Daum Not Back to Springfield (UPDATE)

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The Pipeline Show has learned that the Springfield Falcons will have a new face behind their bench this year as Rob Daum will not reprise his role with the AHL team. The Columbus Blue Jackets have not yet announced who their new bench boss will be as they take over the affiliation with Springfield but we're told that it will not be Daum who held the position for the last season and a half under the Oilers partnership.

UPDATE (10:59 AM): The Columbus Blue Jackets have just announced the appointment of Bob Riley to the job. Riley was a longtime coach at Army in the NCAA ranks and has been an area scout for the Blue Jackets for the past 4 years.

Is Daum OK for OK City?

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Last year the Oilers scouting staff went to the draft without contracts for the next season which was considered poor etiquette by people in the NHL that I spoke with about it. But July 1st is the start of all new contracts in the NHL and once again there are a couple important parts of the Oilers organization that aren't sure yet if they're part of the big picture moving forward. This year it's the minor league coaching staff.

O'Marra, McDonald up, Reddox Down

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The Oilers have recalled centre Ryan O'Marra for a second stint with the big club, and he's brought along his partner in checking Colin McDonald (pictured).

The pair have been the Springfield Falcons shut down line on the farm and have developed some nice chemistry. This will be O'Marra's second call up this year, you can read about his first stint here.

If McDonald gets into game action it will be his first in the NHL, and proof that the Oilers might be salvaging what was once thought to be lost career. The Hartford product was a scorer before attending Providence College where the offence was sucked out of him, never registering more than 13 goals in a single season. His AHL career wasn't much better until Springfield Head Coach Rob Daum asked him to play a checking role, a role in which McDonald thrived in, starting with the final stretch of last season. With a defined job, McDonald's offence is starting to show signs of life. His 5 goals in 21 games, puts him just 7 shy of his career high.

O'Marra and McDonald sit 5th and 6th in Falcons scoring right now. It's unfortunate that injured forward Chris Minard misses out another chance to join the Oilers. Charles Linglet, Colton Fretter and Chad Wiseman are all above or near a point per game pace, but will have to wait for their turn, which by the way the Oilers are getting hurt might not be that long.

The interesting transaction in this announcement is that Liam Reddox has been "loaned" to Springfield. I'm not sure why, maybe it's to circumvent the waiver process or just another way to say 'sent down'???

While this is great news for O'Marra and McDonald, it means the Oilers must start scrambling to find capable players to fill out Rob Daum's roster in Springfield.

Friday Farm Report: Flyin' Ryan's Excellent Adventure

Tuesday morning started like most other days in Springfield for Ryan O'Marra, but ended unlike any other in his life.

It was the team's first practice of the week and so it was an up tempo skate, and for the Oilers prospect it was followed by a meeting with Falcons Head Coach Rob Daum.

"I actually thought he was going to show me something that happened from last weekends game" O'Marra told TPS Friday. "They told me I was going up and I couldn't be more shocked and excited at the same time."

After racing home to pack and pick up his passport, O'Marra arrived at the airport only to find out he missed his flight, and had to wait almost an hour for another flight out, all the while thinking he might have missed his first shot at an NHL game.

"I was freaking out," chuckled O'Marra. "I had a lot of highs and lows during that time span." As it turns out, if O'Marra wouldn't have made it to Ottawa in time, he wouldn't have played an NHL game during his call up as Ales Hemsky returned to the line up Wednesday against Buffalo.

The 2005 first round pick of the New York Islanders landed in Ottawa just after 6:30 PM, left the Ottawa airport at 6:45 and arrived at the rink at exactly 7:18, giving him 12 minutes to dress, thanks to a ride in a police cruiser, "in the front seat."

O'Marra says luckily he doesn't have any pre game rituals, so getting dressed in a hurry was no problem and received some calming advice from his teammates for a night.

"I remember Jason Strudwick just saying ‘here we go, the first of many’ which was really nice of him."

O'Marra's warm up consisted of a couple of quick laps before the singing of O Canada, and nerves set in as soon as the lights came up and he was staring at 18,000 people in the crowd. He had one word to describe his first NHL shift.

"Fast"

He concentrated mainly on getting the puck out of his end, and into the Senators zone, while trying to make contact with anyone in an opposition jersey.

"I can't pin point exactly what shifts I got a hit in and which shifts I didn't" said O'Marra who was credited with 2 during his 7 shifts, "that was a big focus of mine."

Last week on TPS we talked about O'Marra as a possible call up because of his face off ability helping to replace injured centre Shawn Horcoff. O'Marra took one draw Tuesday night and won it handily.

"Unfortunately I won it a little to clean as it went into our zone and unfortunately we didn't get the puck out and they ended up scoring."

His stat sheet read -1 in six minutes of ice time, with zero shots, 2 hits and 1-1 on the dot. All with his father and 2 best friends watching from the crowd of a Canadian city.

