CCHL Announces Reorganization and New Hiring in League Finance Department...

 I am pleased to announce a partial re-organizing of the CCHL Finance Department.

Nicol ready to enjoy a snack...

  Bobby Nicol, Czar of all Finances since the Summer of 2012, (after Dave Kehler passed away), has been named the Director of Finance for the CCHL.

 I am also pleased to announce the hiring of Chris Kash into the newly created position of Assistant to the Director of Finance for the CCHL.

 Kash will provide support to the department and report directly to Nicol. Duties will include various tasks as assigned by Bobby including new rookies being added to apba disk for the first time, researching NHL salary and contract information, making coffee, reviewing all RFA/UFA resign/release info, reserve player info, lunch runs, ensuring that all CCHL salaries are accurate with regard to actual NHL, copier maintenance, and the occasional sweeping up.

Mr. Kash will be compensated at a rate of 65% of what we compensate Mr. Nicol at, which is, for transparency sake, equal to what we currently compensate Mr. Young and roughly 70% of what Mssrs. Canosa and Corfield receive for their work.

New guy also likes food...

 Mr. Kash will now enjoy an assigned parking spot, albeit in Niagara Falls, CAN and a discount card to use in the CCHL Cafe (also located in Niagara Falls, CAN.)

It is also understood, Mr. Kash will be expected to attend quarterly league office meeting in Niagara Falls and to pick up Mr. Corfield on his way past Troy, OH to said meeting. (Donpaulo provides his own transportation from God only knows where he might find himself on those dates.)

As the newest member of the CCHL Executive team, Mr. Kash will be expected to cover the food and beverage tab for the first working dinner attended by all the above-named league officers, during said meetings.

Welcome aboard, Mr. Kash!

Niagara Falls Thunder Brace For Uncertain But Promising Future (Part One)

Niagara Falls Thunder Brace For Uncertain But Promising Future


Niagara Falls (CP) - The roller coaster season for the Niagara Falls Thunder has been one of great disappointment, yet satisfying rewards. While the Thunder have underachieved on the ice, they have overachieved off of it.

The Thunder, for years harnessed by financial struggles, has made tremendous strides in the money game this season, and it will only bolster the stability and flexibility of the franchise in the future. Often with the "future is now" mentality, the Thunder's bankroll continuously took a hit. The hit got to the rock bottom point...again. "We were saddled with so much financial burden due to many poor contracts, and big contracts, that it was tough to see any future beyond the current season," GM Nicol expressed. "Any planning was incredibly difficult. If the team was playing well on the ice, the concern was lessened, and we could count on big bonus and playoff revenue. But when the team was playing poorly, it really drew a grim picture for us," said GM Nicol.

The Thunder lost roughly $5M dollars last season in overall revenue. They lost $12M the season before. They were barely at $25M cash reserves. They were in serious trouble. The $20M league loan was implemented and granted last season to give them some kind of cash flow/wiggle room again ($40-$45M). However, the payback on the loan was coming for this season, and the next 2 seasons to come, as well as several large pay increases to roster players. Not to mention the heavy raises the season before to several key players. "We got caught in the 'having too many players who got good' in the NHL at the same time; got so good that they got big raises/contracts from their NHL teams, and those contracts reflected right over to us," GM Nicol said.

"So basically we got to the point where we had to part with some key star players who made a lot of salary," Nicol said. "We also had to shed payroll of some bad contracts, and to do that we had to find trade partners with low payroll willing to take on the said contracts while offering them prospects and picks for their trouble, which is frustrating but necessary to achieve the end goal," GM Nicol said.

Payroll wise, the Thunder currently are at their lowest level in several seasons. At roughly $68M spread out over 28 full-time roster players, 3 "M" rookies, and 2 reserve players, this is as lean as it gets to secure 33 players while maintaining a competitive and somewhat effective team on the ice. At times, the roster was down to 25-26 full-time players but GM Nicol felt the need for some added depth in goal, as well as on the blueline with the additions of Reto Berra, Richard Bachman, and this week at the player add/drop deadline, Jason Garrison. "We waited on Garry (Garrison) till the final hour, to allow us that financial flexibility due to his $2.5M contract," GM Nicol said. "He was a guy we know will be back in the NHL this season as well (from what we are told, with a new team). If for whatever reason he stays down in the minors, he will be a nice reserve contract for us next season, so very little investment in a proven reliable NHL d-man," GM Nicol stated.

Back to the overall payroll, last season the Thunder finished with a $112M burden for its roster. The season before, not much better at $108M. To cut $44M from the end of last season was a very involved and strategic process for GM Nicol. The major part of the process was finally cutting ties and saying goodbye to longtime captain and Thunder player, Jonathan Toews. "It was difficult, to say the least," GM Nicol said. "He was a huge part of our team in every facet you can think of. We drafted him as an 18 yr. old, we signed him and re-signed him and made him our captain. He only played for us all these years (a very rare thing in the CCHL)," GM Nicol replied. However, at an annual salary level of $13.8M over 4 years, it was roughly $55M owing that the Thunder could not justify anymore. "He was struggling on the ice, pointwise, production. It finally convinced me, it was time for Captain Serious to move on and continue his great career somewhere else," GM Nicol said. Enter, the Hamilton Tigers. Enjoying their most productive season in their CCHL history, they needed that one-star player to put them over the top. A trade was worked out that worked for both teams, and instantly was a financial win for the Thunder. Not to mention, the Thunder found trades/agreements to rid of Dan Girardi ($7.5M), Trevor Daley ($7.2M), Rick Nash ($8.85M), Pekka Rinne ($7.7M), Brandon Sutter ($3.3M), and Bobby Ryan ($7M)

With all this inclusive, as the team stands now, they are set to MAKE $7.4M this season, in upfront monies. This even includes the $4M the team had to pay off of the league loan and does not include the bonus and playoff revenues to come, which are expected to be $1.5M to $4.5M (playoffs), and  $1M to $3M mil (bonuses). All total, the team is expected to make between $10-$11M this season. A HUGE reward and accomplishment to say the least. Considering only 6 other teams (possibly 3-4 more teams after playoff/bonus revenue) out of 21 in the CCHL are expected to declare a profit, this is even a greater goal reached. "We fought hard to make this financial structure work, and we feel we accomplished our goal 100%," GM Nicol said. "It was a struggle let me tell you again, and we had to grind some teams in trade talks to get either some cash back or for them to take a player from us to make a deal work. Not something I liked to do, but other GM's understood, and that's the great thing about this league. A GM does a favor for you and you remember and return that favor in the future when they are in need. It's the price of doing business with loyal people." GM Nicol stated.

ON THE ICE YOU ASK? The team has all season wallowed in mediocrity. Forever .500, and trying to stay there, has been quite a marginal goal for the Thunder. It's something they did not expect, however, early on and all season long, the struggle in goal was a major part of it. "We had to part with Pekka. We didn't want too, but given his huge contract and UFA status, it was the right time to deal him. Especially with him getting off to a good start in the NHL. The timing was there." GM Nicol said. Of course, it left the team with a huge goaltending issue as Petr Mrazek simply did not progress like first thought. Desperation surely set in when the team reached out for veteran goalie Roberto Luongo for stability for the "now". Luongo has been pretty good so far for the Thunder after being a healthy scratch for Springfield for over half the season. "We knew he was rested and unused, so figured he comes to start for us and gives us 25-30 games for sure, and is fresh. It also gives us a goalie for the playoffs to give us some shot if nothing else," GM Nicol said. And with no clear UFA re-sign in sight, the Thunder have not ruled out re-signing "LU" to a new contract considering he makes just under $1.5M, which is VERY modest for a starting NHL goalie. "To get him signed for $1.6/$1.7M for another season or two, I mean that makes sense, considering how well he has been in the NHL this year for Florida. The numbers are there. However, with his serious injury, that may hamper him from being a viable option. "We are keeping an eye on it and are hoping he gets back in between the pipes for the Panthers ASAP and stays healthy the rest of the way, while keeping up his numbers. And then it's a slam dunk easy decision to keep him around while we groom a younger goalie or two here." GM Nicol said.

