Georgetown Season Preview: Part Two

Georgetown Millers Pre-Season preview
(Defensemen)

Expected D pairings:
Josi-Orlov
Fowler-Petry
Dillon-Pesce

Roman Josi - Team Captian and a long-time mainstay on the Millers blueline, Josi may miss a few more games than normal but should be a lock for a 60 point season, playing 25 minutes a game across all situations.

Dmitri Orlov - Injuries and inconsistencies have marred Orlov’s 4 years with the organization, but the club feels he is ready to take on a top 4 role and contribute on special teams. 30 to 40 points seems reasonable.

Cam Fowler - Acquired last season in the controversial trade that saw long-time stalwart Nik Backstrom moved to Springfield, Fowler is coming into his prime years. Like Josi, there are injury concerns but anything less than 40 points would be a major disappointment.

Jeff Petry - Acquired at the start of the off-season, Petry is yet another minute-munching D capable of playing in all situations. With the best health profile of the top 4 Dmen, don’t be surprised if Petry gives Josi a run as the team’s top scoring blueliner.

Brendan Dillon-  Beginning his 2nd season in Kentucky, Dillon is the muscle of the D corps. He’s capable offensively as well, and 25 points may be the low-end estimate of his production, especially if injuries allow him top 4 minutes.

Brett Pesce - Beginning his 4th year as a Miller, Pesce is the shutdown defenseman of the unit. With above average puck skills, he is not a zero on offense, and a 20 point campaign is well within sight.

Defensemen Reserves:

Ben Chiarot - Chiarot returns for a 2nd season as the 7th Dman, a bit of a throwback compared to his fellow blueliners, as his defense and hard-hitting style is his calling card. Injuries may see him surpass 60 games this upcoming season, but 10 points would be his offensive ceiling.

Luca Sbisa - Signed this past off-season, Sbisa was signed as an offensive-minded depth defender. Could score as much as Chiarot in half the games played.

Ryan Sproul - Acquired (along with the long-departed Peter Holland) 2 off-seasons ago in the M-A Fleury salary dump, Sproul has never transferred his minor league success to the big leagues. An injury apocalypse would have to occur for Sproul to see double-digits in games played.

GEO Season Preview Part 1

Georgetown Millers Seaon Preview
(Forwards)

Projected Lines:
Reilly Smith-Schenn-Boeser
Parise-Carter-Teravainen
Cogliano-Faksa-Nash
Pitlick-Ryan-Beagle

Reilly Smith - Acquired back in 2011, Reilly Smith is primed for a career season, as he’s virtually guaranteed top 6 minutes for the first time since graduating to the big club. There are some minor injury concerns (as there are with most Millers forwards) but a point-per-game pace is expected from the veteran winger.

Brayden Schenn-Starting his 3rd season in the Bluegrass, Schenn has ascended to the top line Center spot after spending his first couple of years with the club as a winger. Good health should see Schenn lead the team in scoring, with a 90 to 100 point season a strong possibility.

Brock Boeser - The former 1st round pick will begin his 1st CCHL season on the top line, and anything less than a 30 goal season would be a major disappointment. Boeser is seen as the first wave in a new generation of homegrown Millers stars.

Zach Parise - Obtained in the offseason as a salary dump from Dartmouth along with a 2nd round pick that turned into Jake Wise, Parise has health concerns but can still put pucks in the net well enough to be a 20 goal threat if he can play 50 games.

Jeff Carter - In his 2nd tour of duty for the franchise, Carter is another health risk whose availability will go a long way towards determining the fortunes of the team this year. If the Millers can squeeze out 40 games from Carter, expect him to average a point per.

Teuvo Teravainen - The former 1st round pick has enticed the club for years with offensive talent. Playing time has been sporadic the last couple of seasons, but this is the year the club expects the Finn to break out and put up 60 to 70 points.

Andrew Cogliano - Traded in the offseason for prospect Peter Cehlarik, “Cogs” was re-acquired for a 4th round pick. He knows his role as a shutdown winger, PK stud and 35 point contributor.