"I got a taste of it and now I want more"

That situation is a far cry from O'Marra's start with the Oilers organization. After being acquired along with Robert Nilsson and a first round pick for Ryan Smyth in 2007, the Tokyo born forward spent a good portion of 2007-2008 in Stockton of the ECHL, and struggled with consistency last season with the Falcons. He’s almost done a 180 this year, flourishing in a checking role with Colin McDonald.

“Consistency is the key. You need to find what your best attributes are as a player, and you need to bring them consistently every night. That’s not having good games 2 out of 3, I mean consistently every shift.”

O’Marra says he received positive feed back from Oilers management and while he’d never say it, having them notice his play this year was likely the most rewarding part of the call up. Sometimes a player stuck in the minors has to wonder if the NHL brass even remembers his name after training camp. But a new attitude – thanks to training in Finland this summer - has the 22 year old on the Oilers radar screen and could warrant another call up later in the year.

“That Finland trip gave me a lot of confidence back in my game, something I was definitely lacking going into last season, didn’t have much confidence in myself as a player anymore, I lost it in my first year. Unfortunately I didn’t show enough (in the past) to warrant being given the opportunity I’ve been given this year.”

O’Marra says he was trying to find himself as a player, and coming to the realization that he didn’t have to score 80 points and be a first line player to succeed was huge. Rob Daum wanted O’Marra to become a checking centre, and the 2 time World Junior gold medalist has responded.

“That’s been my main focus, I haven’t been focused much on offence” explained the forward with 4 points and 23 shots of goal this year. “They have told me in recent days to shoot more and drive the puck to the net more and you can do more things in the offensive zone.”

Which could result in a few more points and a brighter future with the big club, after all this is the final year of Ryan O’Marra’s entry level contract.

Bird Bits: Springfield kicks off a 3 game home stand tonight when they host Bridgeport, they will welcome Albany on Sunday. The Falcons are riding a 2 game win streak which included a 5-2 victory over their opponents tonight. Rob Daum’s club has picked up 10 points in their last 8 games.

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)

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.

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.

The Springfield Golden Bears

Ever notice that when a new coach joins a organization, often times his former players will begin showing up as well? Mike Keenan has been around a lot and has played on a lot of different teams and it seemed to me like everywhere he went, Brian Noonan and Stephane Matteau were soon to follow. From Chicago to New York, St. Louis to Vancouver... sometimes players and coaches just have a certain chemistry and it makes sense.

Look at Brian Burke and Brad May; Vancouver, Anaheim and now Toronto.

Anyway, I was thinking about players that the Oilers could acquire next year to help out on the farm that would be (a) inexpensive and (b) familiar with the coach and that obviously leads to alum from the University of Alberta.

I hear what some of you are saying... "Um... CIS sucks, if those guys were any good they'd be playing in the AHL or something already."

I'm not going to try and change your mind on the quality of CIS hockey, you either believe it's crap or you see it as another developmental league that is no worse than on par with the ECHL (and quite possibly better than that). In my mind there are a number of solid players that come out of CIS, and the Golden Bears program specifically which is almost 100% comprised of former WHL grads. Many of those players are of the 'late bloomer' category that had they gone the NCAA route and graduated as 22-year-olds would have benefited. The CBA allows NHL clubs to hold the rights of their NCAA prospects until after graduation which obviously is a huge plus for players who need extra time to develop or recover from early career inuries.

I'm going to throw some names at you but keep in mind that two things would have to be taken in to consideration of which I don't know the answer to at the present time. The first is the contract status of the players I'm about to mention and the second is that I am assuming Rob Daum is the coach in Springfield next year. So assuming Daum is behind the bench and these players are all available, here's a few guys I think could have success in the AHL under the watch of their former CIS coach.

I'll start with Ben Thomson who had a 5-year career in Medicine Hat with the Tigers during which he had a trio of +70-point seasons and scored 31, 32 and 40 goals. Thomson played just three years for Alberta before turning pro but at the CIS school he was a standout scoring 43 points in 36 games as a rookie and following it up with 53 points in 44 games and then 54 points in 43 games in his final year.

It was in the National Final game at Rexall Place in 2005 where Thomson scored two remarkable goals. With his club trailing by a goal when Thomson would tie the game with a goal that former NHL GM Craig Button described to me by saying "That was a NHL caliber goal". Solidifying his mythic status in CIS lore, Thomson would then go on to score the O.T. winner giving the home team the National Title.

Thomson stuck around for one more year, won another Championship, then bolted for the AHL where he would play under one Rob Daum in Houston. Thomson appeared in 47 games and recorded 22 points, a pace for 38 points in a full 82-game AHL season. By comparison that pace would put him easily in the top 5 scorers in Springfield this year and keep in mind that was his rookie campaign.