You want more ON THE ICE talk? You'll have to wait until PART II of this candid interview with GM Nicol. Part II has some juicy details on Rick Nash's not so friendly departure, as well as Shane Doan's meltdown which led to his ticket out of town. And of course, everyone's question on how Anthony DeAngelo won not only a full-time roster spot but a top D pairing spot this season. Also, DeAngelo's incredible offensive production. Who knew? GM Nicol said that he was the only one who did! 

STAY TUNED!

Update: How are the Musicmen prospects faring at the World Juniors?

The 2018 World Juniors Tournament is underway as the competition sees final seedings and matchups clarify and we enter the "serious" half of the annual hockeyfest.

Here's an update on the Dayton Musicmen prospects and their performance so far:

FORWARDS: 

CANADA: 

Jonah Gadjovich (F)  - 2 goals, 1 assist, 3 points, + 2 and 11 shots on goal. The second rounder taken by the Canucks and currently playing for Owen Sound in the OHL. Has had a strong tournament thus far. Engaged, smart with the puck is currently tied for 10th among all forwards in tournament scoring.

Taylor Raddysh (F) - 2 goals, 1 assist, 3 points, + 3 and 7 shots on goal is tied with Gadjovich in forward tournament scoring. Oozing with skill, this Tampa draftee has been leading the charge in Erie all season and is sure to be a key weapon as the tournament moves into its later stages. 
Drake Batherson (F) - 1 goal, 0 assists, 1 point, +1 and 5 shots on goal so far. A mostly quiet tournament so far for the Ottawa Senators prospect, he's holding his own against international competition as well as other players from the rival Ontario Hockey League.

Michael McLeod (F) - 0 goal, 1 assist, 1 point, +2 and 1 shot on goal through 3 tournament games. A quiet stat line, but McLeod's skating and hockey smarts combined with a taste to avenge last year's loss to the Americans. The fans in New Jersey have a good one on the way.

UNITED STATES: 

Patrick Harper (F) - 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points, + 1 and 3 shots on goal. Similar to Batherson, Harper hasn't been one of the standouts so far, but the Boston University skater remains a weapon that can contribute meaningfully on a moment's notice.

Max Jones (F) - 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points, +1 and a team second-best 11 shots on goal. Jones brings a reputation to the tourney of an undisciplined but talented player who - if he was able to play under control - could be a significant contributor to the USA attack. So far, the discipline is there.

FINLAND: 

Aleksey Heponiemi (F) - 1 goal, 0 assists, 1 point, EVEN and 2 shots on goal. Finland's offense has scored just 3 goals through its first two games, and Heopniemi has one of them. Not much else to report ... so far...


DEFENSEMEN:

CANADA: 

Cale Makar (D) - 1 goal, 2 assists, 3 points, +2 and 6 shots on goal in three games puts Makar tied for 3rd among all defensemen in the tournament so far. A pretty impressive toolset and the calmness I've read so much about is evident in this high profile tourney.

Dante Fabbro (D) 0 pts, -1 and 4 shots on goal. Limited time due to a lingering injury hasn't helped Fabbro's production. Doesn't seem out of place, but not one of the big dogs just yet for Team Canada.


GOALIES:

UNITED STATES: 
Joseph Woll (G)  - Stopped 39 of 42 shots on goal through two games. Woll has been solid and if the USA Blueline steps up its game, he will likely shine even brighter. Surrendering the net to teammate Jake Oettinger produced mixed results. Team USA won the critical game against Canada in a shootout, but Oettinger's numbers (19 of 22 shots saved, and a .864 save percentage vs. Woll's save percentage of .929. suggests we'll see Woll, a Maple Leafs prospect, again in this tournament.

FINLAND: 

Ukko - Pekka Luukkonnen (G) - Allowing 5 goals in just two games at this level isn't going to excite many Finns but his upside is still major. Finland doesn't seem to have the horses to keep up with Canada and the US, although the game vs. the Canadians was closer than it could have been.

SWEDEN: 

Olle - Eriksson Ek (G) - Just 18, Ek hasn't seen any game action yet and may not. This experience is more about preparing him for the next few years when he's expected to capture the #1 job in nets for the Swedes.

Miners Come Close, but...

Despite strong effort, Miners lose again.

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON)

Matt Stajan and Brandon Sutter each had a pair of assists, and Erik Haula’s second period marker stood up as the winner, as the Las Vegas Aces skated to a 3-2 victory over the Sudbury Miners on Thursday night.

Vincent Trocheck and Aaron Ekblad each scored in the losing effort for the Miners, while goalie Ben Bishop stopped 23 of 26 shots faced.

Sudbury opened the scoring early in the first, when Ekblad's shot from the circle beat Aces goalie Carter Hutton cleanly to give the Miners a 1-0 lead.  The Aces would respond a few minutes later, when Trevor Daley’s point shot beat a screened Bishop to tie the game 1-1 after the first period.

In the second, the Aces would carry the play, outshooting the Miners, 10-5.  As a result of their strong play, they would take a 3-1 lead to the dressing room on goals by Haula and former defenseman Miner Ben Hutton.

The Miners would put up a fight in the third and were able to get within one on Trocheck’s goal, his 14th of the season.  Despite outshooting the Aces, 11-4 in the period, they could only get the one past Hutton as the Aces would hold on for the victory.

“Obviously we're very disappointed with the result but for the most part I thought we played well," Trocheck said.  "It's frustrating…….as one of the offensive players, we are supposed to produce a number to help the team win and we haven't done that in a while. It's not like we're missing chances, we just aren't getting many chances and that's frustrating."


MINERS NUGGETS

- Radim Vrbata currently sits as the Miners scoring leader with 47 points but was held pointless for the second straight game.

- Goaltender Jake Allen will get the start on Saturday versus the Springfield Isotopes.  Springfield currently sits in 3rd place in the Canosa Conference with 88 points. 

Miners help Norsemen end winless streak...

Norsemen snap losing streak, defeat Miners 5-2.

CANADIAN PRESS (Minneapolis, MN)

The Minnesota Norsemen picked up a sorely needed win in their first game back after Christmas.
Led by Anders Lee’s hat trick, the Minnesota Norsemen ended a two-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Sudbury Miners on Tuesday night.

Bryan Little also scored a pair of goals for the Norsemen, which currently hold the last playoff spot in the Canosa Conference after last night’s contest, three points ahead of the Sanibel Islanders.

Goaltender Pekka Rinne made 17 saves in the Norsemen net to notch his 20th victory of the season.

“We played hard. It's a good two points for us, the 27-year- old Lee said. "I felt pretty good throughout the entire game."

Tobias Reider and Marcus Foligno scored for the Miners, who were down 2-0 and 3-1 during the game. Goalie Ryan Miller, making his second Miners start, made 26 saves in the loss. “We were behind it. When you get down two, you have a problem," Miners coach Derek Sutton said. "We
weren't good enough to win."

The Miners did get a bit of a scare in the game when winger Anthony Duclair limped off the ice after blocking a shot with his foot early in the first period, but Miners coach Derek Sutton said post-game that it doesn't appear to be an injury that could cost his player a significant amount of time off the ice.

"The doctors have X-rayed it and it came back negative," Sutton said. "His foot is a little sore obviously from blocking it, but he's in good spirits. Looks like he is day-to- day.”

This re-building year, which has included a lot of losing, is starting to wear on some of the Miner players. “We are not one of the top teams," Miners forward Vincent Trocheck said. "We are one of those teams that have to battle really hard, so we need our best effort every night to have a chance to win. We came a little short here against a really skilled team. The good thing is we never gave up and we worked really hard, but at some point we need results. A loss is a loss, no matter how hard you work."

MINERS NUGGETS

- The Miners continue to struggle offensively. Going into last night’s game, they currently sit dead last in goals scored.

- The Miners will try to snap a two-game losing streak, when they return home on Thursday night to take on the Las Vegas Aces. Game time at the Vale Centre is 7:30pm.

