Miners continue to deal; trade Crouse to Loons

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

The ink probably had not even dried on their first move earlier in the week, but the Sudbury Miners and New England Loons were at it again, making their second deal within a week.

The trade breaks down as follows:

Sudbury trades F Lawson Crouse, a 2018 1^st round pick (8^th overall) & a 2018 9^th round pick to New England in exchange for a 2018 2^nd round pick (41^st overall) and New England’s 2019 1^st round pick plus a conditional draft pick.

Here is where the deal has the potential to be confusing. The condition of the pick is that Sudbury will receive New England’s 2019 2^nd round pick and New England will receive Sudbury’s 2019 4^th round pick, only if the New England 1^st rounder in 2019 is lower than the 5th overall pick (ie. 6th, 7th, 8th and so on etc.) If the draft pick is the 5th overall pick or higher (ie. 1st, 2nd etc.) than no picks will change hands.

Crouse was originally drafted in the second round of the 2015 CCHL Entry Draft (10th overall) by the Springfield Homers. Sudbury had acquired Crouse as part of a trade with the Fort Erie Falcons at the end of last season that brought defenseman Shea Theodore to the Nickel City. Crouse spent the past year with the Miners farm team affiliate in Brantford.

The question surrounding Crouse lately is he will he ever reach his potential. In his draft year, Crouse was a prospect that scouts said owned all the qualities of a true power forward. He could score goals, play a physical game and be a force down low, in the corners and in front of the opposing goal. However, lately, his development seems to have stalled and some scouts question if he will be anything more than a 3^rd line winger in the CCHL.

It is worth noting that Crouse is still relatively young in CCHL terms (21 years old), so there is still time for him to develop what scouts had seen during his junior hockey days with the Kingston Frontenacs. He will get that chance in New England.