Radek Faksa - After faltering last season in his 1st crack as a bottom 6 Center, Faksa is being counted on to anchor the 3rd line, the PK and add 30 to 35 points.

Rick Nash - The veteran forward may be making his farewell tour of the CCHL this season. Despite spending most of his time on the top line after being acquired last season, Nash is being counted on to be the designated goal scorer on the 3rd line, at least at season’s start. Injuries to the top 6 could see Nash back in his customary role.

Tyler Pitlick - Signed as a UFA to a 3 year contract 2 offseasons ago, Pitlick barely saw the ice last off-season. This year he’ll see regular time on the bottom six and the PK. 25 points and a handful of PK goals would be welcome.

Derek Ryan - Dayton’s leading scorer last season was acquired for cash and a non-prospect. Ryan is not the typical 4th line C, as defense is not his calling card. He’s strong in the face-off circle and will get minutes on the 2nd PP unit. He’s also viewed as a hedge against injuries to Carter, and could fill the 2nd line C role if required. A 40 point season is entirely reasonable if he’s filling Carter’s boots with any regularity.

Jay Beagle - Offseason signing was brought in for one reason - defense. He’ll anchor the PK and fill the 4th line C spot if Ryan has to move up. Any offense will be a bonus as long as the PK unit ranks in the top 5 of the league.

Forward reserves:

Tobias Reider - acquired in the Wayne Simmonds trade, Reider will be the first forward called into duty if/when injuries strike. A competent bottom 6 winger, the team thinks there is a little more offensive growth possible. If he plays 60 games, 20 to 25 points would be a realistic output.

Zack Smith - Starting his 2nd year in Georgetown, Smith’s slide down the depth chart has been precipitous. Acquired from Dayton for Jake Muzzin, Smith’s combination of brawn, defensive ability, and decent scoring was seen as a boon to the club's 3rd line and special teams. Unfortunately, Smith failed in all respects and was practically forgotten in the 2nd half last year Unable to move him this offseason, the C/LW enters his last contract year as little more than 4th line depth.

Cody Eakin - Signed as a UFA this past offseason, Eakin will fill any vacancies that arise if the 3rd or 4th line Centers miss time or have to move up the lineup. Eakins will be RFA when his deal expires and could be re-signed for next season if he proves worthy of a roster spot.

Markus Hannikainen - Signed 2 seasons ago when the club thought his defensive chops may eventually earn him a full-time job as a bottom 6 winger, the young Finn hasn’t developed enough offense to be much more than a fringe option. Injuries may see him take the ice, but it’s doubtful he’ll make much impact.

Dayton Musicmen Season Preview: The Goalies (It's All About the Future!)

Having looked at the skaters on the 2018-19 Dayton Musicmen roster, we now turn to the men between the pipes. The goaltenders...



Dayton Musicmen Pro Roster

Devan Dubnyck - A top 10 goalie in the NHL, Dubnyck returns for his second stint with the Musicmen. Without Dubnyck, the playoffs were likely a distant dream. However, with him, Dayton has a reasonable shot to grab one of the lower seeds in the Corfield Conference. It will be interesting to see if Dubnyck finished the season with the Musicmen. At least two offers have already been made for him and if the season doesn't set the team on a playoff trajectory, look for GM Corfield to move him to the highest bidder.

Malcom Subban - As long as Marc-Andre Fluery continues to play well in Vegas, its likely that Subban will be relegated to that of a backup role in the CCHL. Still just 24 and a former 1st rounder, Subban should get a crack at a starting job at some point in the next few years.

Laurent Brossoit - The 25 year old netminder finds himself in a potentially great situation. Signed by Winnipeg over the Summer, if something happens to Connor Hellebucyk, Brossoit will get first crack at the Jet's net. It will be the best NHL roster he'll ever have played in front of him. He's a sleeper candidate for a breakout season...


Dayton Musicmen Farm Roster:

None

Up Next: The Prospects...

Capeside Loons & CCHL preview 2018-19...

