Oilersnation Nation Radio

Usually we'd be starting to talk about training camp around this time. Instead, the focus is still the possible lockout, the summer's activities by Canada's NHL teams and advanced stats and how they enhance our enjoyment of the game. We explore these topics and others with guests Harrison Mooney, Terry Jones and more. This is Nation Radio. Terry Jones talks about Oilers over the summer, what we can expect of them and Dubnyk's importance to the team this season. Terry also discusses his upcoming series on coach Ralph Krueger (first installment today in the Sun and online). Next up, Harrison Mooney of Pass It To Bulis and Puck Daddy talks about the Olympics and then shifts to CBA discussions. LT and Harrison then slide into Canucks matters, including Luongo, Kesler and Mike Gillis.  LeafsNation's main man Cam Charron drops by to discuss the Toronto Maple Leafs and their summer. LT and Cam get into a conversation that ends with both openly wondering about Brian Burke's long term future in the city. Our own Jonathan Willis has interesting opinions about the Oilers in 12-13, the CBA negotiations and the strength of the OKC Barons with or without the Nuge. Eric T. of NHLNumbers and Broadstreet Hockey explains his take on the Flyers season, their injuries and Ilya Bryzgalov. Eric then explains the concept of "A Competition Metric Based on Ice Time" and how it can improve our enjoyment of the game. Finally, regular Thomas Drance stops by for a quick discussion of the Canucks and Shane Doan. Drance and Cam Charron have been going back and forth on Shane Doan and LT asks Thom if the Canucks should bite the bullet and sign Shane Doan to a big 35+ contract. You may be surprised by his answer.  Full Whole thing. As always, we'd like to remind prospective sponsors that we still have a few spots available on Nation Radio. Lowetide LOVES to play ads for Nation Radio clients--he actually turns UP the volume for the Nation's business partners. Don't ask us how he does it, but they sound louder and have more clarity. If you'd like your loud ads on Nation Radio, contact Kent at Kent.wilson@gmail.com.

Allan, in front, does the show while Kent Wilson (note the glorious mustache) and henchmen watch It's the labour day long weekend! While most everyone was out enjoying the long weekend, drinking a beer or watching the kids run around for the last, few, short hours before school starts again, Allan Mitchell was hunched over a desk, calling people enjoying the break, and demanding they talk to him about hockey. A surprisingly large group of helpful experts not only answered the phone but also answered his questions - and here we are. This is Nation Radio.  Allan's first guest is the Nation Network's newest writer: Gus Katsaros. Gus has spent the better part of the last decade with the venerable McKeen's Hockey and is now contributing at Leafs Nation. They discuss his latest work, a pair of intriguing yet also disappointing prospects in Nazem Kadri and Magnus Paajarvi, and a ton of other stuff. A re-broadcast of an interview with Steve Tambellini, a man some here may have heard of. Strangely, given that he's been the Oilers' leading scorer for the last two seasons, Jordan Eberle has been a hot topic of discussion this summer: Allan goes into his thoughts. Archduke of the Nation Network Kent Wilson returns once again to discuss the Calgary Flames and hockey in general. Zach Bogosian had surgery on his wrist earlier this week, and is now going to be on the shelf for the next four to six months. Jets Nation's Robert Cleave joins Allan to talk about Bogosian and hockey in Winnipeg. The Edmonton Journal's David Staples closes out the show, talking with Allan about the Oilers and the deals handed out to young stars Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle. Full And there's the show in it's glorious, unabridged entirety, for everyone's long weekend enjoyment. Finally, a brief note for prospective advertisers: we're all about commitment. It's why Allan slaves away during the last long weekend of summer. If you're interested in promoting your business on the show, we will advertise, ADVERTISE, ADVERTISE!!! and not stop until you are completely satisfied. Please contact kent.wilson@gmail.com for full details. Enjoy the long weekend, everyone!

