach Rob Daum is available HERE.

Other guests from Tuesday included NHL Hall of Fame netminder and current owner, GM and head coach of the Quebec Remparts - Patrick Roy. We also spoke with Captain Paul Whalen of the Royal Military College hockey team as we offered a hockey tribute to our Canadian Forces.

You can hear The Pipeline Show live on Tuesday nights from 7-9 PM on the TEAM 1260 in Edmonton or online at www.thepipelineshow.com

You can join our Facebook Group for advance notice of our upcoming guest list and you can also keep track of us via Twitter.

(Photos: Springfield Falcons)

Taylor Chorney On the Way?

Word is the Oilers are planning on placing blueliner Sheldon Souray on the injured reserve list and calling up Taylor Chorney from Springfield.

Sounds like Souray is having concussion like symptons and Saturday morning head coach Pat Quinn said "he could be out a while."

After 4 games with the Falcons, Chorney is tied for the team lead in scoring with 2 goals and 3 assists. He is a -4, but is facing the other team's top lines most of the night. Both of his goals are power play goals.

Chorney was on stand by this morning in case Steve Staios couldn't play tonight. From the sounds of things, he is picking up where he left off at the end of last year, after having a rough start to his pro career.

Falcons Flying High In Opener

The Springfield Falcons are perfect. Now I bet you didn't expect to read that sentence after last year. But Rob Daum's club opened the season with what sounds like a convincing 5-2 victory over the Portland Pirates Saturday night. Chris Minard, Charles Linglet, Liam Reddox, Taylor Chorney and Adam Henrich scored for Springfield, which went 3-5 on the power play.

Minard opened the scoring on the power play taking a quick centering pass from Ryan Potulny and wiring it past Jhonas Enroth from the slot. After Portland tied it up, Liam Reddox flashed some skill, spinning away from a check, coming out from behind the net and roofing it short side.

The trio of Chris Minard, Charles Linglet and Adam Henrich combined for 5 points and all factored in on the 3rd Falcons goal. After a nice cycle in the left corner, Minard made a sweet back pass to Linglet in front who snapped it past Enroth.

The Pirates Marc-Andre Gragnani notched his second of the game to cut Springfield's lead to one, but the Falcons answered on the power play again. Ryan Potulny won a clean faceoff to Chris Armstrong who fed a pass across the blueline to a waiting Taylor Chorney. The former Fighting Sioux one timed the pass in for his first of the season to make it 4-2.

Adam Henrich rounded out the scoring, trailing a 2 on 1 with Reddox and Slava Trukhno, Henrich put away a Reddox pass to put Springfield up by 3. Things got a little rough after that when Kip Brennan steam rolled Joe DiPenta. It might have been a charge and DiPenta went kind of nuts. While Brennan was dealing with Jeff Cowan in a scrap DiPenta 2 hand slashed Brennan, and a mini line brawl broke out.

All in all it seemed like a great effort from Springfield. Some nice offence, a productive power play, team toughness and Devan Dubnyk stopped 31 of the 33 shots he faced, including 13 in each of the final 2 periods. Overall Springfield was outshot 33-24.

Schremp Watch Begins

The Oilers provide plane tickets for 5 players on Sunday, and placed Theo Peckham on injured reserve, just after beating the Canucks 5-4 at Rexall Place to wrap up the pre season.

Edmonton returned Jordan Eberle to Regina, while Devan Dubnyk, Taylor Chorney, Kip Brennan and Rob Schremp were assigned to Springfield. Schremp is the only player who must clear waivers to reach the farm.

Will a team like the Islanders take a chance on his offensive skills? Or how about Minnesota, head coach Todd Richards coached Schremp when the forward put up 53 points in 69 games with Wilkes-Barre. Based on his pre season you would likely say 'no', as other than against Tampa in Winnipeg Schremp didn't really stand out, but a guy like Richards knows his potential, and Minnesota is trying to play a more offensive style this year. Or is it more believable that he'll get through the waiver process - other teams will be doing the same thing with their own players - and start the year with the Falcons. Will he be the first call up? With Rob Daum he may get off to a fast start, but there are players ahead of him, still with the team that will make their way to Springfield (if they get through waivers) when the Oilers are healthy. Or will be play out his days as an Oiler in Springfield
and then look to sign elsewhere next season.