Currently, Thomson is in Germany playing for Ravensburg Tower Stars in the 2nd Bundesliga, a step down from the DEL (German Elite League). As you would expect a player of any quality to do in such a league, Thomson is piling up the points. Last year he recorded 50 points in 35 games and so far this season he has 40 points in 27 games.

The pros are obvious; an offensive player that has been able to translate his WHL success to the pro level. The only con I can perceive is Thomson's size. At 5'7 and 180 lbs he's obviously not a big guy. However, if current Medicine Hat Tiger Tyler Ennis has a NHL future and other pint sized players like Justin Azevedo are proving they can play in today's North American pro game I think it's worth exploring Thomson as an option.

Next on my list is defenceman Harlan Anderson who actually had a brief stint with the Falcons last year. Anderson was an offensive minded blueliner in Moose Jaw and continued in that mold for 5 years at the UofA.

When he joined Springfield last year it looked like a perfect fit; an offensive puck-moving defenceman for a team that had none and couldn't get out of their own end. Unfortunately the former Bear struggled under Kelly Buchberger and played sparingly during his 9 AHL games.

On one occasion Anderson attempted to make a play up the ice and was criticized for his efforts when he returned to the bench. According to the person who told me about the incident, the coach snapped and practically mocked the former Bear for trying to 'play a CIS style game in the AHL'. The always consistent WHL and CIS scorer failed to register a single point during his short Springfield stint.

Subsequently Anderson looked to Europe this year and like Thomson, landed in the 2nd Bundesliga but with the Heilbronn Falcons. Not suprisingly, in Germany he has once again shown his ability to produce and has 26 points in 43 games.

Anderson was the go-to guy on the power play for the Moose Jaw Warriors and the Alberta Golden Bears. His smooth skating and accurate passing at those levels are what NHL teams covet at the top and evidently the player is still capable of being an effective offensive player. Anderson will be 27 next October and will have 6 years experience playing against men.

Another player worth considering is Dylan Stanley who I believe, but could be wrong, was recruited to the UofA by Daum before he left for the AHL. Stanley's first of three years as a Golden Bear was under coach Eric Thurston who assumed Daum's spot. Stanley had 93 points in his third WHL season with the Tri-City Americans and scored 34 goals in back-to-back years as well.

Stanley tore up Canada West as a UofA rookie when he totalled 24 goals and had a team high 58 points in 44 games. He helped the Bears win another National Title that year and captured another with Alberta last season before turning pro.

There appears to be a pipeline between the UofA and Germany and Stanley followed it, landing with the Rosenheim Star Bulls in the Oberliga. That league is another step down from the one Thomson and Anderson are in and as such, you would expect Stanley to be able to put up some decent numbers even as a rookie. Well you'd be right. In 54 games the Edmonton native has a whopping 110 points, clearly too good for the league he's in.

He's not big either although he's not as short as Thomson. Still, 5'10 and 182 lbs raises the usual questions regarding an ability to compete in a North American pro rink. Still... with that amount of production, what's the downside to a tryout?

Finally, here are some other Golden Bears past and present who might be worthy of consideration:

- Ian Mcdonald was a Kyle Brodziak like 92-point man in his final WHL year and at 6'3 and 200 lbs could provide a power forward presence at the AHL level.

- Aaron Sorochan was arguably the best goalie at Oilers camp a couple of Septembers ago and is only getting better with age. He's picked up a pile of CIS hardware for his individual performances and should be worthy of a pro contract when his UofA days are done.

- Ben Kilgour is to the Golden Bears as Ryan Smyth was to the Oilers; a heart and soul player willing to sacrafice his body in front of the net or in the corners. He's has enjoyed three +40-point years at the UofA and his eligibility runs out at the end the month.

- Tim Krymusa spent 5 seasons with the Spokane Chiefs and then 5 more at the UofA. He's a talented 2-way guy who is also playing in Germany this year and has 29 goals and 65 points in 55 games for Passau Black Hawks in the Oberliga.

- Brad Tutschek is a former Daum player at the UofA and is playing in the DEL for the third straight year. At the UofA he was one of Daum's most dangerous offensive weapons.

Like I said before, I know many of you reading this will discount these players for their CIS background and even now playing in Germany. Consider this; Ryan Huddy was given a tryout and subsequently signed a contract this year after playing in Germany for two seasons. His stats? You can see for yourself that he simply does not measure up to the players I have listed above. Obviously his name bar played a role in getting the camp invite but... does that mean he didn't earn the contract based on his camp performance?

There are some talented players listed above and many of them enjoyed their best years playing for Rob Daum. Why wouldn't camp invites next year make a lot of sense? Clearly it couldn't fail any worse than the status quo in Springfield.