2018 World Juniors Rosters Breakdown By CCHL Team Ownership:

The 2018 World Junior Hockey Tournament is underway in Buffalo New York.  Always an entertaining and interesting tournament, we get a glimpse of a LOT of future NHL-ers in action against their peers from around the world. 97 CCHL prospects will be participating this year.

Let's look at how many players each CCHL team has involved in this year's Tournament:

1) Wisborg - 13 players - Jonas Rondbjerg (DEN), Markus Nurmi, Aapeli Rasanen, Joni Ikonen, Adam Ruzicka (FIN), Filip Gustavsson, Timothy Liljegren, Jacob Moverare, Elias Petterson, Alexander Nylander, Axel Jonsson Fjallby, Oskar Steen (SWE) Tobias Geisser (SWZ)


2) Dayton - 12 players - Cale Makar, Dante Fabbro, Jonah Gadjovich, Taylor Raddysh, Drake Batherson, Michael McLeod (CAN), Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Aleksi Heponiemi (FIN), Joseph Woll, Patrick Harper, Max Jones (USA), Olle Eriksson Ek, (SWE)

3) Parry Sound - 10 players - Jake Bean, Tyler Steenbergen, Sam Steel, Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas (CAN), Kristian Vesalainen (FIN), Andrew Peeke, Will Lockwood, Trent Frederic (USA), Vitalii Abramov (RUS)

4) Victoria - 9 players - Malte Setkov, (DEN), Otto Koivula, Joona Koppanen, Eetu Tuulola (FIN), Kieffer Bellows (USA), Ostap Safin (CZE), Dmitri Samorukov, Dmitry Sokolov, (RUS), Filip Larsson, (SWE)

5) Sudbury - 8 players - Alex Formenton (CAN), Olli Juolevi, Juuso Valimaki, Henri Jokiharju (FIN), Jake Oettinger, Casey Mittelstadt, (USA), Martin Necas (CZE), Artur Kayumov (RUS)

6) Seattle - 7 players - Boris Katchouk, (CAN), Kaspar Kotkansalo (FIN), Ryan Poehlig (USA), Vojtech Budik (CZE), Mikhail Berdin, Klim Klostin (RUS), Jesper Boqvist (SWE)

7) Minnesota - 6 players - Carter Hart (CAN), Ryan Lindgren, Mikey Anderson, Joey Anderson, Riley Tufte (USA), Linus Hogberg (SWE)

8) Springfield - 5 players - Conor Timmons, Kale Clague, (CAN), Adam Fox (USA), Marcus Davidsson, Fabian Zetterlund (SWE)

9) Siberia - 4 players - Brett Howden, (CAN) Miro Heiskanen (FIN), Filip Chytil, (CZE), Erik Brannstrom (SWE)

10)  Long Island - 4 players - Robin Salo, Eemeli Rasanen, (FIN), Logan Brown (USA), German Rubtsov (RUS)

11) Calgary - 3 players - Maxime Contois (CAN), Eeli Tolvanen (FIN), Linus Lindstrom (SWE)

12) Portland - 3 players - Victor Mete (CAN), Unto Vaakanainen (FIN), Jeremy Swayman (USA)

13) Ottawa - 3 players - Josh Norris (CAN), Andrei Altybarmakyan (RUS), Gustav Lindstrom (SWE)

14) Georgetown - 3 players - Janne Kuokkanen (FIN), Dylan Samberg (USA), Tim Soderlund (SWE)

15) Niagara Falls - 2 players - Kailer Yamamoto (USA), Maxim Sushko (BEL)

16) Hamilton - 2 players - Colton Point (CAN), Ondrej Vala (CZE)

17) Sanibal - 2 players - Callen Foote (CAN), Frederik Lindstrom (SWE)

18) Fort Erie - 1 player - Mikhail Maltsev (RUS),

19) Dartmouth - 1 player - Libor Hajek (CZE)

20) Las Vegas - 1 player - Dillon Dube (CAN)

21/22) Reykjavik, Halifax - 0 players

T’was the night before Christmas, when all through the league...(By Matt Young)

T’was the night before Christmas, when all through the league
Plenty of teams were stirring, the trade deadline approached;
The players were traded to their new teams with care,
In hopes that a Kehler Cup soon would be there;

The fans were all snug in their beds,
While visions of red goal lights danced in their heads;
With Imama in the minors and I in my fifty mission cap,
Had just settled down with the CCHL map,

When out in the parking lot there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the boardroom to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like the Finnish Flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the luster of arena lights to objects below,
When what to my wandering eyes should appear,
But a team bus, bruised defencemen, and a six-pack of beer,

With a little old driver, so harmonious and wearing a Musicmen shield,
I knew in a moment it must be Bill Corfield.
More rapid than Bure his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and sung, and called them by name;

“Now Sbisa! now, Irwin! now, Stuart and Del Zotto!
On, Ruhwedel! On Girardi! On Tennyson and Barberio!
To the end of the rink! Hit them into the wall!
Now shot block away! Shot Block away!, Shot block away them all!”

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the arena roof
The prancing and pain of each dman’s gigantic hoof.
As I drew in my hand and was turning around,
In through the door, Bill Corfield came with a bound.

He was dressed in a suit, from his neck to his foot,
And his players were all tarnished with athletes’ foot;
A bundle of picks he had in his book,
And he looked like a used car salesmen using his latest hook.

His eyes – how they twinkled! His goatee how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose a tad bit hairy!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the look on the face guaranteed a great show;

The list of transactions he held in his teeth,
The players on it that he would bequeath;
He had a broad face and a shrinking belly,
That shook when he laughed like he’d just ripped off Peter Chiarelli.

He was conniving and quick, pretty damn proud of himself,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
His trade offer was fair; I didn’t smash my head,
It gave me to know it wasn’t a trade to dread;

He spoke many a word, explaining why the trade would work,
And filled my roster nicely; he wasn’t a jerk,
And grabbing a microphone to his face,
He’d announce to the group we have found commonplace;

He sprang to their bus, kicked his traded player to the curb,
And he wrote up a good old-fashioned $50K trade blurb.
But I heard him exclaim, as they drove out of sight,
We may have lost the game, but we put up a good fight!

It was not what we thought he would say with the holiday,
It’s not like they dressed Brad May.
We thought he’d exclaim with all his might,
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Miners players to watch at the 2018 WJC

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON)

This years’ World Junior Championship tournament runs from Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Buffalo, N.Y., and again there is no shortage of Miners prospect talent from all the countries involved.

To get you prepared for the event, here are a few of the Miners prospects to keep an eye on:

CANADA

Alex Formenton, LW, London

Formenton, who was drafted in second round of the 2017 CCHL Draft, is one of the best pure speedsters outside the CCHL.  On Canada, he’ll be relied on to use his skating to create havoc on the opponents on the forecheck and gain the zone off the rush. His skill isn’t high-end, but he has some skill and works hard off the puck. One of the youngest players in last year’s draft, he continues to surprise at every step and seems to be trending up as the years go on.

USA

Casey Mittelstadt, C/W, University of Minnesota

Drafted seventh overall by the Miners in 2017, few prospects will have as many eyes on him in Buffalo as the University of Minnesota freshman.  Miners fans will surely be looking for a peek at the promising highly-skilled center who should be playing a prominent enough role for Team USA in the tournament.

The 19-year-old is off to a good start in his college career with 17 points in 19 games for the Golden Gophers. Mittelstadt is a creative player who moves the puck effectively, showing great anticipation and vision. While he is a natural center, don't be surprised to see Mittelstadt moved around a bit for Team USA.  If things aren't cooking offensively, Mittelstadt could head back to the wing. You always want to have options in this short tournament, and when you've got a player as skilled as Mittelstadt, you have a lot of different ways to set up the lines.

Jake Oettinger, G, Boston University
Acquired in a trade mid-season with Fort Erie, Oettinger has been up and down this season, as has his whole team at Boston University.  Having said that the talent is there and he will be right in the mix with Joseph Woll and Jeremy Swayman to start in goal for the USA. 