As for Eberle this is the right move for the Oilers and that's why most media members predicted it. He can dominate in Regina (until they trade him to a contender at the deadline) and help Canada try to win it's 6th straight gold medal at the World Junior Championhip being played in Regina and Saskatoon this year. I wouldn't have been against him getting even a game during the regular season, and if the numbers weren't stacked against him he probably would have. But that might mean losing a player, remember the Oilers picked up Steve Macintyre through the process last year.

The Oilers still have 17 forwards battling for 14 spots with notables such as Gilbert Brule, Ryan Stone, JF Jacques and Liam Reddox hoping to stick with the Oilers out of training camp for the first time in their careers.

Panthers-Oilers Post Game, Jacques, Stone Shine

While Mike Comrie and Patrick O'Sullivan were the two best players on the ice for Edmonton, a couple of youngsters were pretty good as well in a 4-0 pre season win Friday.

It didn't take J.F. Jacques long to steam roll a Panther, then as he stepped out of the box after serving a slashing penalty, he dropped Christian Backman like a rock in a river with a hard shoulder check. Backman was barely on the ice when Jacques looked around to see who would be on his dance card, and sure enough Adam Keefe came strolling in, dropping the mitts for a second time in the period.

The man nicknamed 'Crazy Train' during his days in the QMJHL did fairly well in the scrap that I would call a draw. In the middle frame with Edmonton up 3-0 etched his name on the scoresheet again, this time by putting away a very nice O'Sullivan pass to the slot, he went high in a hurry, one timing the shot to the top left corner. Jacques played pretty well last year down the stretch after returning from a back injury, he scored once and picked up 9 penalty minutes over a 7 game stretch, but more importantly was involved in the play physically. That's the way he was Friday, dishing out more than the 5 hits he was credited with. I really think Jacques can be a difference maker for the Oilers this year, if he continues to throw his weight around. Slot him in with Dustin Penner or Zach Stortini with Gilbert Brule in the middle and you have a very effective energy line that allows Brule to be an excellent agitator. You can here his post game comments, starting with how he got off to a good start in the game by clicking here.

Ryan Stone was pretty noticeable Friday night as well. Stone made a terrific pass to defenceman Taylor Chorney who jumped into the play during the 2nd period. The former UND Fighting Sioux rearguard finished nicely, zipping it top shelf on Tomas Vokoun. Stone picked up a second assist on Patrick O'Sullivan's 2nd period goal as well. The one time Brandon Wheat King was plus 2 in over 17 minutes of ice time, which included 5:07 on the power play. This is the second straight game where Stone looked comfortable on a line with O'Sullivan and Mike Comrie, and while like in Calgary the opponent wasn't exactly full of NHL calibre players, he's making an impact on the coaching staff. To me Ryan Stone could turn out to be an Ethan Moreau type player. They have similar size, Stone 6'2 199 lbs, Moreau 6'2 220 lbs. Stone's best year in junior was his last with Brandon where he notched 99 points and 127 PIM (he broke the 100 plus PIM mark in all 4 years with the Wheat Kings) while Moreau put up similar numbers with Niagra where best campaign was 98 points and 100 PIM. After the game I spoke to Stone about his play so far, as well as Moreau about Stone playing a similar style as the Oilers captain. You can hear those conversations here.

So what did the head coach think tonight? Pat Quinn talks about Taylor Chorney, J.F. Jacques, Ryan Stone and more here.

As for the Panthers, like Calgary did the other night they didn't dress a ton of NHL calibre players. Vokoun, Brian McCabe, Corey Stillman, Steve Reinprecht, Jordan Leopold, Martin Skoula and Michael Frolik were the notable names. A better line up than Calgary, but not by much. I spoke with Frolik, who as a rookie last year scored 45 points in 79 games for the Cats. You can catch the conversation with the 10th overall selection from 2006 by clicking here.