Falcons win streak over, Oil Kings go Cougar Hunting, Jumbo Joe strikes gold for Pioneers

Springfield's win streak has ended just as it was getting started...literally. After doubling up Portland 6-3 Tuesday, they fell to Worcester 2-1 in overtime. Springfield grabbed a point for the second straight night though. Newly acquired Charles Linglet scored the only Falcons goal. The winger was picked up from Peoria, the farm club of the St. Louis Blues, in exchange for Carl Corazzini. Corazzini was signed in the off season to a minor league deal. Devan Dubnyk was the games 2nd star and deservedly so, kicking out 35 saves with the game winner a deflection with under a minute to go in next goal wins time. Gilbert Brule sat this one out with an injury, as did Geoff Paukovich (See Guy's post below) You can hear Head Coach Rob Daum's post game comments courtesy of the Falcons website. Springfield is home to Bridgeport tomorrow and travel to Providence Sunday.

Meanwhile, apparently Guy was a little premature with his locust warning (again see below) as the assist J.F. Jacques looked to get last night on a Liam Reddox goal, has been taken away by the NHL.

The Edmonton Oil Kings brought out both barrels in Prince George Friday night, firing 38 shots on net and winning 3-2. Jeff Lee, Thomas Vincour, and Logan Proulx scored for Edmonton. Vincour was playing just his 3rd game since January 11th due to an injury. P.G. pulled within 1 with 51 seconds to play, but the Kings held off a late rally. The same two teams will do it again tomorrow night in Big Al Bristowe's town. Prince Albert was idle so the OK kids are tied with the Raiders for the 8th and final playoff spot. Regina beat Moose Jaw on Rogers Sportsnet so the Pats are still 8 points back. 2 interesting things about the Pats, they gave away some really cool posters as Guy pointed out below and was shown on Global TV Friday, and Colton Teubert went off on fans in Regina. Check out Greg Harder's story. I hope this guy turns things around, because when he's good he can be a game changer with big hits. But it's his reputation that's taking a big hit right now.

Also tonight former Camrose Kodiak Joe Colborne, who was once a guest blogger for TPS, came up extremely large for the Denver Pioneers tonight. The game was on the NHL network, and Colborne made sure it didn't end on time, scoring the tying goal with 15 seconds to go. The Pioneers won it the first minute into overtime. It's the second straight week Jumbo Joe has tied a contest as he salvaged a point against Colorado College last weekend. After a slow start with just 2 goals in his first 16 games, the Bruins first rounder has 3 in 2 games and 5 points in 4 February games. He has 26 points in 31 games overall, and if he can finish strong he might catch the eye of Team Canada for next year's World Junior Championship in Saskatoon and Regina.

Should the Oilers follow the Penguins lead?

That's the question that was posed to me by 2 different people today. One an Oilers fan, the other a fellow media person. Right now with the Oilers in the middle of a playoff drive and having won 2 straight my answer was no. However if the club misses the playoffs for a 3rd straight year, then I think a change is in order (as do most fans I have spoken to) and I think if the Oilers do fire MacTavish or he steps down, then the team should follow in the footsteps of the flightless birds and promote their AHL coach. Just like Washington and Atlanta have done previously.

When I brought my theory up to another member of the TEAM 1260 recently, they pointed out to me that Bruce Boudreau and John Anderson were with their organizations for years and that Rob Daum hasn't been with this organization long enough to be promoted. Anderson yes, had been the Chicago Wolves coach for years dating back to the IHL days before taking over the Atlanta post. However Boudreau was only the head man in Hershey for 2 and a half years before being promoted to the Caps bench boss midway through last season. I would also argue that Daum's time with the Golden Bears should count a little as well, after all he was just across town from the Oilers, was known to the team and attended many games and practices to observe.

Obviously what Daum does in Springfield the rest of the way will have to factor in, and so far he hasn't been able to lift the Falcons out of their funk. They were doubled in shots Sunday night losing 3-1 in Toronto and dropped their 11th straight. But let's not expect Daum to be like that dude who turned water into wine, or...


...Bruce Dickenson who puts his pants on one leg at a time and then makes solid gold records. Daum has consistently showed in the past he can coach an up tempo, exciting, offensive and successful style. In his 10 years at the U of A he had a better than .790 winning percentage. His first year in Houston of the AHL he won 50 games, and while he struggled coaching the Aeros in year 2, it's because the Minnesota Wild didn't replace Patrick O'Sullivan who was traded to LA or goaltender Josh Harding who was called up to the big club. Oilers fans remember the great run Edmonton went on last year, almost making the playoffs, but what you might not know is that Daum had a profound effect on the run. Daum played a big part in the team's breakout and helped out the power play. For that he was rewarded with a scouting position. Sure the team made a promise to Jeff Truitt in Springfield, but I think that was a mistake. When the job came available, Daum should have been the choice, and if the Oilers need a new coach in the off season, I think he should get his shot as head coach here, before another team lures him away to their bench.