FINLAND

Olli Juolevi, D, TPS Turku

Of all the players under pressure for a strong WJC performance, Miners fans will be looking for improvement from Juolevi. Two years ago, he actually had a very strong WJC and tied Zach Werenski for the defencemen scoring lead with nine points in seven games. Last year was the complete opposite, so which Juolevi will show up this time? Because it’s his third WJC tournament and he’s coming to it from Finland’s Liiga, so expectations are high.



Juuso Valimaki, D, Tri-City

Valimaki has been dinged up a few times this season, but when healthy, he’s been stellar and a shot generating machine at the international and WHL levels. He’s a very solid two-way defenseman who can move the puck, lead a rush or make a tough stop.  Valimaki versatility is such that he can look like a safe shutdown guy on one shift and a dynamic push rusher the next. He is expected to be leaned on by Finland even on a deep defensive unit.

Henri Jokiharju, D, Portland

After missing the first few weeks of the season with an injury suffered at a U20 friendly, Jokiharju has been excellent in the WHL, being one of the league’s top defensemen. He skates and moves the puck at a high-end level.  He’s smart, drives play and gets pucks on net. He will be an asset, even a key asset, as an 18-year-old at the U20 level

CZECH REPUBLIC

Martin Necas, C, Brno Kometa

If you think the Sudbury Miners need offence, Necas is their hope to fill that role in the future. The 19th overall pick of the 2017 CCHL Draft, Necas played one NHL game this season and has been a strong presence in the Czech Republic’s top pro league. He has great speed and stands 6-foot-1, so he needs to be a key contributor for the Czechs this year.

Miners and Ronin Draw It Up..

Miners and Ronin fight to a 4-4 draw.

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON)

Tobias Reider scored late in the third period, as the Sudbury Miners were able to salvage a 4-4 tie versus the visiting Victoria Ronin on Thursday night.

Philip Danault, Aaron Ekblad and Lauri Korpikosko also scored for Sudbury, while goalie Ryan Miller, making his Miners debut, stopped 35 of the 39 shots he faced.

Victoria struck early in the first, just 39 seconds into the game, on the first of two goals on the night by Ronin forward Jamie Benn.  The Miners would respond with a pair of their own in the first, and add one more in the second to give them a 3-1 lead after two periods.

The Ronin would score three times in the third on goals by Benn, Chris Kreider and Evgeny Kuznetsov to take a 4-3 lead before Reider’s late marker sent the game to overtime.  The shots in overtime were 3-0 in favour of the Ronin but they could not put the winner past Miller.  Ronin goaltender Brian Elliott stopped 18 of 22 shots faced in the contest.

"I thought we played the way we wanted to play, but I thought once we had a good lead, then we totally played on our heels and it became a free-for-all game both ways," said Miners forward Philip Danault. "It seems like whether we're up 1-0 or we're down 1-0 we completely change our game.”

Coach Derek Sutton is encouraged on some of the growth his young club is showing.

“Earlier in the year, if we would have blown that lead, we would have lost.  I think we are learning that we have to battle.  You've got to experience the downs and then learn how to get out of them, keep a good head on your shoulders and keep working." Sutton said.


MINERS NUGGETS

- Winger Marcus Foligno and defenceman Damon Severson both suffered injuries in last night’s contest.  Both are not expected to be out long term, but they will not play on Friday night versus Sanibel.

- Coach Derek Sutton indicated that he will turn to Jake Allen to try and stop the winless streak on Friday night against the Islanders.

Miners can’t hold early lead, lose to Millers, 3-1.

CANADIAN PRESS (Georgetown, KY)
Cam Fowler’s power play goal mid-way through the third period broke a 1-1 tie, as the Georgetown Millers
defeated the Sudbury Miners, 3-1 on Tuesday night. With the win, the Millers have now 9 of their past 10
games.
Mike Hoffman would also contribute, scoring his 25 th of the year. Ben Chariot would add an insurance marker
late in the third to round out the scoring for the Millers. James Reimer would made 26 saves for the win.
"I don't think we played poorly. I think they did a good job for long periods grinding us down and we got
tired," said Miners forward Ben Smith. "Sometimes when you get tired you make the wrong decision and we
couldn't find an answer to push back."
Philip Danault opened the scoring in the first period but that was all the offence that the Miners could muster.
Ben Bishop stopped 26 of 29 shots for the Miners, who have now lost 6 out of their past 7 games.
Despite this stretch of losing games, the Miners are trying to stay positive as they look to finish the season on
a high in the last 20 games.
“I think we played two good first periods and when you go out to the third tied 1-1 against a good team in
their building, you're feeling good," Danualt said. "They played better than us in the third. They came out
harder and it was little details that made the difference. Their goalie did an outstanding job and kept them in
the game."

MINERS NUGGETS
- With the loss, the Miners have now lost 6 of their last 7 contests.
- Winger Anthony Duclair appears close to returning. He did not travel with the team to Georgetown but
stayed in Sudbury and was put through the paces on Tuesday morning. He should be available for Thursday
night’s game versus Victoria.
- Coach Derek Sutton announced that newly acquired Ryan Miller will get the start Thursday night.

Georgetown Welcomes Zetterberg to the team...

Q: Will you miss Sanibal?
A: Are you kidding?

The weather may be cold and gray outside, but the atmosphere inside the Georgetown Millers press room at the team's Cardome headquarters was bright and festive. GM Chris Kash and Head Coach Roy Sommer were joined by trade deadline acquisition Henrik Zetterberg for the forward's introductory press conference.

After Zetterberg made a few remarks, the GM opened the floor to questions.

Q: Will Zetterberg be re-signed?
CK: We don't discuss these things until after the season ends, per CCHL rules.

Q: Where will Zetterberg play?
CK: That's ultimately up to Coach Sommer, but we brought Hank in to play a top 6 role, so figure he'll be lining up at RW with either Carter or Bozak.

Q: You traded Anders Bjork, generally regarded as one of your top 5 prospects. Do you feel you've sacrificed too much of your future to make a championship push this season?
CK: Well flags fly forever, as they say. Windows of contention do not stay open long-term in this league. We have a solid core and needed players who can help now. We really like Anders but he can't help the team this year, and we have quite a few wingers under contract for next season, so we dealt from our depth.

Q: Where does Nash fit in when he returns?
CK: We'll have to see, but we are lucky to have players who can contribute in several ways throughout the lineup. I'm confident Nash will be back in a top 9 role, if not back to the top line, when he returns.

Q: Were you close to acquiring anyone else?
CK: Not really. We had a discussion or 2 about improving our depth at D, but what was offered was not truly an upgrade over what we already have.

Q: Were you surprised by Zack Smith's trade request?
CK: Yes and no. Yes because his agent made the request so late in the process. No because I know Zack is not happy playing 10 minutes a night. He could play 15 minutes a night on 15 other teams in this league. But we fill he fits best on our 4th line for now.

Q: Orlov, Teravainen and Pesce were all expected to play big roles this season, and all 3 have not been in the lineup for weeks. Are they unhappy?
CK: Yes they are unhappy - unhappy with their play and not performing to their own or to our standards. Orlov has been penalty prone, not moving his feet enough and getting himself out of position. He has a crap ton of hooking penalties this season. He's working with the coaching staff and looked pretty good when he covered for Josi a few weeks back. He's ready if needed and we expect him to have a role for us next season. Teuvo and Pesce just need to gain consistency and more strength. They are also being counted on to contribute more next year.

Q: Will you or Coach Sommer commit to a goalie for the stretch run?
CK: We'll commit to whoever gives us the best chance to win.

CK: Thank you all for attending. Please help yourself to the complimentary bourbon balls provided by Buffalo Trace.

-30-

Dayton Musicmen Trade Deadline: Who came, Who left???

Three hours ago the trading period for the 2017-18 Regular Season went into effect. With all CCHL teams having reached the 60 game mark, many teams were quite active trying to make last-minute trades to improve their teams.