We are just days away from the puck being dropped on the 2018/19 CCHL season. The Capeside Loons are new to the CCHL this year and no one knows just what to expect from them. Last year as the Ottawa Barracudas, the Barracudas finished a single point out of the playoffs thanks to a strong final showing from the Musicmen and their goaltender in the final game of the season. However, one would be hard pressed to find any similarities between that Ottawa team and the current Capeside team. New ownership and the new GM did a complete overhaul of the Ottawa roster in 6 short months leaving only 7 players that played with the Barracudas (Ryan, Cammalleri, Ladue, Ritchie, Gorges, Wood and Holden).

Key Additions: 
Pierre-Luc Dubois (C), Ryan Donato, James Van Riemsdyk, Matt Niskanen, David Krejci, Jesse Puljujarvi

Key Losses:
Connor Hellebuyck, Zdeno Chara, Nick Schmaltz, Tyson Barrie, and Tyler Toffoli

Outlook:
The Ottawa Barracudas were a team filled with aging, overpaid veterans and not much of a future. Their leading goal scorer was Brett Ritchie who now finds himself at home in the press box during games. No one knows what to expect from the inconsistent Capeside Loons. The league appears to have changed from a defensive, goalie dominated league to a more skating, goal scoring CCHL. Capeside will go as newly appointed captain Dubois goes. How Dubois performs in his first CCHL season will determine if the Loons can sneak into the playoffs or fall into the lottery. Dubois expects to anchor the second line along with fellow rookie Ryan Donato and Micheal Ferland. If this combination can provide secondary scoring then the Loons have a realistic chance at sneaking into the playoffs as the 6 seed in the Corfield division.

Corfield Division:
No one knows what to expect with the new look CCHL. Will Calgary continue its dominance over the league this year? Will Dayton surge back to being the king of the league or will the continue their rebuild? Is this the year that the Falcons put it all together and capture their first Kehler Cup?

Predictions:
Loons goal-scoring leader - James Van Riemsdyk   
Loons Point Scoring Leader - David Krejci   
Loons 7th Player award (Player that exceeded expectations) - Miles Wood

We predict the Loons to fight and scratch their way to the 6th seed and final playoff spot in the CCHL and then lose in the first round.

Corfield regular season division winner - Fort Erie Falcons
Canosa regular season division winner - Siberia IceCats

Corfield Division Champ - Falcons over Chinook
Canosa Division Champ - IceCats over Norsemen

Kehler Cup Champions 

SIBERIA ICECATS

CCHL MVP - Connor McDavid

Season Preview: Dayton Musicmen - The Wingers - (It's all about the future...)

In the first part of our 18-19 preview, we looked at the Centers on the Musicmen. In this installment, we'll look at the wingers on the roster as we head into the regular season...

Just three wingers in Dayton - Matt Nieto, Tomas Kuhnhackl and Christian Fischer remain from last year. Eight new faces will start the season next Monday night. Let's meet them...

Dayton Musicmen Pro Roster: 

Wingers:

Alexander Radulov - The star winger for Dallas is coming off the best scoring season of his career. 72 pts. in 82 NHL games last season. Brought in earlier in training camp from Victoria for two prospects. If DAY is competitive Radulov can expect to stay in Ohio. If not, Radulov should bring the Musicmen a nice return via a trade to a contender. Projected output: 30 goals, 45 assists - 75 points. 

Evgeni Dadonov - Snagged by GM Bill Corfield with the 32ns overall pick of the most recent CCHL Entry Draft, Dadonov is coming off the best season of his career with 65 points in 74 games. A solid shooting percentage of 14.9%, the Russian should find himself on the top line in Florida, along with Alexander Barkov and Mike Hoffman. His situation is similar to Radulov. If DAY is on track for a playoff spot, he'll probably stay. If DAY falls out of it early, he'll be moved. Projected output: 30 goals, 50 assists - 80 points. 

Mike Hoffman - Hoffman has been good for 25 goals a year over his last four season in Ottawa. He's probably happy being moved to the Panthers who are a much better team than the Sens will be this season. Look for career-best production out of Hoffman. Projected output: 30 goals, 45 assists - 75 points. 30 goals, 45 assists - 75 points.

