Deadline Day

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Remember that list of free agent hopefuls the Edmonton Oilers brought in to take part at their rookie camp? I told you that there was a small but exclusive window of opportunity for the NHL club to sign any of those players to prevent their rights from reverting back to free agent status. Well, today is the day.

I've already gone on record with my opinion that Edmonton should make use of the chance to sign Kelowna's Stepan Novotny. For the sake of interest I thought I'd check in with how the rest of that list of invitees has been performing thus far in the junior season.

Goalies

Kris Lazaruk - As far as I know he has yet to find a team to play for this season but he's too old to play junior any longer so it's probably a ECHL gig at best now for him.

Kurtis Mucha - Returned to a much-improved Portland squad, he'll either be a hotly sought after commodity for a WHL contender or a key piece in the Winterhawks return to respectability. Either way, as an overager I think he can be singed at any time by any other team now... but I could be wrong (I'll check but if you know, leave it in the comments section.)

Torrie Jung - In the same boat as Mucha, Jung is back with the Edmonton Oil Kings and is already off to a flying start after 4 games. He has a 2.21 GAA and a fantastic .937 save percentage. He's faced an average of 33 shots a night so it's not like he's been sleep walking his way through so far.

Defence

R.J. Anderson & Jesse Dudas - Both players moved on to AHL training camp with Springfield but failed to crack the roster. I have not heard if they have hooked up with anyone else.

Dmitri Kostromitin - He played with Montreal last year but is with Rouyn-Noranda this season (along with Oiler prospect Philippe Cornet). After 5 QMJHL games the 6'3 Russian has 6 points.

Dalton Prout - One of the guys who actually made it through to main camp, Prout has since returned to Barrie in the OHL. Not surprisingly, the defensive defenceman has yet to register a point after three games.

Adrian Van de Mosselaer - Back with the Oil Kings and has yet to record a point after 4 outings.

Forwards

Oil Kings Michael Burns and Brett Breitkreuz are back with the WHL club. Burns is pointless but Breitkreuz has collected 3 assists in 4 games. Jeff Lee failed to earn a AHL contract in Springfield camp and has moved on to UNB to begin his CIS career.

Derek Hulak and Burke Gallimore got off to a terrific start in Saskatoon; After 4 games, captain Hulak has 5 points while local boy Gallimore has 6 points. Oiler prospect Milan Kytnar is pointless since his return to the WHL.

Stepan Novotny - He scored 5 points on opening night in a 6-5 shootout loss to Vancouver but then failed to hit the score sheet in Kelowna's next outing. He's back on track now though and has 9 points in 4 games, 1 point behind the league's scoring leader.

Jordan Skellett - Another guy off to a hot start is the Saginaw Spirit forward who has notched 8 points in 4 contests. The 5'11, 203 lbs winger has 7 assists.

So a few of the invitees are out of the gates very well. The Oilers made it clear to me that they probably wouldn't be signing any of these players though because of how many contracts they were carrying at the time. Of course since then, Rob Schremp has come off the books and freed up a spot. Liam Reddox is currently on waivers...

I still hold to my belief that the Edmonton Oilers would be wise to try and sign Stepan Novotny. Not doing so won't me they can't draft him next summer but it does mean that they won't be the only team in the running for him. Yes he went un-drafted this year but if he can continue on his current pace, he'll not only get selected but he'll be snapped up before the weekend is half over.

I ask you: what's better asset management... drafting Novotny in the 4th round of the 2010 Draft or signing him now and using that same pick on someone else?

Bears Rally to Beat Oilers Rooks

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In what was another entertaining edition of an annual tradition, the University of Alberta Golden Bears rallied from a 2-goal third period deficit to steal a win from the Edmonton Oilers rookies with a 4-3 final.

Without marquee forward Jordan Eberle and fellow 1st round pick Alex Plante in the line up the Oilers were a bit shorthanded so rearguard Jesse Dudas played up front for a while.

The final shots on the night favored the Bears by a 43-24 margin while attendance, as always, was at or near capacity for Clare Drake. 3,009 was the official tally but I'm not sure if that included the folks hanging from the rafters.