The most active teams were the Dayton Musicmen and the Sanibel Islanders, both with two deals. A total of just five trades were made on Monday, with FOR, WIS, GEO, NIA, SUD, and SIB all making one deal.

There were no jaw-dropping, blockbuster deals submitted to the league office...

For the Musicmen, we say goodbye to David Backes, Casey Cizikas and prospect Thomas Chabot. Backes and Chabot had been acquired three days ago from the Minnesota Norsemen, which was basically a salary dump for MIN and adding several prospects for the Musicmen.

Dayton welcomes Oscar Sundqvist and prospects Ben Jones and Nick Suzuki to the organization.

Sundqvist, originally a 3rd round draftee of Pittsburgh in 2012 was moved to the Blues in the Ryan Reaves deal earlier this NHL season. CCHL wise, Sundqvist was added to the Backes deal to create roster room for Backes on Wisborg.

Dayton saved roughly $10,000,000.00 in the deal by moving Backes.

Cizikas was moved to the Falcons who are preparing for what they hope will be a long playoff run. Dayton saved another $1M or so by moving the versitile forward.

Actually, two different conversations merged as Dayton had coveted Owen Sounder Nick Suzuki, a Center who was drafted 13th overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. Factoring in Niagara IceDogs Ben Jones, the two for two swap came together fairly quickly and without much of the drama that kills so many other potential deals that never quite make it to the finish line.

Then again, Dayton and Fort Erie are old, old trading partners in the CCHL due to the high level of respect between both GM's. Bill Corfield and Matt Young seem to have a similar approach and method of valuing CCHL assets. Corfield said, "Matt's pretty straight-forward. He knows his team, and he knows my team almost, lol, as well as I do. We both subscribe to the "win-win" approach, and that approach is built to get things done. Matt doesn't bring me silly stuff, his offers are pretty well thought out and we both walk away feeling like our take was a good and fair one."

Suzuki is tied for 6th in the OHL scoring race with 44 pts. in 28 games. Jones is tied for 31st in the league scoring.

The Musicmen now own the rights to four of the top 13 scorers in the OHL. Morgan Frost 55 pts., (3rd place), Suzuki 44 pts. (T-6th), Taylor Raddysh 44 pts. (T-6th) and Cliff Pu 42 pts. (T-12th).

Ben Jones brings the total of young guns in the OHL up to five in the top 31 spots.

Corfield added, "Let's not forget about Chabot leaving. He's a promising young dman who is stepping into a great situation in Ottawa, which will benefit the Falcons down the road."

"We wanted to beef up our prospect Center depth and we feel we're just about where we want to be. Sportsnet's December rankings for the next NHL Draft shows no fewer than 12 strong dmen in the top 31 player rankings. We suspect we will be a lottery team and probably one of the top 3 teams in terms of draft changes. Dahlin is the obvious stud in the draft and if we were in a position to draft him, I suspect we would. BUT, remember our history is that we usually move a top 3 pick to move down a few slots and add another 1st rounder. Will we this time? Who knows? I do know that we'll be adding some high profile blueliners by the time the first couple rounds are done."

MINERS SHOCK TIGERS, 2-0!!!

Miners get some revenge, shutout the Tigers.

CANADIAN PRESS (Hamilton, ON)
Ben Bishop was happy to have a hand in some payback.
This season, Sudbury had sported a 0-3 record versus their division rivals from Hamilton before last night’s contest.  However, on this night, they were led by Bishop and his 34 saves as the Miners ended a five-game losing skid with a 2-0 win over the Tigers on Sunday.
"We kind of deserved this one because we have had some close ones against them this year.  I thought we were the better team tonight," said Bishop, who notched his seventh win of the year.
"It's very satisfying and I think it's better for the guys in this room because now they know that they did play the right way and they continued to play the right way."
Bishop recorded his first shutout of the season in the victory.
For the Tigers, Devan Dubynk, who had been in net for the previous Hamilton victories, stopped 32 Sudbury shots in the loss.
"Too many shots against.  That's not us," Hamilton forward Ryan Kesler said. "We're typically one of the top teams in the league for shot suppression and chance suppression. A little bit too easy to play against the last couple games."
Vincent Trocheck scored the game winner mid-way through the second period after a scoreless first frame.  Radim Vrbata would provide the insurance early in the third period, with his team-leading 22nd goal of the season.  He would also add an assist on the night.  Darnell Nurse, Tobias Rieder and Sami Vatanen each had helpers on the night as well.
The win was a boost for the Miners, who are now 2-5-0 in their last seven games
Miners coach Derek Sutton was glad the tables were finally turned.
"They're a little frustrated things didn't go their way in previous games but they came out tonight and handled it the right way," Sutton said.  "It's always a very fine line. You need to stay in the game and play the style of game you play best and they did that."

MINERS NUGGETS
- With the win, the Miners now sport a 16-41-3 record and sit 19th overall in the CCHL. 
- Last night, the Hamilton Tigers honoured Miners Coach Derek Sutton for his playing days with the now defunct Hamilton Mustangs.  Sutton played five years with the Mustangs, and finished his career as the franchise leader in goals and points.

Miners Announce Trade...

Miners trade for Morrissey and draft pick.

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):
General Manager Terry James was at it again on Sunday morning prior to Monday’s trade deadline, making a deal for another young defenseman that will fit into the line-up and grow with their stable of young talent.
The deal breaks down as follows:  Sudbury trades Julius Honka and goalie prospect Adam Huska to Ottawa in exchange for defenseman Josh Morrissey and a 3rd round pick in 2018.
General Manager Terry James, who is with the team in Hamilton, commented via conference call about the trade.
“Morrissey is an amazing skater who has a ton of skill. He was one of the best skaters in his draft year and he continues to show that.  He is very agile maneuvering on the ice and he is a skilled passer. He is solid in his own end for a young defenceman, and we feel he has a pretty solid all-around game”.
Scouts have commented that while Morrissey has shown an aptitude for offense, ideally, he is a two-way defender with some offensive upside. They note that Morrissey is also a scrappy defender who likes to drop the gloves. He doesn't have the ideal size of an enforcer type, but he can hold his own when someone wants to drop the gloves with him.
For Ottawa, in Julius Honka, they get a highly touted defenceman who is just behind in his development when compared Morrissey.
Honka, a native of Jyvaskyla, Finland, played his junior hockey for Swift Current of the WHL.  Honka is seen as a bit undersized for a defenseman, but few scouts question his puck-handling skills or his offensive abilities.  He is a terrific skater but scouts say that he needs to improve defensively and learn to be more physical to thrive at the next level.
Adam Huska is goalie who is viewed as more of a long term project.  He hails from Zloven, Slovakia and came to North America for the 2014-15 season where he played for the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers.  .  Scouts say that he tracks the puck very well, has a solid technique and movement, but he needs to work on his stickhandling.  Huska was a member of Slovakia’s 2016 U20 World Junior Team.

Falcons made a trade of defensemen...

Fort Erie, ON

The Fort Erie Falcons were at it again on Saturday night, shipping out Andrej Sekera in exchange for Niklas Hjalmarsson. 

At first, the move caught many off-guard given Hjalmarsson's pending unrestricted free agent status.  Sekera is locked up for three seasons and is the cheaper option but we all know from experience, that's not always something that GM Matt Young values when evaluating his team. 

"Andrej is an outstanding player and Sanibel got themselves a really good player in this trade.  We also got a really good player and Nik will fit in really well with us.  We wanted to improve defensively and we feel that with Karl (Alzner) and Nik now in the fold, we can break up that Werenski/Hamilton pairing that at times has struggled in our own zone," explained Young. 

Although Hjalmarsson is currently injured, he is expected to skate with the Falcons on Sunday and should be ready to play in Monday's contest against Halifax. 

Saturday night also saw the Falcons take to the ice in Dartmouth to take on a Lakers team that looks to be gearing up for next season given they are currently 12 points out of a playoff spot. 

Sam Reinhart had three assists while Captain Blake Wheeler added a goal and an assist in a 6-2 victory for the Falcons. 

The game was also the first game for newly acquired Tyler Myers and the first game in over 40 games for defenceman Stephen Johns. 

