Combing all corners of the country and the blogosphere for your junior hockey headlines ... Please come by for the Chatravaganza at 12 noon ET/1 p.m. AT/9 am. PT. You won't miss that much of March Madness!

WHL

Edmonton Oilers high second-round pick David Musil needs wrist surgery, meaning his season with the Vancouver Giants is done. (Vancouver Province)

Consider the Regina-Moose Jaw rivalry, given that the teams split their season series and half the games needed overtime. (Regina Leader-Post)

The Saskatoon Blades hope draft-year defenceman Dalton Thrower is back from injury in time for the first playoff game. (Saskatoon StarPhoenix)

Updating the playoff chase. (Small Thoughts At Large)

The B.C. Division champion Kamloops Blazers are limping toward the playoffs. Either that or they fattened up on a weak division. (Kamloops Daily News)

The Kelowna Rockets saw defencemen Myles Bell and Madison Bowey go down with injuries, but they still put a dent in Everett's playoff ambitions. (Regan's Rant, Castanet)

Moose Jaw Warriors coach Mike Stothers was impressed his team was physical last night in Brandon without getting heavily penalized. (Moose Jaw Times-Herald)

The knee-on-knee hit is one of the most invidious plays in hockey. So you can imagine the Gatineau Olympiques were fairly irate when they saw there was no penalty call after their brightest talent, centre Tomas Hyka, get taken out late in the first period on Wednesday by Blainville-Boisbriand's Vincent Richer. It went double after 'Piques coach-GM Benoît Groulx, one of the best in the business, got an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty from referee Dominick Bédard for protesting the call.

Showing that he thought the non-call was garbage, Groulx threw a garbage can on the ice. Here's the play, which came with 2:49 left in the first period of Blainville-Boisbriand's eventual 10-4 win, and the protect at the beginning of the second period.

Hyka, an 18-year-old Czech whom the Philadelphia Flyers wanted to sign last fall before realizing NHL rules required he go through the entry draft, is apparently done for the season. The scolds among us will say there is no excuse for throwing anything on the ice — especially since Olympiques right wing Alexandros Soumakis nearly took some friendly fire during the garbage can toss — and they are right. Keep in mind, though, that earlier this season Quebec Remparts rookie Nick Sorensen had his season ended by a knee-on-knee that was only assessed as a two-minute minor.

Blainville-Boisbriand Armada centre Samuel AquinNo. 1 star: Samuel Aquin, Blainville-Boisbrian Armada (QMJHL)

Aquin has worked a long time for a night like this: four goals, two assists and plus-5 to help the Armada maroon the Gatineau Olympiques 10-4.

The skilled but undersized 18-year-old was sent back to the Junior A Valleyfield Braves at the start of this season despite a solid training camp with the Armada in order to fine-tune his game. Coach Jean-François Houle called him up at Christmastime and Aquin worked his way into the lineup. However, the Repentigny, Que., native had scored only four goals in 26 games before doubling his season total in 60 minutes tonight.

Oliver Hinse and Aquin scored 12 seconds apart in the second minute of the game to open an early 2-0 lead. Aquin had an assist later in the first period, then scored three consecutive goals over the final two periods to complete his career night.

No. 2 star: Josh Shalla, Saginaw Spirit (OHL)

Shalla tied the Spirit club record for career goals in prolific fashion while spoiling Alexander Galchenyuk's long-awaited return to the Sarnia Sting lineup. Shalla, a Nashville Predators propsect, had a natural hat trick in the second period to lead the Spirit to a 7-1 win over Sarnia that sustains its hopes of a top-four finish in the Western Confernece.

Owen Sound Attack captain Mike HalmoThe focus with the Mike Halmo-Nail Yakupov collision ought to be on the Russian star's health. Since the Sarnia Sting are staying tight-lipped about the Saucy Tatar's status and the playoff prospects of two teams hang in the balance, it's not going to work that way.

So the spotlight is on Halmo, the Attack's captain and leading scorer, who doesn't know if he's already played his final Ontario Hockey League game. Halmo, who just signed with the NHL's New York Islanders, played on Sunday with the OHL's consent. Now that a few days have gone by and there are reports of Yakupov being out at least a week, everything's up in the air. Oh, and incidentally, the two teams involved are almost assured to meet in the playoffs.

From Bill Walker:

The fact that Halmo is even suspended is a bit of a surprise as OHL officials phoned the Attack on Sunday to tell them that their captain could play that afternoon against Plymouth.

The usual routine after a major penalty is for the player to be kept out of the lineup until the league has reviewed the incident. The time out of the lineup is counted against any suspension that the player receives.

"I was going to hold him out," Attack general manager Dale DeGray said. "They said they looked at it and they didn't feel there were any issues. Then they said that they thought that it should be reviewed (after looking at different camera angles of the incident). I'm a little frustrated (by this reversal)."