Paul Byron - With two twenty goal seasons under his belt, Byron has won a top-six job.  Defensively excellent, Byron seems to wind up with a strong shooting percentage annually, too.  Projected output: 23 goals, 25 assists - 45 points. 

Michael Frolik - The only reason Frolik is in town is that his previous employers insisted he and his salary go away as well in the Dahlin deal. He will not likely see more than 20 or so games this season... Projected output: 15 goals, 15 assists - 30 points. 

Matt Nieto - An above average defensive winger who can kill penalties as well as anyone else on the squad can. He'll be lucky to post 15 points this season, but that's not his game... Projected output: 5 goals, 8 assists - 13 points. 

Devante Smith-Pelly - Signed over the summer by Dayton, Smith-Pelly was appealing due to his versatility. He is a depth signing nothing more. Projected output: 4 goals, 7 assists - 11 points. 

Tom Kuhnhackl - Almost a carbon copy of Nieto... Projected output: 4 goals, 8 assists - 12 points. 

Dayton Musicmen Farm Players Roster:

Evgeny Svechinkov - The 19th pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by the Wings, and older brother of this year's 2nd overall pick Andrei, should be able to crack the Wings lineup this season. He's scored a couple game-winning goals while seeing limited ice time in Detroit's preseason games but the question remains if a roster spot will be his. He's got the size, speed, and skill set to be a top-six scoring winger. Time will tell...

Christian Fischer - Coming off a successful 33 point rookie NHL season, Fischer will likely be the first call-up if injuries leave the parent club short. Fischer appears to be a key piece in Arizona and will look to build upon last year.

Daniel Sprong - Sprong had a quite successful 1st pro season at Wilkes Barre in the AHL scoring 65 points in 65 games. A 2nd rounder in 2015, Sprong has the talent, opportunity and desire to earn a roster spot with the Penguins this season. Like another 2015 draftee winger, Mister Svechnikov, time will tell for Sprong, as well...

Up next - The Goaltenders...

Miners Season preview

An Inside look at the Sudbury Miners - 2018-19 CCHL Season Preview

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):
With a young, growing core leading the charge, and plenty of off-season turnover and draft picks,
Sudbury appears to be on the way up. But, the Miners aren’t there quite yet, though.
Kehler Cup odds: 75-1

Key Additions: Fredrik Andersen, G; Zack Hyman, W; Sam Reinhart, W; Wayne Simmonds, W; Chris Tierney, C; Charlie Coyle, C/W; Andy Greene, D

Key Departures: Philip Danault, C/W; Jake Allen, G; Ben Bishop, G; Radim Vrbata, W; Damon Severson, D; Matt Calvert, W; Joonas Donskoi, W; Darnell Nurse, D

The Sudbury Miners ended the 2017-18 season with an 18-57-7 record, finishing just eight points
shy of the worst record in the league. Their top-six group of forwards was not strong, and to make
matters worse, their depth failed to match up against the powerhouses of the CCHL.
But there is optimism going forward. Thanks to an extra year of seasoning in the minors for
some of their young players and a few key off-season acquisitions, the Miners seem poised to make a
jump in the standings and may even contend for a playoff spot for the 2018-19 CCHL season.

UP AND COMING PLAYER TO WATCH

Chris Tierney is looking to build upon his first full season in the CCHL. Originally thought of a just
a checker, he finished last year in Halifax with 17 points (9 goals). He has the skills and versatility to play a little farther up in the line-up if needed, while still being responsible in his own end. It appears that he will slot in as the Miners 3 rd line centre to start the year. The 24-year-old former London Knight, will get the opportunity in Sudbury to build upon his offensive totals from last year.

WHAT A SUCCESSFUL 2018-19 SEASON WOULD LOOK LIKE

Given their results from last year and the roster turnover that the Miners have experienced
since the end of last year, simply contending for the playoffs would be a success. From a pure hockey
standpoint, giving some more of their young minor league players some valuable CCHL experience will help with their development. You can expect to see highly touted prospects Colin White and Mikael Sergachev get a taste of CCHL action this year. Sudbury should be much more competitive this season.