Myers played 11 minutes and was a plus one in the contest while Johns played only seven minutes and was a minus one. 

For his part, Myers was happy to get on the ice with his new team. 

"I'm a little out of shape as I haven't played much prior to this in Ottawa. It's been a tough year for me injury wise.  I'll do what I can to contribute here when I am asked and I think next year I'm going to have a big year with a full training camp under my belt."

As for the Falcons, they return to action on Monday night in Halifax to conclude their current four-game road trip. 

Trader Sam Checks In...

Good day everyone,

Trader Sam is here once again to run down all of the trades in the CCHL.  We'll see who has a new address as Christmas approaches and you'll hear Ol' Sam's opinion on the transaction.

I figured I had better get this done as I'm a few eggnog beverages in already this morning and it could get sloppy come the afternoon.

Without further adieu, let's get to the trades!

FOR trades M. Gaborik, J. Petry & Harri Sateri-p to OTT for T. Myers...
This trade is a good one for both sides.  Gaborik will solidify Ottawa's top six forwards next year after a hot start in the NHL and Petry is a very capable top four defender in the CCHL as well.  In Sateri, Ottawa gets a goaltender that's had a dominant run in the KHL and is now seeking out opportunity again in North America with the Florida Panthers.  If Sateri can prove he can play, he has a shot at the starters job at some point in Florida with the ever ancient Roberto Luongo inching closer to retirement and James Reimer's glove hand always makes him a candidate to lose a job in the NHL.

Myers is a player the Falcons have wanted for awhile and while he's not of much use this CCHL season, he'll be great in their top four next season and provides a ton of depth on the right side with Dougie Hamilton and Spurgeon already entrenched there.  Poor Stephen Johns might have to ask for a trade if he hopes to play regularly in the CCHL next year. 

MIN trades T. Nosek to DAY for HAL 5TH-19...
When you have a million picks in the next two drafts like Dayton does, why not sacrifice one and take a chance on a player.  That player is Nosek who could turn out to be a top nine player in the league.

Minnesota gets a mid-round draft pick that they can turn into a prospect.  Minnesota loves college free agent signings so it wouldn't surprise this taster of fine alcoholic beverages if that's the direction they go with this pick. 

MIN trades S. Vatanen, MIN 2nd-19 & MIN 3rd-19 to SUD for W. Karlsson & Troy Terry-p...
Sudbury acquires a much needed top four defenceman and one that is getting a ton of powerplay time in New Jersey after the trade a few weeks ago.  Sudbury also gets a second and third round pick in 1999 as well to add to their growing collection of picks.  Next to Dayton, nobody has as many picks as Sudbury and without looking, it's hard to argue that Sudbury doesn't have the most top two round picks in the next two drafts.

Sudbury does give up William Karlsson who has been on fire and should be a great player on the next disk.  The thinking here must be that Karlsson isn't truly this good and is riding on a hot streak.

Troy Terry also goes to the Norsemen in this deal and that move hurts in my eyes.  Sam likes him some Troy Terry and fears that this could be a move Sudbury GM Terry James regrets a few years down the road.  Then again, if Vatanen produces, it could end up being a great trade for both teams.

Eggnog update:  I'm now into my fifth glass of eggnog. 

SAN trades SAN 7th-18 to SUD for M. Puempel...
Sanibel must see something in Puempel at this point that others don't because he's been on the block more times than Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman; but with far less interested parties.

It's a low risk transaction for the Islanders though and gives them a player that will not become an unrestricted free agent which they desperately need. 

FOR trades P. Bellemare to CGY for K. Alzner...
Fort Erie trades shot blocking and penalty killing wizard Bellemare to Calgary for Karl Alzner.

While Alzner becomes significantly more expensive next season, he provides a physical element in front of Fort Erie's net that the team sorely lacked.  Alzner can defend the front of the net as well as anyone in the league.

Bellemare is the latest addition for Calgary GM Eugene Yip and his desire to improve defensively.  Bellemare accomplishes that and it does not cost him a player that was playing in his lineup which has to be a huge bonus.

It's odd to see the top two teams in a conference make a trade like this, but both are well versed and clearly have a plan in mind with this transaction.  It'll be interesting to see what happens come playoff time if these two teams meet at some point.

That's all for now folks.  I'll be back with a  trade deadline round-up before the holidays and if nothing exciting happens, maybe I'll do a 12 days of Christmas countdown Sam-style to get you in the spirit for the holiday season.

Long Island Beats Sudbury...

Express run over the Miners, win 5-2

CANADIAN PRESS (Long Island, NY)

Colin Wilson is quickly becoming a despised opponent of the Sudbury Miners.

Wilson led the way with a pair of goals, making that four this year versus the Miners, and Mats Zuccarello added two assists, as the Long Island Express defeated the Sudbury Miners 5-2 on Wednesday night.  With the win, the Express now have a two game winning streak, while the Miners have not lost 5-in-a row.

Henrik Lundqvist was solid in goal for the Express, making 30 saves to get the win.

"It's nice to be able to play two games in a row and get good results," Lundqvist said. "That's something that makes me believe in what we are doing and how we are practicing and all that good stuff. After the last game, we felt our game was in a good place.  It was nice to keep the good mojo going."

Adam Henrique opened the scoring for the Express, with just three seconds remaining in the opening frame, with his 10th goal of the season.  Cal Clutterbuck and JT Miller would draw the assists.  That would be all the scoring in the period, and the Express would go the dressing room up 1-0 after one.

The second period was where the wheels fell off for the Miners.  Despite out-shooting the Express 11-8 in the period, the Miners were very sloppy defensively and the Express would score three times and open up a commanding 4-0 lead after two periods.   John Tavares, John Klingberg and Wilson would score the goals for the Express.

The Miners tried to mount a comeback in the third.  Goals by Radim Vrbata and Vincent Trocheck would close the gap to 4-2, but that was as close as it would get.  Wilson, with his second of the game, would ice the game into an empty net.  Jake Allen, would made 23 saves on the night, took the loss for the Miners.

"The effort wasn't up to our standards," Trocheck said. "We know that. We weren't executing consistently enough to really dictate the terms of the game."


MINERS NUGGETS

- Coach Derek Sutton indicated that going into the last 20 games, he may slot some of the minor league kids in the line-up in order to give them experience for next season.

- With the loss, the Miners road record drops to 5-24-0.  It is among the worst in all of the CCHL.

- The Miners returned to Sudbury following last night’s contest.  They have three days off before their next game on Sunday night, when they travel to Hamilton to take on the Tigers.

Falcons Trade Again!

After a quiet couple of weeks, the Fort Erie Falcons were back in the trade market again on Tuesday night.

The team shipped out veterans Marian Gaborik and Jeff Petry, along with goaltending prospect Harri Sateri to Ottawa in exchange for defenceman Tyler Myers.

Gaborik and Petry found themselves as the odd men out with respect to the Falcons lineup given the recent acquisition of Karl Alzner and as most pundits figured, something had to give.

"Listen, we liked what Marian and Jeff brought to our team but playing time figured to be very scarce for them going forward given the youth looking to forge their way into the CCHL, so we found them a home while creating a roster spot in the process," said Falcons GM Matt Young following the trade.

While Myers won't necessarily fit into the lineup for Fort Erie this season, he's expected to play a significant role next year on the team.  Myers adds size and an offensive element to the lineup and could form a great shutdown duo with Slavin or a stay-at-home role with the sublimely talented Zach Werenski.

Myers joined the team this morning halfway through the skate and likes what he sees in his new teammates.

"This is a very good, young team that we have in Fort Erie.  I know how hard it has been to play against them this season, and they only figure to get better.  With prospects like Dylan Strome, Nick Suzuki and Philippe Myers still to come, it's only going to get better too.  I'm just thrilled to be here and help this team in the quest for a Kehler Cup," said Myers following the skate.

The Falcons continue their four game road trip on Thursday night as they play the Niagara Falls Thunder.  While the game is in Niagara Falls, expect many from Fort Erie to make the 25 minute drive to the honeymoon capital for the game.