Daum's Debut Delayed, Stockton The Most MIserable City To Live in?

Last night we were joking around with new Springfield head coach Rob Daum about his travel plans to meet his new team in Manchester for tonight's game. We told Daum not to use the 'Trains, Planes, and Automobiles' method of getting there. Daum replied that the flick is one of his favorites. I think Daum did his best John Candy/Steve Martin impression today, as due travel problems, he missed Springfields game with Manchester and his coaching debut will have to wait for Friday in Syracuse, minus Tim "Dr. Hook" McCracken.

As for tonight, after jumping out to a early 2-0 lead and chasing first round pick Jonathon Bernier from the net, the Falcons watched the LA Kings farmhands score 5 unanswered on route to a 5-2 Springfield loss. 2 Guys who were in big time slumps provided the scoring for Springfield, as Colin McDonald opened things up with just his 2nd goal in 33 games. Although it's his 2nd in 3 games, with a fight thrown in for good measure, so maybe the 2nd round pick from 2003 is about to get on a good streak. Also finding the scoresheet tonight was Slava Trukhno, who wasn't in as big a slump as McDonald, but he did notch his first in 11 games. However Teddy Purcell scored a pair and set up another, while former Brandon Wheat King Marty Murray had 2 helpers as the Monarchs stormed back. There were 2 scraps as Hans Benson dropped the mitts with Kevin Westgarth, while J.F. Jacques threw the skin hammers with Brian Boyle. Jacques also chipped in with an assist in his 4th game in Springfield. Jacques has about a week and a half left in his conditioning stint.

Some interesting line combos for the Birds courtesy of the team's website:

Brule - Potulny - Corazzini
Stone - Spurgeon - McDonald
Jacques - O'Marra - Trukhno
Schremp - Paukovich - Benson

Young - Roy
Peckham - Taylor
Gabinet - Chorney

Dubnyk
Sabourin

Looks like a promotion for Ryan O'Marra, and a demotion for Rob Schremp. It will be interesting to see how Rob Daum puts his line up together on Friday.

Is Stockton the most miserable place to live in all of the U.S.A? According to a Forbes report it is. High crime and unemployment rates as well as the housing bust are the reason for Forbes dumping on the home of the Oilers ECHL team the Thunder. Stockton has been miserable for the team at times this year as the Thunder sport a 9-11 mark. Ryan Huddy, son of Oilers assistant coach Charlie Huddy, leads the way for Stockton with 49 points in 46 games this year, and the Thunder are in the thick of a playoff race. Stockton has always been near the top when it comes to attendance, and it's no different this year as they lead the way averaging more than 6600 fans per game. That would be good enough to tie Chicago of the AHL for 5th in that league. I've always felt Stockton would make a great AHL city if the league ever wants to expand west, hopefully they can ride out the economic slump going on right now.

One final note, the Oilers owned Edmonton Oil Kings were shut out 3-0 in Kootenay tonight. couple that with a Prince Albert win and it means Edmonton is now 2 points out of 8th place and still 2 points up on Regina. Edmonton is in Tri City Friday, PA is home to Swift, while Regina heads to Moose Jaw.

Wednesday Re-Set

Last night on The Pipeline Show we double-dipped with the Springfield Falcons. We led off the program with an extended conversation with new head coach Rob Daum who talked a lot about what he expects from his players, how he feels about taking over the team in mid-stride, and what differences the Falcons fans might notice with him at the helm.

Daum also weighed in on some specific players like Colin McDonald, Ryan O'Marra, Rob Schremp, Taylor Chorney and Cody Wild to name a few.

The Springfield theme continued with the recently acquired Ryan Stone who came to the Edmonton organization from Pittsburgh via the Mathieu Garon trade. Stone began talking about how he and the team heard about the firing of Jeff Truitt, about the guilt the players are feeling and how the club will move forward from here. The former Brandon Wheat King also spoke in regards to his role within the organization as a whole and then also chimed in about his time in Manitoba during his WHL career.

Edmonton product Kieran Millan also joined us in the opening hour. He's the top freshman goalie in the NCAA this year and just helped the #1 ranked Boston University Terriers to another victory in the annual Beanpot tournament. We spoke about why BU was the right fit for him, the fact that he's still undrafted, the positives about possibly getting overlooked again this June and much more.

Our guest representing the 2009 Draft Prospect Performer of the Week was defenceman John Moore of the USHL's Chicago Steel. Moore talked about the WJAC in Camrose, the USHL All-Star game last week and what those two showcase events mean to him this year. He also talked at length about what the resurgence of the Chicago Blackhawks has done for hockey at all levels in and around the city.

For any and ALL of the above interviews you can hit the archives by clicking HERE.

It's About DAUM Time!

With the Springfield Falcons mired in next-to-dead-last in the American Hockey League standings, the Edmonton Oilers have gunned head coach Jeff Truitt and replaced him with Rob Daum.