The rookies struck first when local boy Burke Gallimore found the back of the net behind Real Cyr in the UofA goal. It wasn't a brilliant play or anything but a a scramble that ended when the puck bounced to Gallimore who was in the right spot at the right time, and left all alone. Eberle's replacement on the top line (alongside Milan Kytnar and Philippe Cornet) had no trouble firing the puck into what was basically an empty net.

The lead didn't last long though as the Bears struck right back. Alberta replied 29 seconds later on a 2-on-1 when Dale Mahovsky's quick shot beat Andrew Perugini low blocker side.

The game remained knotted up until the 15:07 mark of the middle frame when former Minnesota Golden Gopher R.J. Anderson lifted a backhand to the top shelf, short side past Olivier Roy who had come in to play midway through the game.

Edmonton Oil Kings forward Brett Breitkreuz gave the visitors a two-goal lead early in the final period when he dug a loose puck out from behind the net and stuffed it behind Roy. Breitkreuz was one of the Oilers better players on the night and was subsequently named the first star of the game for his efforts. At the start of Oil Kings camp GM Bob Green told me that he felt Breitkreuz had really dedicated himself over the summer and that he had reported in and looked like a completely different player. After seeing him play the last couple of weeks I have to say that I agree; he's taken an obvious step ahead in his development.

The second half of the third period belonged to the Bears who somehow had to find a way to claw back out of a two-goal hole. The comeback began when former Oil King blueliner Cameron Cepek unloaded a slap shot from the point that found its way through sticks and legs and past Roy.

Former Regina Pat Michael MacAngus (a teammate of Eberle's last year) evened the score when he snapped a shot past the Cape Breton netminder at the 16:58 mark setting up a thrilling finish.

with a tie, or overtime or shootout (not sure what the tie break system would have been) looming, the Bears scored the winner during a mad goalmouth battle that ended when another local product, Sean Ringrose, corralled the disc and fired it home. The freshman completed a 3-goal period which saw goals scored off stick belong to all first year Golden Bears.

Who looked good for the Oilers? I've been pumping his tires since before camp began and have no reason tonght not to continue - Stepan Novotny has shown me enough potential that I believe Edmonton should offer him a contract. He's raw and far from mistake free but his speed, vision and puck skills are clearly on a higher level than most his age. The Oilers have an exclusive window that closes on September 30th to sign the Czech import who will play a big role for the Kelowna Rockets this year.

I also liked what I saw from Cameron Abney and Jamie Bates. Abney was in every scrum it seemed and was doing his best to rile up emotions from his mates as well as the other team. Bates (photo) seemed to thrive playing against the CIS squad as he was much more noticeable tonight than he was in Leduc against the Canucks.

Dalton Prout had another solid game tonight after an impressive showing against Vancouver in Leduc on Thursday. After the game I spoke with the former Sarnia and Barrie defender about his personal performance during the past week and if he felt he may have earned a longer look at main camp. You can hear that conversation HERE.

Also on the postgame agenda was Saskatoon Blades forward Burke Gallimore who was a guest on TPS a couple of weeks ago. I asked him if he was happy with the way he'd played over the last 5 days and how satisfied he was that, as a goal scorer, he was able to show exactly what he can do. You can hear that interview HERE.

The only member of the Oilers brass that shared his feelings after the game was Kevin Prendergast who complimented a few guys but didn't reveal too much about who might have earned a spot at main camp. Here that scrum HERE.

Main camp begins on Sunday, 8:15 AM at Rexall Place.

(Photos Courtesy: Stockton Thunder, Edmonton Oil Kings, Andy Devlin)

Oilers Rookie Camp Day 2-Kytnar update

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Day 2 of rookie camp is in the books for Oilers hopefuls. Line combinations were the same as what Guy reported yesterday so I won't go through them, but will share some thoughts I had on day 2 and some of the hilites I saw.

Before that, I had the chance to speak with 2 players and Assistant G.M. Kevin Prendergast. You can here the conversations with Kevin as well as Olivier Roy and Alex Plante here. During the Prendergast interview he reveals that Kytnar will be returning to Saskatoon along with Burke Galllimore and Derek Hulak who are also at rookie camp. Guy and I had thought he would have a chance to play in Springfield, but Prendergast makes a good argument for why going back to the Blades is the Slovakians best option.