As I mentioned earlier, I think Ryan Stone has Ethan Moreau potential. Does he have Moreau's speed? No, but that can be improved. While we're comparing prospects to current pros, Colin McDonald might have some Fernando Pisani in him. McDonald is learning how to be an effective checking forward, and like Pisani has a very accurate shot so he can chip in somewhat with some offence. Both Stone and McDonald were drafted in 2003, but because he spent 4 full years at Providence College, McDonald is only entering his 3rd year of pro, while Stone is about to start his 5th ...whether it's in Edmonton or Springfield is debatable right now. McDonald will need atleast another year in the AHL, but if they keep developing, the pair could replace Moreau and Pisani as 2/3 of the Oilers checking line in the near future.

Chorney, Deslauriers look pretty good

OK, I'm not going to base a tonne on tonight's win over the Flames, after all Calgary dressed just 15 skaters.

But 2 young guys looked pretty good to me. Defenceman Taylor Chorney was playing his first ever NHL regular season game, and goaltender Jeff Deslauriers started for the first time since last November.

Chorney played almost 15 minutes, mostly with former AHL and training camp partner Theo Peckham, and looked good to me. He didn't register a shot, a point or a plus minus rating, and seemed slightly nervous to start, but showed why the Oilers are excited about him. The former UND Fighting Sioux star jumped into the play several times and carried the puck well. I've said for a while now on TPS that I think Chorney could be a better NHL player than he was in the minors. Tonight's game doesn't prove that, but he did look fairly comfortable to me.

As for Deslauriers, he was really, really good. I don't care who was out of the line up for the Flames, the 2nd round pick from 2002 (and the only player from that draft crop that still has a chance at a career with the Oilers) was quick as a cat kicking out 31 Flames shots, including being perfect on 23 shots through 2 periods. I've always been impressed with his reflexes and lateral movement - he reminds me of a bigger Mathieu Garon - and tonight he was clutch when it counted. Can you imagine if he finishes the season with 2 straight wins.


I'm not anointing him a starter in the NHL, but I will say this in my humble opinion. Whomever the Oilers sign as a goaltender next year, Deslauriers should start atleast 50 per cent of the games, to start the season anyway, to see what he can do over a larger body of work than the 9 games he saw action in this year while going 4-2.

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.

Farm Report

With 11 games to go in Springfield and 7 to go (both entering play Saturday night) for Stockton, it seems as good a time as any to find out how the future is shaping up for the Oilers with their minor league teams.

In Springfield the overall stats don't paint a very good picture. Not one player is even close to being a point per game player. Only 3 who have played a decent amount of games are on the good side of the plus/minus rating - Ryan Stone +3, Stephane Goulet +2, and Jake Taylor +1 - Stone was a late season addition, Goulet has only played 18 games, and Taylor was injured for all but 28 contests this year.

But for the sake of the future, let's take the last 18 games (heading into Saturday )into account, as that's when current head coach Rob Daum has been behind the bench. Since Daum took over, the birds are 5-9-4. They have picked up 6 points in their last 4 games, but that was after a 6 game losing skid where they were outscored 26-12 during the stretch.

As far as individuals go, the Falcons top 3 scorers this year, haven't exactly caught fire under Daum. Ryan Potulny leads the team in goals and points with 29 and 47 respectively and has just 11 points in 18 games since the coaching change. Ryan Stone is a little better with 14 points in 19 games. While Rob Schremp, who started with a 3 point game and 8 in the first 10 for his new coach, has just 11 in his last 18, and zero points in Springfield's last 4 games.

So who is benefiting from Daum behind the bench? Charles Linglett who Springfield traded Carl Corrazini for in February has 13 points in his last 14 games. The 6.02, 215 pound Montreal product has certainly agreed with his change of scenery and new coach. Linglett had just 9 points in 37 games with Peoria before the deal. D-man Taylor Chorney has 9 points in the 18 games with Daum calling the shots, and 6 points in the 8 games during the month of March, but he's also -4 in 18 games, adding to his team leading -25. Chorney's D partner since Daum replaced Jeff Truitt has been Cody Wild, and while his 6 points in 18 games are earth shattering, when you consider he had just 9 in 31 games before the change, you can see Wild is agreeing with Daum's coaching philosophy of getting his blueliners more active.

Maybe the biggest bright spot for Springfield this year - you might say the only one - is the play of Devan Dubnyk. The first round pick from 2004 has 17 of Springfield's 21 wins and has faced more than 1700 shots while earning a save percentage over 90.

