Coming Down the Pipe...

[0:00] - The intro for Season 21 of The Pipeline Show

[1:15] - It's the first episode of 2026! Guy kicks things off with some brief News and Notes before getting into the guest list to set up the rest of the week.

[13:51] - Don't look now but the goalie with the top save percentage and the top goals against average in the WHL is not only draft eligible but may have been flying under the radar for much of the season. Get to know Xavier Wendt, the starting netminder for the Tri-City Americans.

[35:28] - Lethbridge based WHL beat reporter Nathan Reiter helps breakdown all the moves leading up to (and even after) the WHL's trade deadline. Who go dealt and which teams are in a position to be considered contenders?

[1:08:17] - Daily Faceoff prospect expert Steven Ellis recaps the 2026 World Junior Championship. Which players stood out? Have his draft rankings changed? Was the attendance as big of a deal as it seemed? Lots of ground to cover with Steven.

Coming Down the Pipe...

[0:00] - The intro for Season 21 of The Pipeline Show

[1:14] - Guy begins the episode with some quick news and notes before getting to the guest list.

[13:57] - Scott Wheeler from The Athletic previews Pool B of the 2026 World Junior Championship which includes Canada, Czechia, Latvia, Denmark and Finland.

[49:11] - Chris Peters from Flo Hockey is on board to preview Pool A of the 2026 World Junior Championship which features Sweden, Slovakia, Switzerland, Germany and the hosts this year - Team USA.

Coming Down the Pipe...

[0:00] - The intro for Season 21 of The Pipeline Show

[1:15] - Guy begins the week with News and Notes from around the CHL, USHL and NCAA plus the guest list.

[18:29] - Jimmy Connelly from USCHO is back to talk NCAA hockey. We'll begin by discussing Hockey East and if there is a team that is considered THE team to beat as no one seems able to stake that claim. Canada will have lots of NCAA content at the U20 WJC. How are some of the former CHL players doing as college freshmen? And more!

[50:00] - Derek Neumeier is a scout with McKeen's Hockey and he checks in today with his reports on a 6-pack of players eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft. Alberts Smits, Ilia Morozov, Jaxon Cover, Elton Hermansson, Maddox Dagenais and Giorgos Pantelas with an extra curve ball thrown in at the end of the segment too.

Coming Down the Pipe...

[0:00] - The intro for Season 21 of The Pipeline Show

[1:14] - Guy explains why there was no episode last week and then gets into the News and Notes and more to kick things off.

[17:48] - Medicine Hat Tigers beat write James Tubb weighs in on the status of the WHL's eastern conference, the potential trade deadline activity and a fight filled affair between the Tigers and the Prince Albert Raiders.

[44:19] - The 2026 Draft Spotlight closes out this week's episode and features one of the more recognizable names in the Class of 2026. It's Joe Iginla of the Edmonton Oil Kings who discusses his season so far, the upcoming draft, his path to Edmonton and growing up with the pressure of his last name.

Coming Down the Pipe...

[0:00] - The intro for Season 21 of The Pipeline Show

[1:14] - Guy begins the episode with the CHL Top 10, the announced format for next week's CHL/USA Prospects Challenge, the Peyton Kettles situation in the WHL, the 2027 Memorial Cup host is...and more.

[17:20] - Harrison Boettiger joined the WHL's Kelowna Rockets after his two seasons inside the US-NTDP and next week he will play in the CHL/USA Prospects Challenge for the second time, but now for the CHL team. It's a fun conversation with one of the top rated goalies in the Class of 2026 and the first of 3 Draft Spotlight segments on this week's episode.

[44:21] - The next member of the Class of 2026 might be the most exciting player available this summer. He's defenceman extraordinaire Xavier Villeneuve of the B.B. Armada who will be a major focal point for fans at the CHL USA Prospects Challenge.

[1:06:43] - Finally this week, the current leading scorer from USA Hockey's National Team Development Program, Victor Plante. The forward is leading his U18 squad into the CHL/USA Prospects Challenge and talks about his career up to now and looks ahead to the NHL Draft too.