... "The league doesn't work on any set time frame," said DeGray. "I'd like them to tell us as soon as possible and I'm sure they will. How quick they respond to anything, that's up to them." (Owen Sound Sun Times)

There is no love lost between the Saint John Sea Dogs and Shawinigan Cataractes — or perhaps between the Sea Dogs and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, which earlier this season docked the defending champs a win for using centre Maxime Villemaire in a game before he signed his player card. Defenceman Ian Saab gave in to temptation and took out some frustration by jamming his stick into the face of Shawinigan's Dillon Donnelly on Sunday. Now he'll miss the next seven games (one's already been served), leaving the Sea Dogs down a defender heading into the playoffs.

It was a foolish choice, even in the heat of the moment. The suspension may send a stern warning that the QMJHL is not going to stand for after-the-whistle extracurricular activities getting out of hand. Who knows how it might go over on Saint John's end, but if there was ever a lesson on the need to walk the line, this is it. It's one thing when someone was attempting a hockey play, but skating over to go at an opponent

Combing all corners of the country and the blogosphere for your junior hockey headlines ...

WHL

Kelowna Rockets captain Colton Sissons will play Friday after returning from a concussion. (Dub Nation)

At long last, the Calgary Hitmen feel comfortable in their home rink again. Remember, they were forced out of the Saddledome by the world junior. (Calgary Herald)

The Eastern Conference champion Edmonton Oil Kings are resting forward Dylan Wruck, among others surely, for their final three games. (Edmonton Journal, Coming Down The Pipe!)

Victoria Royals coach-GM Marc Habscheid, whose team holds the final Western Conference playoff spot but has only two games left: "I failed math. It was optional in Saskatchewan. I worry about winning games." (Victoria Times-Colonist)

Ryan Murray and the Everett Silvertips will be all but in the playoffs if they win tonight at Kelowna. (Everett Herald)

The aftershocks of Prince George's overtime win at Tri-City is that, mathematically, the Kamloops Blazers

Cirque du Soleil performing ZumanityAt the end of the day, Cirque du Soleil is a bigger moneymaker than seeing the local junior hockey team skate circles around opponents. It's a long way off, but the defending MasterCard Memorial Cup champion Saint John Sea Dogs might have to vacate their home rink should they advance to the President's Cup for the third consecutive season.

As CTV Atlantic reported Tuesday, the popular entertainment spectacle is booked into Harbour Station from May 9-13, right around the time when the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League final is slated to take place. There's also a concert booked for May 15. (The MasterCard Memorial Cup is May 18.) The Sea Dogs are looking at playing in either Fredericton or Moncton if need be. That means they either play in a rink that hasn't hosted major junior hockey or play in their rivals' den.

"There's a lot of things that can happen," says Sea Dogs president Wayne Long. "Whether we finish first or second, whether we are a home team or a road team, but we certainly have to be ready for any scenario.

"It's one of those things that it's a pretty safe bet that whether we are the home or away team, we will have at least one game off location and we have to be ready for that."

Cirque du Soleil was booked four months ago and Harbour Station General Manager Mike Caddell told CTV News today that no venue can turn down the event, which he calls a "six-figure show."

Caddell says it will fill 800 hotel rooms in Saint John.

"We know it's out there and we know it's a possibility," says Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant. "But to be honest with you, we'll play anywhere." (CTV Atlantic)

Edmonton Oil Kings defenceman Griffin ReinhartEdmonton Oil Kings defenceman Griffin Reinhart is often referred to as a chip off the old block. The junior hockey star is the son of former NHL blueliner Paul Reinhart.

"People like to compare me to my dad," says Reinhart, who was ranked eighth among North American skaters by NHL's Central Scouting Services mid-term rankings. "My dad was a great defenceman and it's great to be compared to someone that good, but I feel we play different styles. I just want to be my own defenceman and develop my own style."

Reinhart is right by saying there are some distinct differences between him and his father. The most notable dissimilarity is their frames. Reinhart stands 6-foot-4, 202-pounds at 18-years-old, while his father stood 5-foot-11, 205 at the end of his 11-year NHL career. The younger Reinhart's game is based on being tough to play against, while his father was known for moving the puck up the ice.

Griffin Reinhart is the middle between his brothers Max and Sam, both forwards for the Kootenay Ice, are also on track to play in the pros. Max was drafted in the third round by the Calgary Flames in 2010. Sam is regarded as one of the top prospects of 2014 draft class.

"Having brothers that talented in hockey made for a competitive hockey family," says Griffin Reinhart, who has scored 12 goals and 35 points in 55 games for Eastern Conference-leading Edmonton. "We grew up in Vancouver, so we couldn't go out and play on ponds whenever we wanted, but we still played road hockey together a lot."

The 2012 draft class it touted by many as the year of the defencemen. This strong talent and depth on the blueline make it hard for defenders to stand out. Nevertheless, Reinhart's big stature and sandpaper style has separated him from the defensive crop to some extent. The North Vancouver, B.C., native stands at least three-inches taller than all of the other defencemen ranked in the top-15 of North American skaters by Central Scouting. He also plays a lot more physical of a game than the majority of the blueliners who are pegged to have their names called early on in the first-round.

"Potential has been the biggest appeal in Reinhart's game from day one," says Ross MacLean, head scout for International Scouting Services. "The fact that he has a bit of a size advantage over the other defensive prospects definitely helps him too. The fact that he has size, moves as well as he does and can play a fairly versatile style is what has him so highly regarded at this point."