While NHL fans do a slow burn and the league's player prepare for a season that may never come, the owners and Bettman appear to be enjoying another season of good times on Boardwalk, Park Place and Pennsylvania avenues. Allan Mitchell tackles the issues with some heavy hitters. This is Nation Radio. Tom Lynn from Veritas Hockey gives us insight into the recent Ivan Hlinka, the CBA negotiations from player and management veiwpoints and we talk about the impact on players inside and outside the NHL.  Ilya Ostrovsky owner of the Edmonton Municipal Hockey League and a man who grew up in the shadow of the Kremlin. Ilya talked about adult hockey in Edmonton and what’s available and his unique connection to hockey in Russian and in Canada. Kent Simpson, Oil Kings color commentator touched base on the Oil Kings training camp, their chances of repeating and some 'inside stuff' as it relates to their season. Jason Strudwick, former NHL player, OilersNation contributor and bon vivant about town. Jason spoke patiently about the lockout, recalled his own experience from last lockout and passed along a delightful story about his success in the shootout. Tyler Dellow from mc79 hockey did a terrific job of breaking down the Taylor Hall contract, passing along insight on the CBA discussions and giving fans an idea about how this might turn out (and when). Rob Soria from Oil Drop talked about the incredible impact of both Chris Pronger trades that he wrote about in this Chris Pronger article. Full Whole thing. Join the ever increasing group of elite level clients representing Nation Radio. We don't accept everyone, as we wish to avoid conflicts, etc. However, rest assured that NR clients are treated with great respect. We'll write a great commercial for your product, run the hell out of it and threaten listeners if they don't buy your stuff. Please contact Kent.wilson@gmail.com for more information. Have a nice day.

  As the billionaires ready themselves to lock-out the millionaires over a few percentage points of total revenues, we here at Nation Radio nevertheless resolutely march on with continued hockey coverage. It may be mid-August and we may be talking about the same stuff in November because the powers-that-be are having their white collar slap fight, but what the hell...it's why we're all here right? This week, Allan invited some tried and true guests like Corey Pronman, Jonathan Willis and Corey Graham to talk about Oilers prospects, other high-end kids and summer tournaments. This is Nation Radio. First up is Guy Flaming of the Pipeline show. Guy shares his thoughts on the Ivan Hlinka tournament, the draft and the recent issues faced by the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL. Next we have Derek Zona of Coppernblue and NHLNumbers. Derek talks with Lowetide about Oilers Prospect rankings and where newly drafted Nail Yakupov falls on that list.  Hockey Prospectus and draft/prospect guru Corey Pronman is guest #3. Pronman goes over the prospects in the recent Canada-Russia series as well as the undrafted but majorly talented Nathan MacKinnon and Seth Jones. OilersNation's own Jonathan Willis stopped by this week as well. Jon discusses what he will do during the lock-out, some Oilers thoughts and his "zone entries and exits" project. Finally, play-by-play voice of the Oil Kings Corey Graham rounds out the guest list. Topics include prospects Henrik Samuelson and Curtis Lazar as well the Oil Kings upcoming season. Lowetide finishes the show about his thoughts on a variety of topics. Full Whole thing. As always, we would like to remind prospective sponsors that Nation Radio still has a few advertising packages available. Please contact Kent.wilson@gmail.com for more information.

We're in the midst of the interminable mid-August hockey lull, and news is sparse. But neither CBA uncertainty, nor a lack of material can deter Allan Mitchell! On this week's episode of Nation Radio, Allan is joined by the likes of player agent Tom Lynn, Andrey Osadchenko, Nations overlord Kent Wilson and Scott Reynolds of NHLNumbers and Copper and Blue. Allan and his guests breakdown the news of the week, gush about Nail Yakupov's play at the Subway Super Series and, of course, suss out some reasonable expectations for Jordan Eberle. This is Nation Radio. At the top of the show, Allan disucsses the U-18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament and other topics with player agent Tom Lynn. It's the hot topic in the Oilogosphere this summer, and Allan breaks it down: what are some reasonable expectations for Jordan Eberle's production this upcoming season?  Russian hockey writer Andrey Osachenko of allhockey.ru, the Hockey News and the Nation Network joins Allan to chat about the age old hockey rivalry between Canada and Russia, as well as the 2012 Subway Super Series. Allan is joined by Nations overlord and happy newlywed Kent Wilson, who updates us on the rumoured dealings between the Flames and the Detroit Red Wings concerning Jay Bouwmeester. Scott Reynolds of Copper and Blue drops by to chat with Allan Mitchell about C+B's top-25, the relative merits of Yakupov, Hall and Nugent-Hopkins, the NHLNumbers team annuals, and how difficult it is to acquire "power forwards."  Ryan Whitney is a good guy who admits that the call that levelled the women's semifinal soccer game between the US and Canada at the Olympics was "bogus." He also talks with Jason Gregor about hockey, CBA negotiations and his long road back from a recent ankle injury. Full Show Listen to the full show!