As for today's scrimmage Philippe Cornet opened the scoring taking a pass from the point and dragging the puck across the crease and tucking it past Andrew Perugini.

Perugini was tested shortly after that when Jordan Eberle shifted to his backhand in the slot, but the goalie was equal to the task.

At the other end Saskatoon Blade and Edmonton product Burke Gallimore set up Oil King and fellow Edmonton kid Michael Burns but he fired high over the net occupied by Kurtis Mucha.

Mucha wasn't so lucky when Jamie Bates dropped the puck for Jesse Dudas who beat Mucha through a crowd to tie things at 1.

One of the blueliners who impressed me today was Sweden's Johan Motin. He made a nice spin move and moved the puck up ice with poise. He's just 6.01 and 201 pounds but looks pretty comfortable on the ice. He's played with men for a couple of years, was a defence partner of Victor Hedman's and is hoping to make a smooth transition from the SEL to the AHL.

There are 2 to many goalies at this camp, but Bryan Pitton was able to make a nice stop in his limited time between the pipes. Dudas was set up in the slot but Pitton shot out his blocker to keep it out.

That's pretty much it from day 2. I think everyone is looking forward to the games against the Canucks and Golden Bears where the action can really pick up.

Rookie Camp Begins

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27 NHL hopefuls took to the ice at Rexall Place this morning as the on-ice portion of Oilers rookie camp officially got underway.

It was a fairly quick practice with guys getting on the ice at 9:30 and off again an hour later for a flood. There was a scrimmage to end the day .

The fans care more about the fake game but it's the systems drills that the coaches were keying in on. Coach Tom Renney was on the ice and afterwards he talked about how he was paying more attention to the 5-man units during the breakout drills than any one player in particular.

When asked what he thought of Jordan Eberle's performance, Renney chuckled and admitted that at this point he's still trying to figure out who is who and isn't really aware of the young guys in the system.

Forward Line Combinations

Milan Kytnar played between Jordan Eberle (RW) and Philippe Cornet (LW) on what was, as should be expected, the best line today. There is some nice chemistry between Eberle and Cornet that they first showed last September in Camrose. If the latter makes it to the WJC roster for Canada, someone with Hockey Canada should take note and try them together there as well.

The Saskatoon twosome of Derek Hulak and Burke Gallimore played alongside Oil Kings forward Michael Burns. Hulak played in the middle position there with Gallimore to his right .

Former Oil King captain Jeff Lee was flanked by Saginaw's Jordan Skellett (LW) and 2009 draftee Cameron Abney (RW) of the Everett Silvertips.

Kelowna winger Stepan Novotny and 24-year-old Jamie Bates were the wingers for Brett Breitkruz of the Edmonton Oil Kings.

Defensive pairings featured Alex Plante with Dalton Prout, Jordan Bendfeld played alongside Jesse Dudas (who wore #82 throwing fans for a loop as he was listed as #47), R.J. Anderson was partnered with Adrian Van de Mosselaer leaving Swede Johan Motin to play with Russian Dmitri Kostromitin.

The game saw the teams playing with two full lines each which meant, 15 minutes into it they were bagged and the tempo sagged dramatically. The first goal came off the stick of #73, Burke Gallimore (photo), who snapped a deadly accurate shot just under the crossbar from 20 feet out to the left of netminder Kurtis Mucha.

About 10 seconds after Gallimore's goal Mucha was beaten again. Not his fault though as #66 Dalton Prout coughed up the puck to #59 Brett Breitkreuz in front of the net. The Oil Kings forward quickly spun and jammed it towards the goal and through the Portland Winterhawks netminder.

The third marker was a laser beam wrist shot from the top of the circle that beat Olivier Roy cleanly. Off the bottom of the crossbar and in. It was the second of the morning for Burke Gallimore who did what a goal scorer needs to do at a camp like this: score goals.