As for Stockton, the Thunder are battling for a playoff spot in the Pacific division. Their top gun this year has been Ryan Huddy who has 29 goals and 66 points. Saturday night was Garet Hunt bobblehead night. The 6.0, 200 pound slugger has racked up 230 penalty minutes in 56 games, a number that leads the ECHL in his rookie season. Like the Falcons, Stockton has struggled to score goals, they're 19th out of 21 teams with just 190 goals, but they have received good goaltending from Andrew Perugini. The goaltender who earned a minor league contract after a great rookie and main camp with the Oilers, has 19 wins, a goals against average of 2.76 and a save percentage of .911 in 33 games. Numbers that might earn him a promotion to the AHL for next season.



So to review, both minor league teams can't seem to score but are bailed out more often than not by goaltenders. Is it a statement of how poor the Oilers prospects are? Or that the system is still a little green? I'd say a little of both, but it should be cause for concern for the Oilers brass.

Falcons furios comeback falls short, NHL's hottest goalie stops them in 3rd, new gear from Mad Brothers.

Springfield failed to pick up their 9th point in their last 12 games Friday, despite throwing everything at Lowell in the 3rd period. Scott Clemenson, recently sent down by the Unholy for contract reasons, continued his red hot play for the New Jersey lite. He was 25-13-1 while filling in for Martin Brodeur but once it was Marty's Party again, the former Boston College Eagle returned to the AHL, and the Falcons found out what it was like to face an NHL calibre goalie, even if he was only one for 40 games.

Ryan Stone scored a pair in the 3rd where the Falcons peppered Clemmensen with 16 shots and 36 overall, but ended up losing 3-2. Newly acquired Charles Linglet continued his fine play for Springfield, setting up both Stone goals. The 6.02, 212 pound left winger has 6 points in his 5 falcon games and 15 in 11 overall in February.

The loss Friday comes on the heel of an overtime win Wednesday over Portland. It was a big night for the D pairing of Taylor Chorney and Cody Wild. Wild scored the O.T. winner and was plus 2. Chorney set up another and was plus 3. Springfield is on the road Saturday against the Sharks farmhands.

As for the Oil Kings, they lost in overtime in Swift Current. Edmonton climbed back in this one after trailing 2-1, only to have speedy creek win it in next goal wins time. However Edmonton gets a point, while Prince Albert lost, so the OK kids occupy 8th place alone, by one point with 6 games to go for each. Both clubs are in action Saturday against weaker teams. Edmonton is in the Jaw to face the Warriors, while the Raiders take on Red Deer.

It's funny how both teams under the Oilers umbrella are scrapping to get into the big dance. Three of the Kings 6 games are against the 2 worst teams in the East - 1 vs. MJ and a home and home series to end the season with RD - while the Oilers have 8 of their next 21 games against teams they lead by atleast 3 points in the west or are out of it in the East. They also play 6 games against the teams they are fighting for spots 7 and 8 (Minnesota, Anaheim, Nashville, Vancouver) I figure it's a coin toss whether the Oilers get in, while the Oil Kings have to just out preform one team down the stretch. It would be very cool to see double the playoff hockey in Edmonton after having none at the highest levels for 2 years.

And finally, you may have noticed Guy and I in our styling Hamilton Mustang Jerseys (top right of page) well now the producers of the jersey's from the best junior hockey movie ever made, Youngblood, have more gear from the flick. Mad Brothers has added a Carl Racki #20 jersey to their roster, along with just about anything you can imagine from the movie slap shot. Check 'em out if you're a sweater collector like myself and tell 'em The Pipeline Show sent you.

Wednesday Reset: JFJ Recalled

It was a pretty interesting show last night with Junior, NCAA, and the AHL covered with our guest list.


Before I get to that, the Oilers announced today that forward J.F. Jacques has been recalled from his conditioning stint with Springfield. JFJ had back surgery in the off season and in 8 games with the Falcons had 6 points, 1 power play goal, was even with 13 penalty minutes. He'll join the team in Dallas, but likely won't play tonight.