It's the August long weekend! Hockey may be on the back-burner for many, but that doesn't mean that Nation Radio is hurting for things to discuss. Host Allan Mitchell talks about the Oilers with Jason Gregor, the Canucks with Thomas Drance, the NHL in general with Eric T., the AHL with Jim Byers and the WHL with Guy Flaming, with a little soccer talk with Scott Francis Winder in acknowledgement of the fact that when the thermometer is pushing 30 degrees all the talk can't be about hockey. This is Nation Radio. Jason Gregor of OilersNation and The Jason Gregor Show joins Allan in the opening segment, and they talk about the Oilers' defence and what it might take for the team to add another reaguard. He and Allan go through the team's entire roster, looking at options all over and what might happen if there's an NHL lockout. Following Jason Gregor is Eric T of NHLNumbers and Broad Street Hockey. Eric has been tracking some fascinating things over the past season and goes into how much neutral zone play and how a team enters the zone matters to a club's bottom line performance. Thomas Drance shows up for Part 3; the CanucksArmy and Pass it to Bulis writer talks about advanced statistics and the Vancouver Canucks. Jim Byers, the voice of the Oklahoma City Barons, talks to Allan about the team's off-season additions and the opportunity for younger players to move up the lineup with some veteran subtractions. In Part 5, Guy Flaming of The Pipeline Show (and accompanying blog) joins Allan. Flaming does incredible work tracking junior hockey, and shines a spotlight on Curtis Lazar, Tristan Jarry and the rest of the Edmonton Oil Kings Scott Francis Winder closes the show with Allan, and he spotlights FC Edmonton, Ronald McDonald House Charity and a Guiness World Record video game marathon.  Full Show Catch the entire show!

It's summer but there's still lots of hockey to talk about. Shane Doan is the league's foremost free agent and is rumoured to be going just about everywhere. In Edmonton, Nail Yakupov is now under contract and discussions on the new downtown arena are ongoing.  Allan Mitchell (better known as Lowetide) talks about all this and more with guests David Staples, Jonathan Willis, Kirk Luedeke, Cam Davie and Jeff Krushell. This is Nation Radio. Allan opens the show by talking about the signings of Nail Yakupov, Alex Semin and the rumours surrounding Shane Doan, and then jumps quickly into an interview with David Staples of the Edmonton Journal and the Cult of Hockey. Staples has strong opinions on the proposed downtown arena as well as the Oilers and considers both in detail. The second guest on Nation Radio is Jonathan Willis. Willis writes for the various Nation sites - particularly OilersNation and NHLNumbers - and is also a regular at the Cult of Hockey. He's back from holidays and talks about Shane Doan, Nail Yakupov, Justin Schultz and what 2012-13 will look like for the Oilers. Allan looks at line combinations and who may or may not make the 2012-13 Edmonton Oilers out of training camp. Kirk Luedeke of Red Line Report and the New England Hockey Journal joins Allan to talk about the 2012 Draft. They consider the most surprising picks as well as which teams did the best at restocking their system. Cam Davie, who writes as Tinfoil Tuque on Canucks Army, talks to Allan about Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer. Davie wrote about his family's personal experience with cancer earlier in the week and discusses the initiative as well as the Vancouver Canucks. Jeff Krushell, a former strength and conditioning coordinator with the Toronto Blue Jays and now the owner of Krush Sports Performance, talks to Allan about how players prepare for a new season as well as how they rehabilitate their injuries. Full Show Catch the entire show!