Jordan Eberle got his team's first goal and he scored it from his knees. It's wasn't as mind-blowing as it might sound though. At this point of the scrimmage guys were coasting all over the place and so when he got a lose puck at the hashmarks, turned and fell, he still had time to not only regain control but to also get a shot off with no one within 5 feet of him. Eberle's wrister beat Andrew Perugini 5-hole.

The final goal of the day came off the stick of Milan Kytnar who won a minor side-of-the-goal puck battle and put the puck on the net and saw it go in. Not a fancy goal, just a guy working hard and getting rewarded for it. Kris Lazaruk was in net at the time.

That was it. No really notable collisions and no eye-popping saves by any stretch of the imagination today.

After the practice I spoke with 3 participants and you can hear those interviews by clicking on their names: Stepan Novotny, Derek Hulak and Philippe Cornet.

Really quick first impressions: Russian defenceman Dmitri Kostromitin is noticeable. He's 6'3 off the ice and he looks pretty imposing while skating around and bumping into guys. He puts the candy-cane stripes on his stick so he's easy to spot too... Johan Motin needs stickum for his gloves, the Swede kept losing his stick during the drills. I liked that he brought some feisty attitude with him, he was whacking guys as they came across the line towards him... Cam Abney is tall. He's listed as 6'4 which made him the tallest player on the ice. Already one of the more respected pugilists in the WHL, once he fills out his frame he really could be a dangerous tough guy... There are too many goalies here this week. 6 is two, too many. They play two games which means 4 guys can play half a game or 3 guys can play a period each... why bother? Pitton and Perugini should not be here right now, they're not rookies and the team already knows them. (just my opinion)... forward Toni Rajala has yet to arrive in Edmonton as he was scheduled to see his doctor today in Finland before making the trip to North America...

Oilers Rookie Camp Released

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The Edmonton Oilers have released their 26-name rookie camp roster which features several free agent invites as well as a smattering of their own drafted prospects. The official list released by the club is incomplete and inaccurate as at least two more players are confirmed to be coming including a name we first revealed Tuesday night on The Pipeline Show. There is also a deletion from the list due to injury and the potential that another forward is still to be added.

I find it very interesting that there are 6 goalies going to be at the camp. Clearly this is the beginning of the AHL-backup auditions. I say "beginning" because Aaron Sorochan is not one of the six at rookie camp and he too will get a long look during main camp. Three of the netminders coming in are free agents and only one of the 6 (Olivier Roy) is ineligible for the AHL.

There are just 8 blueliners scheduled to appear, another sign that the goaltending situation is a higher priority right now. 13-14 forwards (or 12 according to "the list") will take part as well.

Here are a few tidbits of information on each player as well as some comments from head amateur scout Stu MacGregor on the group of invited players.

Goalies

Edmonton prospects Bryan Pitton and Olivier Roy will be joined by Andrew Perugini, whose minor league rights are held by the Oilers, and three free agents. Pitton and Perugini split time in Stockton last year with the latter picking up 21 wins compared to the former's 9. It wasn't a good year for Pitton but he impresses me every year during camp, I honestly think he's a better goalie than his record showed.

Kris Lazaruk was the starter for the Kootenay Ice during the 2007-08 season and had decent numbers playing behind an average team. Last year he was a victim of the 20-year-old limit rule and ended up moving to Kelowna where he struggled to maintain a .500 record with a club that would eventually go on to win the WHL title. He was released when the team traded for Mark Guggenberger at the deadline but eventually found new work south of the border with the Omaha Lancers of the USHL. With no NCAA eligibility remaining, my understanding is that Lazaruk was on a list of potential recruits for the UofA but the Golden Bears opted for Travis Yonkman instead. I do not know where Lazaruk will play this year but the UofA might still be an option.

"Kris showed a lot of potential when he was younger," said MacGregor, "He didn't have a great year last year but previous to that, all 3 years in the WHL he had a save percentage over .900 including one year when it was .912 which is pretty darn good."

As Oil Kings coach Steve Pleau revealed ten days ago on The Pipeline Show, his netminder Torrie Jung will be at rookie camp for the Oilers. Jung was outstanding for the WHL club last year and was easily their MVP. He was originally a late draft pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning but with an apparent glut of goalies in their system, they allowed Jung to become a free agent by not signing him to an entry level deal. Jung went unselected in the draft and remains a UFA.

