Top 5 Impending NCAA Free Agents

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Every summer some notable NCAA players hit the free agency market despite having already been drafted. NHL clubs have until August 15th to sign NCAA seniors that they selected in earlier drafts and as usual, there are a few players that should garner attention later this week. 

This coming Friday, upwards of 20 players will have the ability to entertain multiple offers and sign with whichever NHL club they so desire. After the jump, I'll spotlight the top 5 who look like they'll have that opportunity. 

Oilers Sign Yale Captain

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It's been a pretty remarkable month for Andrew Miller and his teammates at Yale. First they just squeak into the NCAA national tournament, then upsetting some of the marquee programs in college hockey to get to the title game and beating the top ranked team in the country to win it. 

So if you're the senior captain of the new champions, what do you do for an encore? Sign a pro contract of course and that's what Miller did on Wednesday when he agreed to a 1-year deal with Edmonton.   

Some more information and highlights after the jump.

Open Letter: CHL & NCAA

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

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

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

2012-13 All-Canadian Freshmen Team

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On Tuesday I made my predictions for the All-Canadian Teams when it comes to NCAA hockey in 2012-13. Today I'm talking strictly about the rookies, the guys just making their debut at the college level this year.

I've picked a 1st and 2nd team composed of 12 (actually 13) players from 12 different Division I programs, 4 different conferences and one school playing as an independent. 

Somewhat surprising is that despite the freshmen coming from so many different places, there is still one conference that is fairly dominant for incoming, top quality Canadians.

2012-13 All Canadian NCAA Teams

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Our Friends at USCHO.com, College Hockey News and Inside College Hockey provide great, all year round coverage of NCAA hockey. They, among other publications, have done a fantastic job of getting college hockey fans ready for the new season. Pre-season polls and power rankings, Hobey Baker predictions and All-Conference teams are all available for readers who could spend hours going through it all.

But there's an angle that provide on The Pipeline Show that doesn't get touched on by our American based counterparts, and understandably so; the Canadian perspective. 

Roughly 25-30% of NCAA players are Canadian and that's one of the major reasons why college hockey is a focus for us on the radio show. Not only do Canadians play college hockey but they do it well. The list of former Canadian NCAA players in the NHL and in pro leagues around the world is as extensive as it is impressive.  And more are on the way.

The following are my picks for the 2012-13 All Canadian NCAA Teams.

Penn State Unveils New Look

It's a huge year for Penn State and I'm not referring to the black eye last year thanks to the football program. The men's hockey team makes its Division I debut next month ushering in a new era for college hockey. This will be the final year for the CCHA conference and the last before the Big Ten and NCHC conferences begin next year. 

For the Nittany Lions of Penn State, the new chapter begins with a new look as well. As is usually the case with new uniforms, the response has been mixed. 

We want you to take a look and then tell us what you think, after the jump.

Leagues Enjoy Draft Success

211 players were selected at the 2012 NHL Draft and they come from all over North America and Europe. Some have been playing professionally in place like Sweden or the Czech Republic, others are headed to or already are collegians. Nearly half played in the Canadian Hockey League while a good number were found in American high schools or in the USHL. 

This is not a post meant to compare the numbers by league in order to pronounce one superior to others. What follows is simply a celebration of the diverse paths players can take on their way to achieving their dream of perhaps one day playing in the NHL. 

NCAA National Tournament Preview

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The 16-team NCAA National Tournament begins on Friday and culminates with the 2012 Frozen Four in Tampa Bay on the first weekend in April. The Boston College Eagles are the #1 ranked team heading in but in this 1-game format, anything can happen.

After the jump, the picks and predictions from Dean, Guy, Taylor and special guest Julie Robenhymer from Hockey Buzz.

Jack Parker fires both barrels at QMJHL

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Another NCAA coach has voiced his opinion on the CHL vs NCAA debate, and Boston University head coach Jack Parker did not hold back one bit. Parker lost Charlie Coyle to Saint John of the QMJHL just before the World Junior Championship. Recently Coyle who has 28 points in 17 games with the defending Memorial Cup Champion Sea Dogs, signed a pro contract with the Minnesota Wild. Parker's comments and my reaction after the jump.

Paul Kelly Leaves College Hockey Inc.

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News broke earlier on this holiday Monday that the Executive Director of College Hockey Inc., Paul Kelly, had resigned his position. The news broke on Twitter this afternoon and the stories started going up at various websites soon after.

Because of the Family Day WHL matinee at Rexall Place and then actual Family Day plans, with my family, I was unable to report or offer comment in a timely manner.

After the jump, several links to get caught up on the news and some thoughts of my own.

CIS Outperforms AHA Against NCAA Opposition

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The annual tradition of CIS schools crossing the border to be slaughtered by NCAA opponents wrapped up last weekend. As usual, the Canadian University clubs, many playing 3 games in 3 nights and all on the road, came away with very few wins and a lot of losses. Some of our friends south of the border might be inclined to pound their chest and continue to look down on the level of CIS hockey because of the results but I'd argue that they should pause for a minute and consider one thing.