While the UFA "frenzy" remains a sort of tepid, apathetic singles dance, in the distance one can hear the rumble of thunder that signifies the impending battle between the league and the NHLPA. Gary Bettman has already fired a few shots over the bow of Donald Fehr and company, so it looks like the CBA talks are going to be...contentious at the very least. For now, we'll continue to ignore the whole "there might be another lock-out" thing and keep on talking trades and stats. This week, Allan invited number crunchers and hockey writers from around the league including Benjamin Wendorf, James Mirtle and Corey Pronman to help with our denial. This is Nation Radio. First up is Ben Wendorf, the editor of SBN's Artic Ice Hockey and a contributor to NHLNumbers.com. Ben talked about the Jets 2012 draft performance as well as the club's free agent signings and development camp. Hockey Prospectus' prospect specialist Corey Pronman joined LT to discuss the Oilers top-10 prospects as well as draft strategy. Globe and Mail's Leafs writer James Mirtle is guest number 3. He and Allan go over Toronto's swap of Luke Schenn for James Van Reimsdyk and whether the ex-Flyer will play center for the Leafs or not. Shane Doan, free agency and NHLPA negotiations are also discussed. Eric T. Of Broadstreet Hockey and NHLNumbers has recently published a number of fascinating articles on the impact of neutral zone play, particularly zone entries. He and Allan go over his studies and what they might mean for hockey analysis and strategy. Finally, Rob Vollman of Hockey Abstract and FlamesNation stopped in to talk about advanced stats and measuring player usage. We wrap things up with Allan's thoughts on a variety of topics. Full Full show. Finally, we want to remind prospective sponsors that Nation Radio still has some limited advertising packages available. For more information, please contact Kent Wilson (kent.wilson@gmail.com).

'Twas the night before a frenzy and all through the league, every pundit was prepping for long weekend fatigue... The big day turned out to be rather uneventful, with only a few notable names finding homes. That said, it was a good weekend for the Edmonton Oilers - they won the Schultz sweepstakes and retained the still very effective Ryan Smyth on an extremely reasonable deal. Those additions and others across the Nation were set-up and discussed yesterday by LT and a wide range of guests, including Terry Jones, Tom Lynn and Bruce McCurdy. This is Nation Radio. First up is player agent Tom Lynn. Topics include Justin Schultz, the draft and free agency. The Cult of Hockey's Bruce McCurdy shares some first hand observations of the Oilers prospect camp.   Nations overlord Kent Wilson heads up segment three with a discussion of the Flames various moves over the last week, plus weather Jay Bouwmeester would be a good fit in Edmonton. Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun drops in and talks Justin Schultz and the Oilers depth on defense. LeafsNation's new boss Cam Charron shares some thoughts on Toronto, including the buy-out of Colby Armstrong and Nazem Kadri. Finally, the Nations roving Russian Reporter, Andrey Osadchenko joins LT to talk Igor Larionov and the Oilers Russian prospects. Full  Whole shebang. Finally, we'd like to remind prospective sponsors that Nation Radio still has a few very reasonable spots left to fill. If you're interested in more information, please contact Kent Wilson (kent.wilson@gmail.com).

Less than a week until the draft boys and girls and the anticipation is starting to build. Will the OIlers pick Yakupov, Murray or trade down? Do the Leafs finally convince someone to take Luke Schenn? Will Calgary trade one of their "big three" contracts? Will everyone in the arena boo the Canucks organization again? These questions (and more) will be answered in Pittsburgh this coming Friday/Saturday. For now, we're left speculating with folks like Jonathan Willis, Brad MacPherson and Kent Wilson. This is Nation Radio. First up is "Blue Bullet" Brad MacPherson. He shares some draft rankings and his thoughts on defensemen. Nations Overlord Kent Wilson stops in to talk Martin Gelinas, Calgary draft targets and the redemption of Darryl Sutter. Jonathan Willis of OilersNation, Cult of Hockey, Hockey Prospectus, ESPN (etc, etc) discusses the draft in detail with LT, particularly Nail Yakupov. Dustin Nielson of the Nielson and Frasier show shares his mock draft and weighs in on Yakupov, Murray and free agent prospect Justin Schultz. Our final guest this week was Patrick Burke, co-founder of the You Can Play Project. Patrick recently talked to Thom Drance over at Canucks Army about You Can Play's message and the addition of Ryan Kesler as a spokesperson. Here, he and Allan talk about how the project came to be and both it's progress and importance. Allan wraps things up with his thoughts for the final segment. Full Whole show. As usual, we'd like to remind prospective sponsors we still have some quality ad sports and advertising packages available here on Nation Radio. Contact Kent Wilson (kent.wilson@gmail.com) for more info.