Miners acquire Vatanen from the Norsemen.

Miners acquire Vatanen from the Norsemen.

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

The Sudbury Miners and Minnesota made a move early Tuesday morning, as the Miners sent
pending RFA forward William Karlsson, along with prospect forward Troy Terry, to the Minnesota
Norsemen in exchange for defenceman Sami Vatanen and Minnesota’s 2 nd and 3 rd round picks in 2019.

In a brief press conference prior to Tuesday afternoon, General Manager Terry James
commented on the trade and gave the reason for why they dealt for Vatanen.

“We think he (Vatanen) has very good offensive abilities. He has very good speed and is an
excellent skater. He has shown that he is creative with the puck and we know he can lead a successful
breakout quickly and efficiently. He doesn’t have the hardest shot but it’s very accurate. We feel he is
an excellent complement to the young group of defenceman we are assembling here in Sudbury”.

The knock against Vatanen, is that scouts have always commented about his limited size. At
only 5’10, his size at times has made him vulnerable to the physical game but Vatanen does have the
skating to overcome these deficiencies. This was one of the main reasons that Vatanen dropped to the
7 th round in the 2010 CCHL Entry Draft.

For Minnesota, they get a player who is starting to grow into his potential, along with a solid
prospect who was getting caught in a numbers game in Sudbury. In Willam Karlsson, the Norsemen get a 24 year-old center, who is armed with excellent hockey sense and very good passing skills. He has shown that he can play solidly in all three zones and has started to add scoring to his resume. Karlsson was acquired by Sudbury in the August 2017 trade that also brought highly touted defenseman, Mikhail Sergachev to the Miners.

Prospect Troy Terry is a center who had shown some upside as a mid-round pick for the Miners.
Scouts say he has a CCHL caliber wrist shot and can score from all areas of the offensive zone, but scouts say he needs improvement playing in his own end. Terry was drafted by Sudbury in the 5 th round of the 2017 CCHL Entry Draft (124 th overall) and is currently in his junior year at the University of Denver.

Same Old Musicmen?

The Musicmen apparently thought the game last night against the Portland Owls ended after 40 minutes.

Tied 2-2 heading into the third period, Dayton knew it wouldn't be easy, but taking penalties, weak work from the pk unit and twenty shots against goaltender Mike Smith in just that period added up to a disappointing outcome.

"We felt the effort wasn't really what we were expecting," said GM Bill Corfield. "We didn't generate the shots we've had the last few games, certainly not when we were winning recently. I'm not sure whether it was really the effort or was it just the reality of the quality of our roster at this time? I'm not sure.

Minors to Michael Del Zotto and Drew Stafford early in the third period moved the tie game into a 4-2 lead for the Owls and that was, as they say, that.

"They came out so excited for the third, but our guys jumped on them hard and like we expected - they couldn't stay with us, so they had to take penalties. Their pk isn't very good, so our first pp unit scored both times. After the second one went in you could just tell, the fight went out of them. Smith was pissed, he's not getting much help in Dayton, that's for sure., The forwards refuse to help the defense very much, so those guys are screwed. We changed our forecheck then and sent two guys in hard and kept two others at center ice. Mikey Granlund had five hits - FIVE - or pete's sake. The game couldn't have been too much fun to watch, but we'll take the points, for sure..." said Milan Lucic.

What's Next: 

Dayton will spend the day flying to Wisborg, Sweden to face the Donuts tomorrow night and then return immediately to the Dayton International Airport in Vandalia, OH to get ready to host Halifax before playing the league leading Calgary Chinook in a home and home series over the weekend.

Sudbury drops 4th in a row...

Miners scoring woes continue; lose 4-1 to Puffin.

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON)

Artem Anisimov scored the game-winner at 19:28 of the second period, as the Rejkjavik Ruffin defeated the Sudbury Miners, 4-1 on Monday night.

David Krejci, Jeff Skinner, and Jujhar Khaira would score the other goals for the Puffin and goaltender Braden Holtby would make 19 saves in the victory.  The Puffin has now won two straight after ending a three-game losing streak.

For the Miners, the loss was their fourth in a row and dropped their record to 15-40-3, good for 20th spot overall in the CCHL.

"We are in the collecting points business," Miners coach Derek Sutton said as the Miners concluded a two-game road trip with the visit to Iceland. "Today we collected zero."

Aaron Ekblad scored the lone goal for the Miners just 34 seconds into the game, but they were badly outshot in this contest, 41-20.  Miners goalie Ben Bishop was spectacular at times, turning away numerous Puffin scoring chances and keeping the Miners in the game but in the end, it was not enough.

“We didn’t do a lot of positive things tonight," said Bishop. "We seemed to shut it down after getting that early goal close and when you are playing against one of the stronger teams over the past few years, you have to focus for the full game."

"I think the first couple of periods, they had way too many shots, way more shots than we want to give up," Miners forward Vincent Trocheck said. "He (Bishop) stood on his head for a little bit and kept us in the game.”

"(The Puffin) are former champs, and we're not there yet, but I think this was a big test for us," Bishop said. "You know you have to show up when you're playing Reykjavik, otherwise you're going to get embarrassed. That’s what happened tonight."


MINERS NUGGETS

- The Miners penalty killing unit was not good last night.  They allowed 2 power play goals to the Puffin in 8 chances.

- Radim Vrbata sits as the scoring leader for the Miners.  He has 20 goals and 21 assists for 41 points on the year.

- The next game for the Miners is Wednesday night when they play on the road versus the Long Island Express.  Game time at the Sarah Hughes Arena is 7:00pm.

Title: 6 Teams Enter, 1 Team Leaves

  Hello, sports fans.  As we hit the 2/3 mark of the CCHL season, we look at the tightly disputed Canosa Conference.  The conference is yielding a run for the conference title the likes of which has not been seen before in the CCHL.  The last time a conference race was this close was back in 2015-16 when 27 points separated conference winning Puffin from the 6th place Express.  This year, only 11 points separate the conference-leading Hamilton Tigers from the 6th place Minnesota Norsemen.  Even the 7th place Islanders are only 7 points out of a playoff spot.  This could be an epic end to a great conference season. 

  The Canosa Conference is certainly stacked from top to bottom and was able to win the intra-division title this year from the Corfield Conference, which features the best team in the league (by far), the Calgary Chinook.  Will the Canosa Conference teams beat each other up in the postseason, leaving a tired and bloody team to potentially face the mighty Chinook in the finals, or will the Canosa Conference champion be so battle-tested from beating out so many great teams that it will be able to beat the odds-on favorites to win the Kehler Cup? 

  We asked GM Saouaf of the Siberia Icecats his thoughts.  "We have a lot of great teams in our conference.  The regular season is like a scene out of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.  We have 6 great teams who will be fighting it out to overtake the other 5.  For me, I would put my money on a Canosa team winning the Kehler Cup this year.  We want the cup back in our conference!  One year away from our conference is a year too much."  Those are certainly fighting words from GM Saouaf.  Will the Canosa Conference reign supreme in this battle royale?  Only time will tell, so stay tuned sports fans!

Orrsman slow down Dayton...

Mike Smith was not happy after the Musicmen lost 4-2 to the host parry Sound Orrsmen, last night.

Stopping 26 of 30 Orrsmen shots on net, Smith gave up a soft goal to Jack Eichel with just twenty-nine seconds elapsed in the third period, that gave Parry Sound a 3-1 lead on home ice.

"We knew the play they were trying to set up, they'd been trying it all game. We saw it in the video meeting we had earlier today. I knew where Eichel would be standing when he took his shot and I knew where he would try and beat me. I have to stop that shot. There's no excuses. None.", said Smith.

Musicmen Jason Pominville cut the deficit down to one goal two minutes later when he stripped the puck from Parry Sound defenseman Morgan Reilly and then beat goalie Mike Condon with a wrist shot over his blocker.