Despite a combined lopsided record of 5-28-4, CIS clubs fared better against NCAA competition than their counterparts in the Atlantic Hockey Conference have so far this year.

Saturday Morning Special - Aug 27th

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With training camps opening all over the CHL and NCAA news still coming out south of the border there was lots to talk about on this morning's edition of TPS. We spoke with a recent draft pick of the New York Islanders, heard from a quartet of rookie hopefuls for the Edmonton Oil Kings, got a rundown on current events around the NCAA, discussed a really interesting hypothetical inter-league play idea and also spoke with a representative from the USHL in regards to comments heard on our last show.

A Few Match Ups We'd Like to See

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Tuesday night we had a fun discussion spurred on by this tweet from a listener.

rckaplan rob
"@ThePipelineShow How bout let the ushl play for the memorial cup?"
23 Aug

Guy and I chatted about the question and both agreed that while the USHL is a very good league it is not equal to the CHL. The USHL is more comparable to the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) which includes Tier 1 junior leagues from B.C. to the Maritimes.

I was surprised to hear so many people disagree with us through Twitter, but enjoyed their reasoning. So we wondered about other league vs league games we might want to see or that are fair match ups.

Saturday Morning Special - Aug 20th

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Who says there is no hockey to talk about in the summer? Saturday morning we had a show that was wall-to-wall hockey featuring a couple of newcomers to TPS, a former TEAM 1260 personality, a regular media contributor from the Hockey East conference and possibly Dean Millard's favorite segment since I blindsided him with an Andy Moog wedding present back in Season 2.

Saturday Morning Special - July 16th

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This morning on TPS we spoke with 5 guests and pushed our charity auction total to over $5000 as we raised more funds to help the victims of the fire and flooding in Slave Lake. It was the third opportunity for fans and listeners to get in on the action, to help out some folks in need and to come out of it with some pretty neat stuff.

Saturday Morning Special - July 9th

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What a fantastic way to start your day - not only did we have terrific guests today but we had major breaking news occur during our broadcast and our listener auction produced almost $3000 for charity!

Congratulations and a huge "Thank You!" to the Owner(s) of O2's Taphouse & Grill who coughed up the high bid on the day, a cool $2800. For that they picked up the trip to Jasper, the Moosehead prize pack and the autographed Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Red Deer Rebels jersey.

If you were one of the many who were in on the fierce bidding war, don't worry; We're doing it again on Tuesday and next Saturday with a signed Mark Pysyk Edmonton Oil Kings jersey followed by a Buffalo Sabres sweater autographed by local product Tyler Ennis!

Gardiner Leaves Gophers for Tri City? [Updated]

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Max Gardiner has left the University of Minnesota after just one season because of a lack of playing time. That according quotes from Gophers head coach Don Lucia in an ESPN story here.

The St. Louis Blues 3rd rounder has 3 options available to him hockey wise: He can turn pro which won't happen. He can play in the USHL after being recently drafted by Dubuque, that story is here. Or he can head to the WHL and suit up for the Tri City Americans who listed him in the fall of 2009.

UPDATE: Guy spoke with Americans GM Bob Tory minutes ago and he offered several comments.

NCAA's Northern Exposure (or lack thereof)

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The NCAA National Champion in hockey will be decided on Saturday in St. Paul Minnesota in a game featuring the Michigan Wolverines and the Duluth Bulldogs. There are 11 Canadians combined between the two teams and 17 players in all have already been drafted by NHL clubs. On top of that, half a dozen more are undrafted free agents with NHL teams circling nearby, armed with a pen and contract.

There is definitely a lot to watch for in Saturday's game but it's unfortunate that if you live in most of Canada, you'll have to be ultra-creative to actually see it.

Frozen Four in Canada?

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The marquee NCAA event has criss-crossed the United States, it's been held in hockey mad markets, football stadiums, cities without Division 1 college programs and in places where the only ice you find is in your drink. Most of the time the Frozen Four has been successful but other times it has not and in some of those cases, it's a bit surprising.

But considering all of the creative ways the NCAA has come up with the celebrate the championship weekend of the sport, it's never left the country. Is it plausible to think that one day, the Frozen Four might be held in Canada?

To me, the answer is YES.

NCAA Coaches and Hockey Canada

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Jonathan Toews, Dany Heatley, Andrew Cogliano, Dan Bertram, Jeff Tambellini, David LeNevue, Mike Cammalleri, Dylan Olsen, Mike Van Ryn, Cody Goloubef and Paul Kariya. All past members of Canada's World Junior team who came to the team from the ranks of NCAA hockey. Despite the fact that the vast majority of Canada's roster historically comes from the CHL, collegians have played a key role in the past.

But not behind the bench.

According to Scott Salmond, the Senior Director of Hockey Operations for Hockey Canada, a Canadian born NCAA coach has never been on the staff for a Canadian U20 team.

I can't honestly say that I'm surprised by that but my question is... why?