No unreal expectations, a lot of players getting moved, young prospects gaining valuable experience, but not without some bumps and bruises along the way. Ever since General Manager Terry James spoke about the pain that was coming to the team and to fans, it has been a constant point of conversation especially in the media.
Now with the season over many fans will want to know whether all this pain will be worth it in the end and how much longer will it last? There is no telling how long this rebuild will last, because there are certain aspects the Miners cannot control and will need some luck, like whether they get the first overall pick in the draft lottery.
That did not happen. In fact, the news was not good for the Miners on Wednesday night. They actually dropped three spots in the lottery from 3rd overall and will now pick 6th overall.
However, despite the results of the draft lottery, this season cannot be seen at as a total loss, because the organization took steps to make sure that it was not. Acquiring prospects and draft picks that will be vital to the rebuild was the goal to start the year, and in that the Miners appear to have succeeded.
Here is the Good, the Bad and the Ugly of the Miners first season in Sudbury.
THE GOOD
Aaron Ekblad
Ekblad was finally healthy this year, and played in all 82 games. At times this year, he showed flashes of greatness this and had a very respectable 24 points for a team that struggled to score most nights. He played close to 25 minutes a night, usually matched up against the other team’s top lines. He was also a fixture on the power play and penalty kill units. He is a player that the Miners are looking to build around. His future looks promising, as long as he avoids injury and continues to develop.
Organization Depth
The Miners stated that prior to last years’ CCHL Entry Draft that they had a plan to acquire assets and build the team through the draft. They followed through on this promise through out the year and have over 20 picks in the next two entry draft, with half of them being in the first three rounds. Many of the high priced and under performing veterans were jettisoned out of Sudbury for young and picks. Their depth and talent pool will only get better. The future looks bright in the Nickel City.
THE BAD
Goaltending
Yes, you can also blame the defence for all their giveaways and horrible coverage in front of the net, but both Jake Allen and Ben Bishop didn't play well enough consistently to win some games for the Miners. Both goalies were near the bottom of the league in both GAA and save percentage. The late addition of Ryan Miller, did not fare any better.
Injuries
The Miners were among the league leaders with over 300 man-games lost to injuries. For a team that had little CCHL depth, losing such important roster players like Darnell Nurse for extended periods of time put lesser players in more prominent roles. This hurt the Miners……no pun intended.
THE UGLY
Lack of Offense
The Miners were the only one of two CCHL teams to average under two goals scored per game (Dayton was the other). Their leading scorer, Tobias Reider, only had 54 points. That is less than half of what CCHL leading scorer Sidney Crosby had (136 points). The Miners will have to find a way to put more pucks in the net, if they look to climb out of the basement of the CCHL.
Power Play
The Miners finished the season with the worst power play in the league with 11.3%. Compare that to top-ranked Calgary, which ran at 21.9%. For a team that struggled to score goals 5v5, they needed the power play to capitalize on chances to stay in games. Simply put, this did not happen often enough.
Despite not making the playoffs, this season showed great promise for the future. The Miners expected pain and that is what they got. However, building blocks have been put in place that offer some hope for a quick turnaround. The big question now is what GM Terry James does this off-season, that will dictate if they continue to trend up.
Stay tuned.
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