The 6th netminder coming in is Kurtis Mucha, an Edmontonian who played for the worst team in the WHL over the course of his junior career. The Portland Winterhawks have been cellar dwellars much to the detriment of Mucha. The local boy had a total of 53 wins throughout a 4-year career, never once had a save percentage over .900 and posted bloated GAAs of 3.82, 4.10 and 3.74 over the last 3 years. His numbers are horrible but believe it or not, I'm told he's actually a promising goalie. we'll get a chance to see that in a couple of weeks.

"Kurtis Mucha... many nights he was the one thing that kept the Winterhawks close," MacGregor echoed, "He's a real competitive goaltender, battles and we're just trying to make an assessment to see if he might fit within our organization.

It's too early to say how many of these goalies might move on to the main camp (if any) but there they will be joined by Nikolai Khabibulin, Jeff Deslauriers, Devan Dubnyk and Aaron Sorochan.

Blueliners

The Oiler properties who will be at rookie camp are Alex Plante, Johan Motin and Jordan Bendfeld. Plante is likely headed for the AHL where he will make his rookie debut. Motin is expected to join him after playing a few seasons in the Swedish Elite League. Bendfeld missed most of 2008-09 with a serious knee injury and although I've spoken with him and he hopes to play in Springfield, it's likely he's headed to Stockton of the ECHL.

R.J. Anderson completed his NCAA career with Minnesota last year and then played 5 pro games, two of which were in Springfield with the Falcons. As we saw during the summer, Anderson's appearance at this camp may be a promise being kept and a repayment for aiding the Falcons at the end of the year when injuries had the team scrounging for help. Philadelphia originally drafted Anderson back in 2004 but they opted not to sign him last year. He had a total of 26 points during his 4 years with the Gophers.

Speaking of promises kept... Jesse Dudas returns for a second rookie camp. He was badly injured last year during the game against the Calgary Flames in Camrose and missed half the WHL season as a result. Swift Current didn't want him back and he only lasted 19 games with Regina before being released. Dudas appeared in 5 games with the Charlotte Checkers of the ECHL to close out the season.

Dmitri Kostromitin is a big Russian defender that played for the Montreal Juniors last year after they selected him 11th overall in the 2008 CHL Import Draft. He was eligible for the 2009 NHL entry draft but went unselected. The 6'3 and 200 lbs blueliner had a good debut year in the CHL and is expected to return to the QMJHL but his rights were dealt from Montreal to Rouyn-Noranda this past June so he'll be getting used to new surrounding once again.

"We liked him and had him on our draft list, " admitted MacGregor, "He skates pretty good and like a typical Russian defenceman that keeps his game quiet and pretty simple. He does shoot the puck really well and he's been training with the Russian U20 team so he's at least on their radar."

Dalton Prout is a 19-year-old who has split his OHL career between the Barrie Colts and the Sarnia Sting. The Ontario native stands 6'2 and weighs a hair over 200 lbs and plays a steady defensive orientated game.

"He's a solid guy, good stay at home guy with good size and makes quiet defensive input every night," described MacGregor.

Adrian Van de Mosselaer is another Oil King that will take part in the event. The big blueliner had a strong year for Edmonton before breaking his leg and sitting out the final couple of months of the season and playoffs. He was originally acquired from Medicine Hat and is expected to be a key player for the Oil Kings this year. He had 19 points in 49 games with the OK kids in 2008-09.

Forwards

Edmonton properties who will be at the camp include Jordan Eberle, Cameron Abney, Jamie Bates, an injured Toni Rajala, the recently traded Philippe Cornet (see notes below) and Milan Kytnar.

Three Oil Kings have gotten the call including former leading scorer Jeff Lee. Lee will attend UNB this season if he doesn't get a pro contract but that's something Stu MacGregor wouldn't rule out.

Brett Breitkreuz earned his chance with the way he played for Edmonton as a 19-year-old last season. The veteran will be expected to carry more of an offensive load this year but can always be counted on for putting out a consistent effort.