BIGGEST REMAINING QUESTION

Ideally, the hope in Sudbury is that a few of their highly touted prospects who are expected to be on the opening night roster can contribute sooner, rather than later. If that happens, Sudbury will greatly
improve. But what if they can’t or worse, they regress? There is a reason to believe it could happen and if that is the case, then the fans can expect another long, cold winter in the Nickel City.

PREDICTION: 6th  in Canosa Conference.

Season Preview: Dayton Musicmen 2018-19 -* The Centers... (It's all about the future...)

After a last-place finish in the 2017-18 CCHL season, the Musicmen have added a ton of new faces, gotten much younger and have upwards of 20 NHL prospects just waiting their turn to crack the Dayton lineup.

In this, the first part of our season preview, we'll focus on the forwards. We'll get to the rest of the team in future posts.

Dayton Musicmen Pro Roster:

Centers: 

Alex Steen - The 34-year-old Center comes to Dayton with one year left on his contract. His role is to mentor the younger forwards like Jason Dickinson, Jared McCann, Max Mamin & Zemgus Girgensons - who is surprisingly - just 24 years old. Steen will center the team's top line with vets Alexander Radulov and Evgeni Dadonov. Projected output: 15 goals, 45 assists - 60 points.

Mattias Janmark - The 25 yr. old forward looks to build on his 17-18 campaign where he returned to the NHL after a serious knee injury that some thought might cost him his career. Janmark will see top-six minutes in full strength and the 2nd power play unit. Look for Janmark to swap places throughout the season with Steen. Projected output: 15 goals, 35 assists - 50 points.

Carter Rowney - 29-year-old journeyman brings the 2nd best faceoff skills to the 3rd line and also spends time on the PK units. He won't score much, but he's steady as anyone else in the forward group defensively, that's for sure. Projected output: 8 goals, 10 assists - 18 points.

Jared McCann - At 22, McCann is the youngest player on the team. He'll be expected to continue his development in the CCHL this season and perhaps push others for ice time. He can also play LW, which is where he may settle in at. Projected output: 10 goals, 25 assists - 35 points.

Thomas Nosek - Primarily a defensive specialist, the 26-year-old Nosek will struggle to see much ice time this season. Once Steen moves on after this season, he may stand a better chance to secure a full-time job on one of the bottom two lines. Projected output: 3 goals, 10 assists - 13 points.

Jason Dickinson - Another guy who won't see much time on the ice. With just 5 pts. in 38 NHL games over three seasons, the former 1st rounder has failed to figure it out. Able to play at LW as well as C, it's hard to see much ice time for Dickinson unless roster conditions change dramatically.
Projected output: 3 goals, 5 assists - 8 points.

Zemgus Girgensons - Girgensons has seemingly lost his offensive skills over the last three seasons in which he has scored 7 goals in each campaign. Terrible on faceoffs, he is able to play any forward position. He'll likely be utilized for a bottom six role when the need arises. Projected output: 7 goals, 7 assists - 14 points.

Logan Shaw - Signed as a FA over the Summer by Dayton for depth purposes, Shaw is a somewhat reliable bottom six type who doesn't do anything really well or really badly. He'll watch a LOT more games than he'll actually play in. Projected output: 2 goals, 4 assists - 6 points.

Jordan Weal - Weal can play all three positions, is fine defensively for a bottom six role but has limited offensive upside to put it mildly. He'll be lucky to play in more than 20 games this season for DAY. Projected output: 4 goals, 4 assists - 8 points.

Zach Mitchell -  Mitchell is coming off a decent partial season in the AHL, but couldn't translate the production when he was with MIN for 23 games. Recently signed by the LAK to a 2-way deal, Mitchell looks to be roster filler in the case the several big names are traded and bodies are needed. That's it... Projected output: 0 goals, 2 assists - 2 points.


Dayton Musicmen Farm Players Roster:

Centers: 

Max Mamin - The 2nd year Russian will be given every opportunity to develop with Florida in the NHL as a regular part of the team's 3rd line. Already a solid checker, Mamin has some skills and saw the Panthers post a W/L record of 21-3-2 when he was in the lineup. Look for him to crack DAY's bottom six next year. Currently expected to spend the year in the minors.