Might the Oilers pass on Yakupov and Grigorenko to select defenseman Ryan Murray? Before you know it, it'll be draft day and hockey fans across the country are wondering: who will the Oilers select with the first overall pick? Will Lowe, Tambellini and company select speedy winger Nail Yakupov or highly touted centre Mikhail Grigorenko (whose stock seems to be taking a hit of late)? Or, might the Oilers reach and take a guy like Ryan Murray who may not have Yakupov's pedigree, but would address an area of need for the club? Allan has plenty of draft talk on the docket this week. He's joined by former GM and player agent Tom Lynn and prospect experts Corey Pronman, Michael Spidel and Kirk Luedeke. Cam Charron stops by to talk a bit about the Calder Cup Finals, and Jeff Krushell joins Allan as well to talk athletic performance and player injuries. This is Nation Radio. Up first is Tom Lynn, a player agent with Veritas who has years of experience working in the Minnesota Wild front-office. Tom drops some serious wisdom on upcoming CBA negotiations between the league and the players association, gives us his unique perspective on the mechanics of free agency, and throws in some amusing draft day anecdotes for good measure. Next up Lowetide is joined by Corey Pronman of hockey prospectus. Allan and Corey discuss Edmonton's "list of 5," and Corey talks about why he's higher on Mikhail Grigorenko than many other scouts in the industry. Kirk Luedeke of Red Line Report joins Allan for more prospects talk. Luedeke breaks down how the rash injuries to top prospects will impact this years selections, and sheds some light on a handful of top prospects from Girgensons to to Vasilevski. Cam Charron, the new overlord of TheLeafsNation.com drops in to chat draft day trades, flukey over-time goals in the Calder Cup Finals, and his new gig. Michael Spidel of Hockey Symposium drops by and savages the notion of taking defensemen with top draft picks. Allan and Michael also discuss whether or not Justin Schultz, the highly coveted defenseman out of Wisconsin who seems to be bound for free-agency this summer, might ultimately be draft eligible on June 22nd. To finish off the show, Allan is joined by Jeff Krushell. Jeff breaks down the impact of injuries on draft eligible players, and talks about how even a common ailment like Mono can derail a prospect's development. Full Here's the full show! Finally, we'd like to remind prospective sponsors and advertisers that we still have some limited ad spots available here at Nation Radio. For more info, contact Kent Wilson @ kent.wilson@gmail.com.

Mikhail Grigorenko at the NHL Draft Combine late last week. Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press The NHL Draft is rapidly approaching, and with the top-prospects in Toronto for the Draft Combine last week, excitement about the event is beginning to crest (especially in Edmonton). Between the upcoming draft, the hiring of Bob Hartley in Calgary, and the Oilers continued search for a head-coach: there were plenty of topics to discuss. Also, there's some meaningful hockey being played apparently, and something called "the Stanley Cup Final" gets a fair bit of air-time as well. Joining Allan this week were Terry Jones, Jason Gregor, Jonathan Willis, Timo Seppa and Kent Wilson. This is Nation Radio. Our first guest is Hall of Fame hockey writer Terry Jones, who has been a busy man over the past few months covering the World Juniors, the World Championships and the Memorial Cup. Allan and Terry discuss the resurgence in the popularity of major junior hockey in the Edmonton sports market, Oilers head-coaching candidates and the possibility of Nail Yakupov bolting to the KHL (extremely slim). Next up is Jason Gregor from OilersNation and the Jason Gregor Show. Allan and Jason discuss the Oilers offseason plans, including the draft and the search for a new coach. Sadly, they never get around to putting together a "ladies of the 70s and 80s" mock draft, despite repeatedly threatening to do so! Timo Seppa of Bloomberg Sports and Hockey Prospectus checks in with a first hand report from the NHL combine. In particular, Allan and Timo shed some light on prospect interviews, and the psychological testing aspect of the combine. Resident Grantlander Jonathan Willis stops by to break down the relative merits of various head-coaches the Oilers may look at hiring. Young Willis and Allan also talk about the Oilers options between the pipes, and discuss strategies to improve the Oilers anemic blue-line.    Nations Overlord Kent Wilson joins Allan to talk about inertia, and the recent hire of Bob Hartley as head-coach of the Calgary Flames. Kent and Allan also chat about the Stanley Cup Final and what, if anything, Pete DeBoer can do to stem the bleeding. Allan wraps up the broadcast with a final segment breaking down the upcoming NHL Draft. Full Here's the whole show. Finally, we'd like to remind prospective sponsors and advertisers that we still have some limited ad spots available here at Nation Radio. For more info, contact Kent Wilson @ kent.wilson@gmail.com.

