CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON)
In what has been a quiet couple of months across the CCHL, the Sudbury Miners made a couple of
moves on Thursday afternoon as they continue to prepare for the upcoming 2018 CCHL Entry Draft.
The first trade of the day saw the Miners send their 2018 2nd round pick (#28 overall) to Minnesota, in exchange for forward Charlie Coyle and Portland’s 2018 3 rd round pick (#54 overall), which Minnesota had acquired in a previous transaction.
It is believed that Sudbury plans to use Coyle as their second line center until some of their prospects
such as Casey Mittlestadt, Martin Necas and Colin White develop into more prominent roles. Also with the ability to play all three forward positions, and at reasonable $2.6 million cap hit for the next 2 years, Miners General Manager Terry James was comfortable making this move.
“Charlie is a good player who was playing down the line-up a bit in Minnesota, which may explain why he has never really reached the lofty expectations that were placed on him. It puts lot of pressure on a young player and sometimes they do not always perform”, quoted Miners GM Terry James.
“But having said that, we think a change of scenery and having a bit more responsibility will help
enhance his game. He is just now at the point where he should be hitting his prime. We think he has
excellent offensive instincts and a nice set of mitts. We also like the flexibility he provides by being able to play both wing and center, and he can help us in the face-off department”.
Coyle is currently on vacation, fishing on Lake Michigan and could not be reached for comment.
According to James, who was able to speak with Coyle, he is very excited about becoming a Miner.
But the dealing for the Miners on this day did not stop there. Their second trade of the afternoon saw
them deal depth forward Joonas Donskoi to Fonthill, in exchange for Fonthill’s 3rd round pick in the 2019 CCHL Entry Draft. Donskoi was slated to become an RFA after the 2018/19 season, but with the influx of youth expected in Sudbury in the next couple years, Donskoi was deemed expendable. Rather than lose him for nothing, the Miners were able to turn Donskoi into a future asset.