Dayton held an advantage in shots but took five consecutive minor penalties starting with Drew Stafford's minor for holding at 3:40 of the third. One by one, another penalty was called against Dayton and eventually, Eichel scored the game's only power play goal at 11:15 of the final period to give the Orrsmen a 4-2 lead they would not relinquish.

"We've got to be more disciplined in these kind of games. The had the puck almost the whole third period, we're trying to kill off all those penalties and they out shot us by just two that period. We'd won 4 out of 5 games while those guys had lost ten straight. That was a game we should've won.
 Said Stafford.

General Manager Bill Corfield wasn't happy Dayton lost the game of  course, but did find the battle level to be a good starting place. "We've been harder to play against the last two weeks or so and the moves we made yesterday are consistent with what we're expecting to see in the future. We need the guys playing hard every shift and making good decisions. We tied them in hits tonight. They scored on 1 of their 4 power plays, we killed them on face-offs, It was a good game. As we get some younger kids up here next year with better offensive skills, it'll  come together.

What's next:

Dayton travels to Portland for their next game on Tuesday night.

2018 World Juniors: Musicmen well represented at selection camps...

The 2018 World Junior Hockey Championships will be held from December 26th through January 5th, 2018 in Buffalo, New York.

The ten team tournament is held annually and features some of the brightest young stars from around the world competing on behalf of their home countries.

Two groups, will each have five teams that will play a round of games to determine the top four teams that move into the quarterfinals. From there, the competition eventually produces a winner from each group, who will then meet for the Championship in the Gold Medal game on January 5th, 2018.

The two groups are:

GROUP A: 

United States, Canada, Denmark, Slovakia, Finland...

GROUP B:

Russia, Sweden, Czech Republic, Belarus, Switzerland...

Various "selection camps" will be held over the next few weeks to determine the team's final rosters.

Dayton has a total of thirteen draftees on four of the ten teams. They are...

UNITED STATES:

Joseph Woll - Goaltender - Boston College - NCAA
Jack Badini - Forward - Harvard University - NCAA
Max Jones - Forward - London Knights - OHL

CANADA: 

Drake Batherson - F - Cape Breton - QMJHL
Jonah Gadjovoch - F - Owen Sound - OHL
Mike McLeod - F - Mississauga  - OHL
Taylor Raddysh - F - Erie - OHL
Dennis Cholowski - D - Prince George - WHL
Dante Fabbro - D - Boston University - NCAA
Cale Makar - D - UMASS - NCAA

FINLAND:

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonnen - G - LeKi - Mestis
Aleksi Heponiemi - F - Swift Current - WHL

SWEDEN:

Jens Looke - F - Tuscon - AHL

The United States is the defending champion and will have a rough path to defend its title. Canada will have an extremely talented team again this year and Russia, Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic teams will also bring a lot of skill and talent to the tournament over the Holidays.

Look for updates in this space as the games begin...

Miners trade Puempel to Sanibel for draft pick.

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

The Sudbury Miners and Sanibel Islanders made a move late Saturday evening, as the Miners sent pending restricted free agent forward Matt Puempel, to the Sanibel Islanders in exchange for Sanibel’s 7th round pick in 2019.

Sanibel will take on the remainder of Puempel’s $833,000 cap hit for this season.  The 25 year-old winger is scheduled to be a restricted free agent after the season is done. 

With this latest transaction, Sudbury again moves a non-producing contract for a draft pick.  As it stands right now, Sudbury will pick 20 times in the 2019 draft, barring any further transactions.

Puempel was drafted in the second round of the 2011 CCHL Entry Draft (26th overall) by the Victoria Ronin.  Puempel was acquired by the now-defunct Copenhagen Crusaders in a trade with the Ronin involving established winger Patrick Sharp back in 2013.  Puempel had yet to play a game with the Miners this year and has spent the full season with their AHL affiliate in North Bay.
Puempel was known as a scoring center with good offensive skills during his junior days with the OHL’s Peterborough Petes. 

Puempel's 2009–10 season was a noteworthy rookie OHL season.  He led all OHL rookies in goals and points and was second on his team in scoring.  His point totals landed him at 39th in overall league scoring and he won the Emms Family Award as well as the CHL Rookie of the Year award

At times, Puempel has shown flashes of being a very good playmaker with good skating who can accelerate well and has an impressive shot.  However, this he has yet to transfer those skills into full time CCHL work. 

DAYTON Roster Shake-up...

PRESS RELEASE:
Sunday, 12/10/17
11:30am

**START**

The Dayton Musicmen have announced several roster moves...

Teemu Pulkkinen, Greg McKegg, and Patrick Wiercioch have been waived.  "All three were signed with the hope that they could help us in two ways. First, we were hopeful that all three might be contributing players on the NHL level which would've translated well for our needs next season. That hasn't happened.  Wiercioch and Pulkkinen each played in about 27 games or so, McKegg just 13. Combined, the three of them played 68 games, scored 8 goals, 7 assists for a total of 15 points. Also, they had a collective -37 on the plus-minus front. We wish them well like I said, I wish things had turned out differently for all of them. There would've been a place here next season for them. " said General Manager Bill Corfield.

Corfield also announced two free agent signings...

"Forwards Reid Boucher and Zack Mitchell have both been signed to contracts this morning. Both guys are 24 years old. We've signed Boucher to a 1 yr., $668K contract with the hope that Vancouver calls him up and he earns a place in their lineup. There seems to be an opportunity out there for him and our scouts say he's worth a look. Boucher will also here in Dayton the rest of the season as a depth forward.

Mitchell has been signed to a 2 year, $640K contract. He's already earned a spot on the next disk and like Boucher may find himself in the right place at the right time. Worst case, he's a depth fill in for our forwards next season. Best case, he finds himself a home on the top six in Minnesota and then likewise for us next Fall." said Corfield.

"The CCHL trade deadline is coming up in a week and a half and while we think we've done most of our heavy lifting this season, I've asked our scouts to review every CCHL roster and prospect list and see if anything makes sense for us to pursue. We have draft picks to spend and if it makes sense, we'll try and make a few moves like that before the deadline kicks in."

**END***

Miners still having troubles in overtime; lose 4-3 to Isotopes

Miners still having troubles in overtime; lose 4-3 to Isotopes

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON)

Good teams have players who make statements at crucial times in a game. For the Springfield Isotopes, last night that player was Brandon Saad.

Saad scored with 19 seconds remaining in overtime and put the exclamation point on the Isotopes 4-3 victory over the Sudbury Miners on Saturday night.

"It's luck and it's opportunity," Saad said. “But I’ll take it any day. I’m happy we got the win against a division rival tonight.”

Saad eluded a Miners defender and put back a backhander past Miners goalie Jake Allen for the win. It was his 27th goal this season.

Justin Braun, Matthew Tkachuk and Scottie Upshall also scored for Springfield, and former Miners goalie Aaron Dell made 40 saves. The Isotopes currently sit in 2nd place in the Canosa Conference, one point behind the Hamilton Tigers.

Radim Vrbata, Joonas Donskoi and Vincent Trocheck scored for Sudbury, which has now lost three straight. Allen stopped 42 shots.

"I think don't we were as sharp and quick as we're capable of being, especially in the third" Miners coach Derek Sutton said. "But a pretty good fight."

The Miners had built up a 3-1 going into the second period but could not hold the lead in a wide-open third period. Both teams traded numerous chance but it was the Isotopes who scored two goals in the third before Saad’s overtime winner.

“We're trying to build an identity that you have to battle hard and you have to skate hard," Sutton said. "From that, you kind of build that identity and reputation to be a hard team to play against. That's something we want to accomplish and need to accomplish if we want to grow and eventually make the playoffs. I think we're heading in that direction but we have a long way to go."


MINERS NUGGETS

- The injury bug continues to wreck havoc on the Miners defence core. Third pairing defenseman Jordie Benn, suffered a finger injury after blocking a Brandon Saad shot late in the third period. He is expected to be out 1-2 games.

- Defenceman Darnell Nurse skated hard Saturday morning and will do so again in Sunday. Word around the Vale Centre is that there is a strong possibility he will be good to go for the Miners game on Monday night.