You can hear from the new Falcons bench boss tonight as he appears on The Pipeline Show with Dean and I.

Daum has long been a favorite of TPS and now assumes the role we believe he should have had at the start of the season. I've spoken with coach Daum a few times this year and so I know how anxious he has been to get back behind the bench - not because he disliked what he was doing but because he is first and foremost a coach.

The success that Daum had while leading the ship for the Alberta Golden Bears is well documented. He was also very successful behind the bench in his first season with Houston of the AHL where he had a .662 winning percentage. The next year Daum's club was a shadow of its former self having lost starting netminder Josh Harding to the NHL (for much of the year), Patrick O'Sullivan to the L.A. Kings and leading scorers Erik Westrum and Kirby Law.

I want to make one thing clear about this coaching change though - Dean and I have spoken with a lot of the Falcons this year and to a man, no one has expressed frustration with the coaching staff or with Jeff Truitt in particular. The same cannot be said for the previous year under Kelly Buchberger even though they had a better record in 2007-08.

While the players this year are clearly frustrated with the team's dismal performance, not one I have spoken with has suggested that their failure on the ice should be hung on the neck of Truitt.

It's unfortunate that the coaching carousel last summer worked out the way it did because Rob Daum should have been the bench boss last fall with Truitt on his staff - not the way it's worked out now.

Truitt's junior track record is strong and I'm sure he'll bounce back with another WHL opportunity before long. He's a good guy and I personally wish him well.

That said, I fully expect the Falcons to play much different under Daum who has always had a strong offensive style. Can he get the birds into the playoff picture this year? Doubtful because of how far back Springfield is but hopefully they show some improvement down the stretch and give the fans down there some reason to look forward to next year.

Rumblings, Bumblings and Stuff...

It's funny how the off-season often produces some of the best stories out there but I guess when you consider that it's during the summer that most changes in the hockey world take place... it shouldn't be that surprising.

There are bunch of things circulating, some no more than speculation while others are pretty sound. One such item that appears to be pretty solid has to do with Springfield where the AHL Falcons have called a press conference for Tuesday afternoon. I'm still looking for official Oiler confirmation but a source out East has indicated to me that it is regarding the coaching position. If that is the case (and not another season ticket sales update) then expect Jeff Truitt to be formally announced that day as the new bench boss on the farm. I do know that Kevin Prendergast will be in Springfield for the presser so it certainly appears to be lining up that way.



Wondering what is going to happen with Rob Daum since it's but a formality that Kelly Buchberger moves up to the NHL for next season? I ran into Daum at Oilers prospect camp last week, a pleasant surprise to see a him there despite the way he's been cast aside. I also talked with him on Tuesday during the TEAM 1260 golf tournament. He's obviously pretty tight-lipped about what he and the Oilers are talking about but I can confirm that the position offered to Daum is that of a pro scout. I'm also hearing that he'd have the greenlight to pursue a coaching opportunity elsewhere if one came his way and if you've been listening to Total Sports with Bob Stauffer... doesn't Detroit make sense with Mike Babcock now in need of a new assistant?



Regan Bartel is one of the most respected guys around the WHL so when he speculates on something, it's probably more than just idle chit-chat. On May 26th he blogged an interesting tidbit on Kelowna Rockets' forward Milan Kytnar suggesting he might be in tough for a spot on the roster next season. Here's the original post by Bartel who you should know is also the voice of the Rockets on their broadcasts. I wonder if there is a WHL team that would has room for an import, a need to upgrade penalty killing and their ability to keep goals against down? The Edmonton Oil Kings fit the bill but with a high pick in the CHL Import Draft later this month they might have their eyes on a more offensive player to help in that department. The fact that Kytnar is also an Oiler prospect makes it even more interesting but far from a sure thing.



It was a good month for Alex Plante who impressed the brass at prospect camp after a 3-week stint of training in California with Chad Moreau. Plante needs to improve his mobility and his strength and while the former will be a longer process it is simple to see how the 19-year-old has matured physically. Thicker in the neck, through his upper body and defnitely stronger in his legs, Plante has dedicated himself to getting back on the right track after a tough year in Calgary.

And speaking of Plante and the Hitmen, rumors are swirling that the 19-year-old might be available this summer as Calgary heads towards a rebuild. One source told me that Plante's camp were disappointed with the way he'd lost his spot last year due to injury and another source described the situation to me by saying "he became a whipping boy for [head coach Kelly] Kisio". IF the rumor is true that Plante is available, expect his hometown Brandon Wheat Kings to be front runners in trying to nab him from Calgary.

Draft tidbits

As Dean mentioned on our last show, the Toronto Maple Leafs seem to be extremely interested in Kyle Beach of the Everett Silvertips. Would a team in such disarray really roll the dice on a player who some believe is a ticking timebomb? Well both Millard and I are believers that Beach's upside outweighs his troubled past and we both have him going in the top 11 in our mock draft although neither of us have him going to the Leafs...