"He's a hardworking guy that provided lots of things for the Oil Kings and frankly, I saw lots of improvement in him," MacGregor said, "I thnk he deserves an opportunity at a camp to see what he needs to do to get to the next level. He's got lots of energy and compete in him, that's for sure."

The most recently added Oil King is Michael Burns, an underachiever last year who only managed 5 points. Burns is still growing into his 6'2 body and might be more of a late bloomer.

"I think he has potential and he got a lot better in the second half," said MacGregor, "If you've ever seen him he's got big hands and feet so he's not done developing physically yet. He's still got to add a lot to his game but this will give him an opportunity to find out how much he really wants to do it and what it's all about."

The Saskatoon Blades will be well represented at camp; Oiler prospect Milan Kytnar's two linemates have both been called on to appear. Burke Gallimore and Derek Hulak put together impressive seasons with their offensive numbers and their plus/minus stats as well. The fact that Hulak was also the captain of the Blades last year should not be overlooked as the Oilers have always been drawn to character players.

"[Gallimore] is a kid that puts up good numbers, he competes hard and he can overcome and improve his skating but he has the basics that you look at with hockey sense and he does score goals," agreed MacGregor, "[Hulak] is a skilled player with hockey sense. He plays the game with intelligence and smarts and you always hope to add people to your organization with a good work ethic and good direction."

One of the more intriguing invites to watch for might be Stepan Novotny. The winger scored 41 points last year with Kelowna and has been described as a player whose talent is only equaled by his inconsistency, both of which might be off the charts. Novotny was originally supposed to play for the Denver Pioneers in the NCAA but after his year in the USHL with Indiana (see photo) he saw that the Pioneers appeared to be a loaded club with little playing opportunity so he moved to the WHL.

"Really skilled player," MacGregor began, "This guy is an extremely skilled hockey player. He showed some inconsistency but when he's got the throttle on and he's got it going, he's a very very hard guy to keep up to. He can make reads or shoot the puck while on the move, great hockey sense and a quick release. He has to learn to use his size and compete more in the harder areas but that's what we're hoping to see."

The Oilers release has Kamloops forward Dalibor Bortnak attending but he will actually not be coming after he recently injured his spleen during the Blazers Blue/White game.

Another player who was left off of the official list that is actually going to be in Edmonton is forward Jordan Skellett of the Saginaw Spirit. This is a player the Oilers had on their radar during the 2008 draft while he was a member of the Erie Otters. The photo is of him slamming Windsor's Taylor Hall into the boards.

Finally, don't be surprised if Ian Duval is another late addition. The invitation has been issued but the new Mantiboa Bisons forward is to let the team know about his availablity very soon. The former WHL hired gun (traded for 3 times during his career) was a hot commodity at the trade deadline and helped the Kelowna Rockets win the league title. Duval has enrolled at the University of Manitoba for the 2009-10 season.

Notes: Phil Cornet's rights were quietly moved to Rouyn-Noranda earlier this summer as completion of a deadline deal. Rimouski and Rouyn-Noranda made a deal that included "futures" which have turned out to be Cornet. Cornet (seen on the right) will play with the Huskies this season...

Apparently 2009 1st round pick Magnus Svensson-Paajarvi twisted his ankle during preseason training. It doesn't sound sever or that he'll miss much (if any) time...

The Springfield Falcons have signed Kip Brennan to a new contract. The veteran tough guy will definitely add toughness to the line up and probably means the couple of enforcers who were being invited to AHL camp are no longer needed.

The Stockton Thunder are having open auditions to try and earn one of 3 walk-on invites to their main ECHL camp. If you're down in Cali and have $100 burning a hole in your jeans, contact the Thunder. Tryouts are being held on October 2nd...

The upcoming EDM/VAN/UofA rookie tournament was originally supposed to be held in Penticton B.C. but with the Calgary Flames opting not to take part this year it fell apart. However, once Vancouver agreed to include the UofA Golden Bears the event was back on...

TPS Reset

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It was the big finale for Season 4 of The Pipeline Show this past Tuesday and to celebrate Dean went to Calgary and missed it. OK, he went to cover the Olympic camp for Team Canada and he didn't miss the entire show... but he wasn't around to lead the way.