As for last night, Guy and I started out the program by discussing why the Falcons were Flunking, although they did pull out a big win last night, more on that in a bit. We then moved onto the play of Theo Peckham and Ladislav Smid, 2 Oilers D-men who are picking up some slack with Lubomir Visnovsky and Denis Grebeshkov out right now. We spoke about some troubling stuff with Montreal right now, sending a player to the AHL, leaving another at home and what might fix Carey Price's problems right now. Here's a hint, he helped Mathieu Garon quite a bit in the past. Lot's of other topics discussed in the opening segment including Guy's Flaming Hot/Not and my fantasy prospect pick up of the week.

After that, we moved south to Cornell University where we spoke with Spruce Grove product Ben Scrivens. The pipeman told The Pipeline Show what it's been like playing for the Big Red, with Riley Nash and being up for the Hobey Baker Award.

From Cornell, we took a trip to London courtesy of D-man John Carlson. The big, physical blueliner is a Knight after backing away from UMASS this off season. He told us why, and just how sick London's power play is right now. At first I thought Carlson was a Sheldon Souray type player, but the more I watch the Washington Capitals 2008 first round pick, the more I think he's a Dion Phaneuf kind of guy, in that he's fairly mobile and likes to sneak down low on the power play. The Caps might have a steal getting Carlson 27th overall.

Bad Ass Trivia brought us more YoungBlood fans, as Gus took home the T-shirt, while Cole couldn't close the deal on the Mustang gear.

We dove back into the OHL with our 2009 Draft Prospect Performer of the Week. Ethan Werek of the Kingston Frontenacs was our guest. Werek who represented Canada in last year's World Junior A Challenge told us why he chose Kingston over Boston University, after committing to the Terriers. We also spoke to Werek about the upcoming draft and playing for Doug Gilmour. Has anyone asked Killer for his autograph and do they call him Coach Killer?

Finally we welcomed back to TPS Oilers 2005 2nd round pick Taylor Chorney, who was fresh off a 6-3 win over Portland. Choreny scored in the contest and the Falcons actually outshot a team in getting Rob Daum his first win behind the bench. Chorney's goal gives him 4 on the season, a year that fans have focused on his bloated minus number. The former Fighting Sioux rearguard talked openly about why he is a -20 right now and how tough the adjustment has been going from college to the AHL. Chorney told us about trying to be patient when it comes to call ups and who he's played with this year.

All in all it was an interesting show, and as Guy likes to say, if you missed it live, click the archive at thepipelineshow.com.

Falcons Done In by Devils, Huge Win For Oil Kings

Despite a few new faces in the line up, the Springfield Falcons were doubled up by Lowell Friday night, giving them 5 straight losses.

Both Ryan Potulny and J.F. Jacques who were assigned to Edmonton earlier in the day suited up for Springfield, while Danny Sabourin made his Falcons debut and Taylor Chorney returned from a mild concussion, but it wasn't enough.

Springfield actually led 2-1 in this one thanks to second period goals from Carl Corazzini and Potulny, but a pair of goals from 2008 Canadian World Junior hero Matt Halischuk, including the winner in the 3rd gave the unholy the victory.

Once again a slow start where Springfield was outshot 12-5 in the first set the birds back. Overall they gave up 10 more shots than they put towards Lowell pipeman Jeff Frazzee. Sabourin in his inaugural Falcons contest stopped 34 shots with 2 Lowell goals coming on the power play. You can here post game comments from the netminder and head coach Jeff Truitt here.

In his first game this year, Jacques was -1 with one shot, while skating on the right side with Rob Schremp at left wing and Potulny in the middle. Taylor Chorney also registered a shot in his first game after missing the past 3. Potulny scored once and put up 4 shots while also going -1.

I received a message from a Springfield player tonight responding to a question I had about team morale. His answer was that spirits were high on the farm, the team was working hard, they were just having trouble scoring goals. So atleast things aren't as bas as they might appear on the outside.

This Tuesday TPS is hoping to speak with newly acquired forward Ryan Stone. For more on the upcoming show check out our site.
(photo courtesy Springfieldfalcons.com)
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As for the Edmonton Oil Kings, they picked up a huge win over Regina on the road Friday night. The OK kids, the Pats and P.A. Raiders came into the contest tied for 8th, and thanks to a Brandon win over Prince Albert and their victory, Edmonton is temporarily in the post season.

There are 2 great write ups on this contest. One from the Oil Kings website and the other from the view of Past broadcaster Rod Pedersen.