Another interesting one, and you might have to file this under 'C' for 'Conspiracy Theory'... Zac Dalpe was drafted as an overager by the Plymouth Whalers in the OHL. But why? He's already publicly committed to the NCAA program with the Ohio State Buckeyes right? Well, and here's the conspiracy theory, what would happen if the Carolina Hurricanes drafted him with the 14th overall pick (or moved down and did it)? Some have suggested that Dalpe would then bolt for the OHL and play with Plymouth. What's the connection? Peter Karmanos owns the Hurricanes and the Whalers. Things that make you go Hmmmmmmm...

Two players who seem to be getting some momentum as the draft gets closer are Colin Wilson and John Carlson. Wilson wowed the NHL onlookers at the combines where his dedication to personal training paid off. His team interviews also went well as TPS expected after he was a homerun interview on our show a couple weeks back. He's got the bloodline going for him, a great attitude and is considered one of the guys who could be closest to NHL ready. He'll be gone in the top 12.

Carlson's stock went up when he made it public that he was jumping ship from the NCAA to the OHL; instead of playing at UMass next year he's headed for the London Knights. Now I've had plenty of hockey people express concern about the way players develop in London (stellar junior success, not so much on the preperation for the next level) but it's seen as a step up from the Hockey East program which takes a back seat to Maine, Boston College, Boston Univesity and New Hampshire in that conference. Carlson was considered a late first rounder before but looks more like a mid round pick now.

One last one... in case you haven't heard yet, Nikita Filatov granted The Pipeline Show with the first North American radio interview of his career. Dean and I spoke with the future star for about 12 minutes and you'll be able to hear that interview in its entirety on Tuesday's show. Who does he think will draft him? How much are teams in Russia's new Kontinental Hockey League trying to keep him at home? Would he play in the CHL next year? Hear it from the man himself next week.

Coaching Carousel

Seeing as Kevin Lowe has come out and said Rob Daum won't be back with the Oilers in his assistant coaching position, I figured I would throw my 2 cents on the situation.

It seems pretty obvious to me (and likely many others as well) that the Oilers will bring Kelly Buchberger up to the big club as an assistant coach next season. I think this was decided before last season. Rob Daum's one year contract tells me that, and so have some other people in the last couple of weeks.

Where that leaves Rob Daum is the million dollar question. I have heard from more than one person that with Buchberger leaving Springfield, the job was going to Jeff Truitt, an assistant coach in Springfield this year. That is until Daum threw his hat in the ring. Daum should likely get the job if he wants it, which I'm told he does. Truitt is a good young up and coming coach. He spent 5 years as an assistant coach in the WHL before getting the head coaching job in Kelowna and guiding the Rockets to a Memorial Cup berth in 2005. His time will come, but it might not be now if Daum is in the running.

Rob Daum has coached at the WHL level and has excelled at the CIS level. He also won 50 games as the bench boss for the Houston Aeros. But all of these credentials makes me think he won't be coaching in Springfield. I think Rob Daum might get scooped up by an NHL team. After all, it happened to Geoff Ward last summer (joining the Boston Bruins as an assistant coach) and he only has one more year of head coaching experience at the AHL level than Daum. I know it's all about connections, but I find it hard to believe that Rob Daum doesn't know enough people in the league to atleast warrant a few phone calls or an interview.

What puzzles me is how the Oilers did this. On August 1st, 2007, Geoff Ward joined the Bruins, saying goodbye to his job as head coach in Springfield. 2 Days later the Oilers handed Ward's old job to Buchberger. Then on August 13th, they hired Daum as an assistant coach. If their plan all along was to bring Buchy up to the big club, why not do it then, offer Daum the minor league position and you don't have to make an awkward switch this year?

In a sense, Daum was a lame duck coach this year, possibly knowing when he was hired that he wouldn't be back next year and that this was Craig Mactavish's plan all along. MacTavish is the head coach, and he should get to choose his staff, but it still seems odd that he would bring a guy knowing he wouldn't be around the next season.

In the bigger picture, I think Rob Daum will be the best thing for the Oilers prospects on the farm, if he makes it there. If not, then Truitt will likely get the gig and probably to a great job, but the Oilers will lose a brilliant mind in Rob Daum should another NHL team snap him up.

Right Man for the Job?

It's easy to like Kelly Buchberger. Hell, if you're a long time fan of the Oilers it's damn hard not to love the guy. After all, he was the epitome of a heart and soul player during his tenure in Edmonton, willing to make personal sacrifices not many others would and paying for it with his face and fists.

After hanging up his skates as a player it wasn't the least bit surprising to me that he found his way back to the organization in a coaching capacity, first with the Edmonton Road Runners soon followed by a year as Player Development Coach and most recently as the bench boss with the AHL's Springfield Falcons.

