Miners active on trade front again; acquire Severson.

Miners active on trade front again; acquire Severson.

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

General Manager Terry James was at it again on Thursday afternoon, making a deal for a top-4 defenseman to replace Adam Larsson, who was dealt to Calgary earlier in the week for Adrian Kempe and a draft pick.

The deal breaks down as follows: Sudbury trades prospects Juho Lammikko and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to Dayton in exchange for defenseman Damon Severson and a 4th round pick in 2018.

In a brief press conference prior to Thursday’s contest, General Manager Terry James commented on the trade, in particular why they dealt for Severson.

“We think he (Severson) can play on both ends of the ice, and you can see that his offensive game has started to take off. We like that he displays a calm and poised demeanor with the puck, and that he has very good puck-moving skills. He's a good skater and passer as well”.

Scouts have commented about the lapses in Severson defensive game but James feels it is only a matter of time before the young defenseman adjusts and learns the finer points of playing defence at this level.

“Defensively, he does put himself in a good position to make the right play though he is a little bit inconsistent at times in his own end but that is to be expected with any young defenseman. His physical game has gotten better and his decision-making should evolve as he gains experience in the league.”

For Dayton, they get two prospects who have the potential to be in the CCHL someday, but that are a few years away from contributing.

Juho Lammikko is a winger with promising size, who works hard at both ends of the ice and is strong in small spaces and corners. He is a decent skater with good stickhandling and playmaking ability. Lammikko was drafted in the 2014 CCHL Entry Draft by the Copenhagen Crusaders (78^th overall) and currently is in second year with the Springfield Indians of the AHL.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is goalie who plays in a wide butterfly stance that helps him cover the majority of the low net naturally. Scouts say that he is fluid in his movements and can quickly move laterally in the crease. Luukkonen was drafted by Sudbury, and was the second goalie drafted in the 2017 CCHL Entry Draft (36^th overall).