In Dean's place I invited Dustin Nielson from the TEAM 260's morning show. Dustin and I go back a few years and have partnered up on the broadcasts of Viking Cup and ACAC events.

Dustin and I started the program off by speaking with A.J. Jakubec, the voice of the Edmonton Oil Kings. A.J. has been out with the local 'Dub club during training camp so we got an update on several of the players trying to make a good impression. Some of the key names we talked about included Keegan Lowe, Henrik Samuelsson and Mitchell Moroz. (Hear the Oil Kings Update)

In our second segment we spoke with an Edmonton product who plays in Saskatoon, went undrafted and yet has earned an invite to Oilers rookie camp. Burke Gallimore had a pretty decent rookie year in the WHL with the Blades and I was a bit surprised that no one picked him up in the draft. We talked to him about what getting the invite from the Oilers means to him and we also broke the news that his linemate Derek Hulak received his own invite earlier in the day. The entire line of Gallimore-Hulak-Milan Kytnar will be reunited at rookie camp. (Gallimore Interview)

Dean Millard joined us to discuss Team Canada's Olympic camp and we specifically talked about the chances some of the young guys in attendance might have of making the club. Drew Doughty, Steven Stamkos, Jonathon Toews, Milan Lucic, Carey Price, Steve Mason... all names we bandied about. (Millard's Interview)

Hour #2 began with another local product who has gone on to bigger and better things. Kieran Millan is coming off a NCAA National Championship freshman season and will head back to BU as a sophomore who was drafted by the Colorado Avalanche. Millan and the BU Terriers will take on their arch-rivals from Boston College at an outdoor game at Fenway Park this coming January and we discussed that as well. Finally we touched on Millan's previous time spent in the AJHL with the Spruce Grove Saints. (Hear Millan's Interview Here)

We played a spirited round of Bad Ass Trivia and asked a bunch of questions, many in regards to the Calgary Flames and their prospects. That led in to our final segment of the night, a discussion with D'Archy McGrath, the owner of www.Calgarypuck.com, the popular website/message board of Flames fans. We've regularly get criticized by members of the site for not having worthwhile insight into the Flames so we attempted to rectify that this week and I think we succeeded. (Calgary Puck Interview)

That's it for Season 4 but don't worry... we're back again on September 1st to kick off Season 5 of The Pipeline Show!

Oil Kings Tooned In, and who do the Oil call up?

Just back from the Blades/Oil Kings game, and for the second straight night Edmonton's downfall was the 3rd period. Calgary scored 5 unanswered Tuesday night for a 6-2 win, while tonight it was Saskatoon putting up 5 in the final frame as the Blades cut up the OK kids 7-1. The only consolation for Edmonton is that Calgary and Saskatoon are the top 2 teams in the Eastern Conference and are both ranked nationally.

The story in tonight's game was the Blades outshooting, outscoring, and out special teaming the home side. The shots were 12-1 Saskatoon after the first, and 31-20 overall. Saskatoon scored 3 times on the power play and notched 2 more while Edmonton had the man advantage. Torrie Jung, after getting his team to the dressing room in the first intermission with zero's on the board had an off night as the game wore on, but maybe it's a night off that he needs. He's started every game but 5 since joining the team in October. Edmonton drops to 10th in the East, but still tied points wise with Regina and Prince Albert for the 8th and final playoff spot. Saskatoon remains alone in 2nd place, 10 points back of Calgary and now 8 up on Brandon.

Scouting Report: I went to this one hoping to see several players from the Saskatoon Blades, some drafted some eligible this year, and one for next year.

Goaltender Braden Holtby was a 4th round pick of the Washington Capitals last year, and his life story could be titled "flying under the radar" The pipeman was a 9th round pick in the bantam draft and didn't get a lot of hype heading into last year's draft, but has been excellent for Saskatoon this year. Holtby has good size at 6'1" and 200 lbs and was solid enough tonight on the few times that Edmonton tested him. Things could have been different at one point in the game, as after Oil King home captain Brendan Dowd beat Holtby with a screened long shot the shots were just 12-4. However his calm demeanor kept the goaltender and his team in the game as Edmonton was shut out on a 2 man advantage for 1:35 shortly after they got on the board. (Dean & Guy interviewed Holtby after the game, listen HERE).