Coming Down the Pipe...

[0:00] - The intro for Season 21 of The Pipeline Show.

[1:14] - Guy begins the episode with a couple News and Notes items and then a recap of Friday night action in the CHL, USHL and NCAA.

[17:56] - HN Live broadcaster Dave Dawson was in Nova Scotia to call the games for the World U17 Hockey Challenge and presents this recap for hockey fans. Which teams and which players caught his eye?

[50:21] - Kyle Chipchura has gone from captain of the Prince Albert Raiders, to 1st round pick of the Montreal Canadiens, well over a decade in the NHL with other stops in Anaheim and Phoenix to now being back in the WHL and on the bench with the Edmonton Oil Kings. An interview 21 years later than first planned, this was definitely worth the wait as he reflects on his career highs and lows.

[1:19:43] - The current leader amongst WHL defencemen in scoring, Ryan Lin of the Vancouver Giants is near the top of every NHL scout's watch list. Has his start satisfied him? That's just one of the first questions that I was able to ask of him as we met for another edition of the 2026 Draft Spotlight.

Coming Down the Pipe...

[0:00] - The intro for Season 21 of The Pipeline Show

[1:14] - Guy begins the episode with a recap of Friday night action in the CHL, USHL and NCAA plus News and Notes including thoughts on reports that the CHL may "annex" the USHL "and the NHL is all for it".

[22:26] - The pre-season pick for many as the Team To Beat in the CHL was the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. No longer the top team in the QMJHL, were the Armada overhyped or are there reasons for a recent slump? The radio voice of the Armada, Cédrik Blondin shares his thoughts on that.

[51:14] - Guy shares a recent intermission interview between himself, Oil Kings broadcaster Mat Barrett and Swift Current Broncos GM Chad Leslie.

Coming Down the Pipe...

[0:00] - The intro for Season 21 of The Pipeline Show

[1:15] - Guy starts the episode with the CHL Top 10, some trade news in the WHL and OHL, scoring leaders across junior and college hockey plus the guest list.

[13:26] - Mathieu Turcotte has been somewhere on a QMJHL bench for the last decade and last season also coached for Canada at the U17, U18 and Hlinka Gretzky Cup events. Yet somehow he finds himself currently as a free agent. We have an extended conversation about those tournaments, the players he's coached, the Class of 2026 and more.

[45:58] - USCHO scribe Paula Weston weighs in on early season results in the Big Ten conference for both teams and individual players. Who has started well and who...has not?

[1:18:38] - We turn on the 2026 Draft Spotlight to get to know goaltender Carter Casey. From a Cinderella run to the USHL Clark Cup last spring to stepping up a level to join the Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL, we talk about it all with the talented netminder.

Guest 2 - Mathieu Turcotte has been somewhere on a QMJHL bench for the last decade and last season also coached for Canada at the U17, U18 and Hlinka Gretzky Cup events. Yet somehow he finds himself currently as a free agent. We have an extended conversation about those tournaments, the players he's coached, the Class of 2026 and more.

Coming Down the Pipe...

[0:00] - The Season 21 intro for The Pipeline Show

[1:14] - Guy begins the episode in the usual way, with an assortment of news and notes, a look at standings across junior hockey and the weekly Top 10 in the CHL and Top 20 in the NCAA too.

[16:37] - Mathis Preston leads the Spokane Chiefs in scoring and this week he was tagged with an 'A' rating by NHL Central Scouting. The talented skater from Penticton B.C. is in the Draft Spotlight to talk about it all.

[39:45] - Cooper Simpson is currently leading the USHL in scoring, this just a couple of months after the Boston Bruins chose him in the 3rd round of the 2025 NHL Draft. Let's get to know the sniper from Shakopee, MN

[57:02] - Neutral Zone scout Russ Bitely shares his notes on a 6-pack of players now in the QMJHL after playing south of the border last season. All 6 are also draft eligible in 2026.