Again the personal sacrifice should be noted as 'Bucky' took the job knowing that it would mean a long period of separation from his family who stayed behind in Edmonton.

The Falcons had their best season in a number of years after horrible associations with extremely thin Tampa Bay (getting better now) and Phoenix parent clubs. Several Oiler prospects had memorable stretches while in Springfield this season and some of the credit for that should go to Buchberger and assistant coaches Jeff Truitt and David Bell.

However, not everything has been parades and rainbows with the farm club this season.

An improvement in the standings still didn't result in a post season game. Injuries piled up to the point where at the end it virtually became a rotating door for players joining and leaving the team. The on-ice product is reportedly frustrating for fans, media, players and management alike. Players coming and going, falling on and off the injured list, sliding up and down between the AHL and ECHL and there was even the possibility of quiet dissention simmering in the room.

There will be a AHL/ECHL Season in Review done for HF in the next little while so I won't go into the detailed performances of specific players here. Instead, let me briefly acknowledge that a handful of players had positive developmental years including Liam Reddox, Rob Schremp, Slava Trukhno and goaltenders Jeff Deslauriers and Devan Dubnyk.

For now I only want to look at the coach and ask the same question Oiler fans asked back in early August of 2007: Is Kelly Buchberger the right man for the job?

My personal opinion is NO and here's why:

1) Not enough coaching experience - Yes he is a 'man of the people' and some players can relate to him because of that but does that mean he can coach? Yes he played for 16 or 17 years in the NHL but does that automatically mean a guy can coach? He spent 1 year behind the bench with the Road Runners then another on the road as development coach. He's definitely got guys on the farm into great condition, there is no denying that, but are they better players?

2) Proof is in the Pudding - Look at how the Falcons performed this year. Sure it was the AHL team's best record in a few years but they still missed the playoffs and were so badly out shot on a nightly basis that it was frustrating for everyone associated with the team be it media, fans, players or staff. Springfield was rarely able to keep their opposition from getting +35 shots per night with perhaps the worst example coming on March 22nd in a 4-1 loss to Hartford where the Wolf Pack outshot the Falcons 45-16.

More than 5 players told me that the team's systems stiffled offensive creativity and defensively consisted of little more than 'rim the puck' and 'chip it off the glass and out'. The opposition simply outmanned the Falcons wingers in the defensive zone preventing the predictable chip out thus keeping Springfield on the defensive for most of the game.

3) 'Screecher not a Teacher' - Perhaps the most unsettling description that has reached me out of Springfield is that Buchberger berates players on the bench for their mistakes as opposed to constructively telling them how to fix their errors. That style, especially with young players still learning the game, is destined to fail as very quickly players will stop listening.

4) Who Thrived? - Tim Sestito and Liam Reddox were particular 'Bucky players' and are frequently named by the coach as being top performers. Both are more likely to be career minor leaguers than significant NHL contributors (although both could see spot duty) and really, is it any wonder why those types of players would find success under a coach who was basically the same type of player? On the other hand, the players who came to the AHL expecting to produce offensively seemed to struggle for most of the season. Slava Trukhno had 3 excellent weeks and little else, Colin McDonald notched all of a single point in the last two months, Danny Syvret was shipped out of town because his offensive game fizzled, Cody Wild and Harlan Anderson couldn't bring their offensive game with them after joining the team late in the year. Outside of Schremp, Pouliot and Thoresen, no players really lived up to expectations in the offensive sense. Coincidence??

Personally I see Kelly as a quality assistant coach, someone the players (especially the grinders and plummers) can use as a role model. I've been reminded that extensive injuries contirubted to the lack of offence in Spriingfield and that is true; the Oilers move guys up to fill their holes leaving the Falcons thin at times.

Geoff Ward was supposed to be the farm coach and he was a good one. Rob Daum was hired on with the NHL Oilers and then a few weeks later Ward took the job with the Bruins and Bucky slipped into the vacancy.

In hindsight, I think the AHL job should have gone to Daum and believe still that a swticheroo this summer might be for the best. Have Bucky come up to the NHL as an assistant role where he would fit in with MacTavish and Huddy as former Oilers. Meanwhile Daum, who has a proven track record with offensive players, could go to Springfield and become the head coach there. That alone would give Jeff Truitt a fine tutor for coaching in the minors as Daum has a couple AHL seasons already under his belt already including a 50-win season in Houston (let alone the impressive CIS record that most fans will wrongly scoff at).

Now I have formulated this opinion after speaking with many people in and around Springfield but I conceed, I haven't yet spoken to Buchberger himself. That said, consider this an opinion in the works and I'll let Buchberger explain to me where I'm wrong (which I am quite open to being told). That conversation is overdue but I'll let you know if it changes my perceptions after I have it.