Slovakian forward Milan Kytnar is an Oilers draft pick from 2007, but wasn't really noticeable tonight save for a couple of penalty minutes.

There were a number of local products to watch for in this one, and I'll start with the youngest. 15 year old D-man Duncan Siemens was called up from his AAA midget team in Sherwood Park tonight. It was Siemen's second game with the Blades, after skating with them in January. The 6'3" 192 lbs didn't really look out of place other than the full cage he was required to wear because of his age. Siemens' fresh off the AAA midget league's all star game, picked up his first WHL point on a power play blast that was tipped in by Walter Wintoneak in the 2nd period. Siemens also picked up a penalty, was +2, pinched a few times and took the body as well. While he did get caught on one pinch, his smooth skating ability allowed him to get back in the play before it hurt his team. Siemens isn't draft eligible until 2011, and ironically was the 2nd straight Sherwood Park bluelinder to be taken 3rd overall in the bantam draft when the Blades grabbed him last year. His good friend and opponent on this night, Mark Pysyk was drafted 3rd overall the year before by Edmonton. In 2011, Siemens has the potential to be a top 15 pick if his development keeps going at it`s current pace. (Postgame interview with Siemens HERE)

Burke Gallimore had a pretty big cheering section tonight, and while the Edmonton product didn`t get his name on the scoresheet he did create a few scoring chances. Saskatoon head coach Lorne Molleken told Guy and myself that the former Canadian Athletic Club AAA midget skater is the purest scorer the Blades have. His 21 goals and the same amount of assists in 54 games has the 6`0`` 200 pound RW ranke 106th in the January ISS report for the 2009 NHL draft. (Postgame with Gallimore HERE)

Travis Toomey is a 6`5`` 200 pound Centreman for the Blades who was passed over in last year`s NHL draft. His 2 goal, 1 assist, +2 night against the Kings though might have some of the scouts in attendance rethinking him. Toomey (pictured below) is from Leduc and had just 12 goals and 12 helpers in 72 games last year. He`s been limited to just 34 games this year due to injuries but has 15 goals and 10 assists when in the line up, including a pair of shorthanded goals. He scored one of his shorties tonight ripping one short side on Torrie Jung, to me it was the back breaker for the Oil Kings. (Postgame with Toomey HERE)

I was also impressed with 16 year old Josh Nicholls. The centreman is 6`2`` and 170 pounds and growing. He picked the pocket of Oil King rookie Kieran Friesen in the 3rd and notched his 8th goal of the season. The 2nd round bantam pick of the Blades in 2007 also set up another on this night giving him 22 points in 48 games. The youngster had 3 points in 6 games for Team Pacific at the World Under 17 championship this year. Nicholls seemed to find open ice and forced Torrie Jung to make some solid stops, and will be one guy I`ll be keeping my eyes on as the 2010 draft approaches.

After the game The Pipeline Show spoke with Blades head coach Lorne Molleken about the big win and also got scouting reports on several of the players listed above. (Listen Here)

Top 10 snub: The CHL`s national rankings came out today and I was pretty shocked not to see Spokane on the list. Windsor is still the top dog, while Calgary, Vancouver and Saskatoon are the only WHL teams on the list.


Who do the Oilers Call up? With Lubomir Visnovsky on the shelf with a dislocated shoulder you would think the team call somebody up for their impending stretch drive. Should that blueliner be Theo Peckham who leads all D-men in Springfield in socring with 19 points. Or is it Mathieu Roy`s turn to get another big league shot. My vote would be for rookie Taylor Chorney to get a crack with the big club. Sure Chorney has a big minus number at -21 but he`s the closest thing the Oilers have on the farm to what they lost when Visnovsky went down, although Roy does have a big shot. As for Chorney, sometimes players like him are better at the NHL level than the AHL as the game is faster and Chorney`s game is a skating one.

(All photos courtesy the Saskatoon Blades)