Hands up anyone who picked an LAK/NJD Stanley Cup final heading into the season. Anyone? Bueller? It's been an especially odd post-season, with favorites falling and previously apathetic fanbases awakening suddenly to their team's unexpected success. If the Kings win the cup, as they should, will that victory be met with a bang or a whimper in Los Angeles? To be fair to that city, it has been so long since their team enjoyed any notable success that they can be forgiven if they forgot about hockey for awhile. Allan discussed this and a variety of other topics with Kent Wilson, David Staples, Kirk Luedeke and others on this week's show. This is Nation Radio. Our first guest was David Staples of the Cult of Hockey. David and LT go over Tom Renney's tenure in Edmonton, Anton Lander, the upcoming draft as well as some new area talk. Next up is Nations overlord Kent Wilson. The Flames under Brent Sutter is the main focus and whether he would be a good fit for the Edmonton Oilers. The cup finals and whether Luongo would be a good fit in Toronto are also discussed. Oil Kings PbP voice Corey Graham joined LT to wrap up Oil Kings impressive season and memorial cup performance. Jim Byers of the OKC Barons stopped by and shard his thoughts on the Barons extended playoff run as well as the recent performances of MPS and Teemu Hartikainen. Our final guest this week was Red Line Report's Krik Luedeke. He shares his insights on draft prospects in the New England area including Jimmy Vesey. Lowetide goes it alone and wraps things up for the final segment. Full Whole show. Finally, we'd like to remind prospective sponsors and advertisers that we still have some limited ad spots available here at Nation Radio. For more info, contact Kent Wilson @ kent.wilson@gmail.com.

In Alberta the off-season has become a question of coaches with both the Flames and Oilers looking to fill vacancies behind the bench. With the NHL playoffs winding down and the Memorial cup firing up, attentions are turning towards prospects and the impending free agent season as well. The guests this week include Jonathan Willis, Tom Lynn and Corey Pronman. They joined Lowetide to talk the above topics and others including hedge fund management strategy, the importance of sustainable lifestyles in the 21st century and the best places to find a good sandwich in Western Canada (not really). This is Nation Radio. First up is Jonathan Willis of OilersNation and the Cult of Hockey. JW looks at the dismissal of Tom Renney, the possibility of Brent Sutter joining the Oilers, the upcoming entry draft and the launch of NHLNumbers. Next we invited player agent Tom Lynn to discuss players and teams heading to the draft as well as the NHL's collective bargaining agreement. Regular guest and prospect guru Corey Pronman shares some of his insights about the kids.  Oil Kings Color Commentator Kent Simpson is back to talk the Oil Kings WHL victory and trip to the Memorial Cup. Tom Renney comes up as well. Bruce McCurdy of the Cult of Hockey looks at the Oil Kings as well, in addition to looking back at Tom Renney's time behind the Oilers bench. In the final segment Lowetide goes it alone to wrap things up. Full The whole enchilada. Nation Radio would like to remind prospect advertisers and partners that we still have very reasonable sponsorship packages available. If you're interested, don't hesitate to contact Kent Wilson (kent.wilson@gmail.com) for more information.