Two things strike me about reading the stories from both websites. One is how much of a gut check and team effort it was by Edmonton, and the other is how much the fans are fed up with Colton Teubert and some of the other Pats.

Edmonton heads to Brandon Saturday night.
(Photo courtesy Reginapats.com)

Oilers Rookie Camp: Day 1

The NHL camp season officially got underway today in Camrose with what were two pretty up-tempo sessions of pracitce with the Oiler rookies.

Some quick first impressions:


Ryan O'Marra - Much bigger than he was this time last year, weighing in on Friday at 222 pounds. Without sounding too interested in his physique, his arms and chest are much more developed than when he first came to town as an Oiler. I was razzing him after his session because Jordan Eberle had set him up with a pass that O'Marra received inside the crease and still managed to miss the net with. His reply: "Hey man, my job here is to make room for guys like Eberle not to score goals!" He was only half joking. That's exactly what the Oilers want from him and kudos to O'Marra for making that mental adjustment. Still... you're in the blue paint you might as well hit the net!

No question the guy who made the biggest impression on me on day one was Hans Benson (or Ben Hanson to some of us on press row). It's only day 1 but already he's ready and willing. After Taylor Chorney 'stepped up' on him during a drill, Benson gave Chorney a whack in the shins and started jawing with him. That drew the attention of Theo Peckham who was paired up with Chorney on the drill. Peckham and Benson continued their verbal exchange for about a minute after. I spoke with all 3 of them afterwards about the first attention grabbing moment of rookie camp:

"He's a guy that plays a physical game and I just made a read and stepped up a bit and he's the type of guy that likes his space out there and he didn't like that too much," said Chorney. "He's definitely a guy out there that you want on your team and I'm sure he's going to do some damage out there tomorrow night [against Calgary]."

"It's a lot easier to put those [fires] out than to start them up," said Peckham, "It's good to see that the intensity is there but thank God things didn't get out of control out there."

"It's all about respect. I just tried to make a statement that if you're going to step up on a guy like me it's going to come back on you that maybe you were barking up the wrong tree," said Benson, "It's a game of respect and if you're going to do that then... you might as well go."


Two notes in regards to the Chorney/Peckham/Benson thing: While I was talking to Chorney, Benson walked by and gave him a friendly tap in the shins so clearly no hard feelings. Secondly... Benson is a monster! He's not tall but he has a chest like a barrell and he's covered in tattoos and he has a curly red semi-afro. Quite frankly he kinda scared me. Ever see Clash of the Titans when you were a kid? Think of Calibos.

In the second grouping, a much weaker group in my opinion, things were a little less intersting. It wasn't a great start for Alex Plante who seemed to be falling a lot in the first half of his on-ice testing. He looks like a guy with a lot on his mind and he does.

"Between the Oilers my agent and myself we felt that it would be better for me to come here first," Plante said when I asked him for an update on his situation with the Hitmen, "With the Hitmen, I'm not really looking at that right now, I'm more focused on the Oilers camp and in trying to set a good impression here."

Plante has no idea where he will be in three weeks if after the Oilers camp he still hasn;t be traded from the Hitmen. According to him he cannot go back to Jr. A if the Hitmen suspend him and he cannot play in the AHL. Tough scenario for him but he made a point of telling me "I'm not out to burn any bridges".


In my opinion the best player in group two was Tyler Spurgeon who told me afterwards that he felt like he really had a lot of pop to his game. "I felt surprisingly fresh out there," he said, "My shots were going where I wanted them, I thought I was moving the puck really well and there wasn;t too much rust to knock off thankfully."

I thought Milan Kytnar was pretty decent too and with his move to Saskatoon from Kelowna he's going to be taking on a much bigger role. "I will have a lot of ice time, I've already had a lot in the two exhibition games that I played so it's a good sign." I asked him whether he expect Colton Gillies back from Minnesota's camp and although he'd like to think so he said it didn't seem liekly. That will be a huge loss for the Blades.

Tomorrow night as Calgary comes to town you can expect the Oilers to dress the first group from Saturday's activities so you'll see the likes fo Chorney, Eberle, Trukhno, O'Marra, Dubnyk, Hrabal, Bisaillon and yes... Benson.

I asked Craig MacTavish today how many goalies he felt would be a good workable number for main camp and he suggested 6 or 7 which would mean all of the four at rookie camp will proceed on or perhaps one will get cut before next Friday.

That's about it for Day 1.

Still California Dreamin'

Not a long post here but something I know many of you will at least find interesting, others will find exciting and a couple fans will be ecstatic to hear.

I recently had a conversation with an Oiler prospect who is down in California training with fitness/Jedi Master Chad Moreau and he gave me a list of players who are also there. Not all are Edmonton property anymore but the fact that even the ex-players are still in the same off-season routine speaks highly for Moreau and for the often described 'closeness of the Edmonton dressing room'.

The players:

"[Ethan] Moreau, [Jarret] Stoll, [Matt] Greene, [Sheldon] Souray, [Andrew] Cogliano, [Taylor] Chorney, [Joffrey] Lupul, [Jason] Smith, Kip Brennan, Penner and one other player."

First, I'm assuming that Penner is Dustin Penner but I don't know that and someone correct me if I'm wrong. Oiler fans should be encouraged by that though and that young guys like Cogliano and Chorney see the value already as well.

I was curious so asked about a specific pair of Oiler prospects Alex Plante (who was down for most of May) and Marc Pouliot (who went down briefly in 2007 and has had his conditioning questioned by the organization). Plante has not gone back down since his extended pre-prospect camp sessions and Pouliot has yet to appear. Don't read too much into that, it's not a criticism, I was just curious if those two players were down there or not.

Oh by the way, the 'one other player' on that list has now been in California working out since May. 3 months non-stop? I don't know but every time I've asked, that's where he's been. He's the guy pictured below.

I'll give you 3 guesses and the first 2 don't count.

Rookie Talk

We are very pleased to welcome both Taylor Chorney and Riley Nash to The Pipeline Show for an entire hour on Tuesday night. Both players, in Edmonton this week for the team's prospect camp, will Join Guy and myself in studio for a portion of the show.

Last year we brought in Theo Peckham and Ryan O'Marra for a similar show and it was great, we aren't expecting anything less from the two college boys this time around.

If you want to get in on the action, email a question for Taylor or Riley to: pipeup@thepipelineshow.com

The Mind It Is A Changin'

Yesterday I reported that Taylor Chorney was not going to attend Oilers prospect camp this weekend. Today the Oilers are saying he is coming. In an earlier entry I penned that this was what I thought would happen in the end. Was it just posturing from the Chorney camp? In my opinion yes.

I have been told that there is no change when it comes to contract negotiations, but there is time to get that done, and maybe by being in Edmonton it will give Chorney the incentive to get one done, despite what he might be hearing from his advisor and others.

The main thing is that the promising 2nd round pick from 2005 will be in attendance and will get some guidance on the kind of off season training he'll need for next year, which let's hope is in Springfield and not back at the University of North Dakota.

Hrabal in, Chorney out...for now

It's a good news, bad news day for the Oilers when it comes to prospects. The news that the Josef Hrabal camp decided the offer the Oilers were making was indeed good enough, means a new 2 year-2 way contract for the Czech blueliner with some good offensive instincts. I was told today that Hrabal is a poor man's Denis Grebeshkov and with some AHL seasoning could turn into a valuable commodity for the Oilers. He skates really well and can move the puck effectively. Hrabal will not be at this week's prospect camp, but will come over for main camp and is expected to stay for the entire season, regardless of where he ends up playing.

Now for the bad news.

Taylor Chorney will not be in Edmonton this week for prospect camp, and there's a chance he won't be here for training camp in the fall as well. The negotiations between the Oilers and Chorney's advisor (he can't have an agent yet as it would ruin his college eligibility) are not going well. So bad in fact, there's a good chance the D-man might be returning to UND for his senior season.

In my opinion, it sounds like Chorney is getting some bad advice. What else does he have to accomplish at the college level. If anything his development will likely take a step back by playing for the Fighting Sioux one more year. And now with a guy like Hrabal about to get a full year of pro hockey in North America, it means another guy who will be ahead of Chorney on the development track.

I have been told the Oilers have made their final offer, and a deadline might soon be put in place for the Chorney camp to sign, or the Oilers will pull it off the table and he will have to return to college, which is something neither side wants.