Zach Sanford - After fighting back from an injury that knocked him out of most of last year, we're not sure what to expect from Sanford. He missed all of last season but will have to clear waivers is the Blues decide to try and send him down. The 61st pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, he's got skills and a good head for the game, according to STL Head Coach Mike Yeo.  Right now, Sanford needs to play, but it won't be this year as far as the Musicmen are concerned. Sanford will spend the season on reserves...

Up next - The Wingers...

The Chinook set to begin the defence of their Kehler Cup title

It may seem hard to believe, but nearly seven months have passed since the night the
Chinook captured their very first Kehler Cup championship in Calgary. Training camp
and preseason is already underway at the Scotia Bank Saddledome and aside from a
number of burning questions for the 2018-19 season, the Chinook will find themselves
in a position they’ve never been before: entering the season as the defending Kehler
Cup champions. The next question that needs to be asked is: can they successfully
defend their title?

GM Eugene Yip has made a few tweaks in the off season, “The core group is there
and I believe I have improved on a few areas that I wasn’t too satisfy last season.” Said
Yip. Aside from losing important players such as Joe Pavelski and Shea Weber to free
agency, and power play specialist Kevin Shattenkirk in a trade with the Gillam Sharks,
the Chinook are returning most of their entire Cup-winning roster this season, combined
with the addition of Marc Andre Fleury and John Carlson, makes defending their title
slightly easier, albeit not much.

For the first time in the Sidney Crosby era, the team will not have to worry about dealing
with the burden of a postseason collapse earlier in the year, but the pressures of being
the defending Kehler Cup champions. So can the Chinook successfully defend their title
and make a repeat run as champions? While the Copenhagen Crusaders’s two
consecutive Cup wins may make the prospect of repeating seem easy, it is harder than
one initially might think.

Prior to the Crusaders’ run in 2014 and 2015, the last team to win consecutive Stanley
Cups were the 2005 and 2006 Bismarck Ibex. In addition to that, other teams around
the league (both in the Corfield and Canosa Conferences) have added to their rosters,
and in some teams’ instances their coaching staffs, over the offseason, making the
Chinook’ path to another victory parade more difficult. If the team can remain
consistently healthy throughout the season, play with the same resiliency and
determination they showed this past season, they have just as much a chance to win as
the next team. Like with anything in the CCHL, anything is possible.

IN:
A.Czarnik, M.A. Fleury, M. Calvert, J. Carlson, Bozak, Pominville, Connauton

OUT:
J. Martinook, Bellemare, F. Nielsen, J. Pavelski, T. Vanek, A. Vermette, S. Weber, K.
Shattenkirk, M. Ferland

Miners making moves prior to the start of the season.

 CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

The Sudbury Miners were back at it again over the weekend, swinging a couple of minor deals, along
with making a waiver claim prior to the start of the 2018-19 CCHL season.
The first deal was minor in stature and involved Sudbury sending prospect Riley Hughes to Capeside in
exchange for goaltender Thomas Greiss. Greiss, who becomes a UFA after the 2018-19 season, will
provide depth to the Miners goaltending situation this year and appears to currently sit 3 rd on the depth
chart.

The second trade of the weekend saw Sudbury send prospect Dennis Yan to Victoria in exchange for
developing defenceman, Gustav Forsling.

Originally drafted in 2014 by Victoria, scouts have described Forsling as a 'new-breed' type of undersized defenseman who excels in puck possession and puck movement. He has the ability to produce points
and has shown an ability not to panic with the puck on his stick. He will give the Miners depth on the
back-end this year and should see more playing time as his game develops.

“We are happy to get another young, developing player in Forsling. He is a quality, puck-moving
defenceman. We like the potential that he brings to our team”, stated General Manager Terry James.

To round out the transactions over the weekend, the Miners claimed veteran defenceman Brandon
Davidson and immediately signed him to a 1-yr, $1.55 million dollar contract.
Davidson, played in Portland last year but became an unsigned RFA at the end of last season and
remained available at the end of the summer free agency period. Davidson, who is seen as a decent
depth defenceman, will help fill the veteran gap on the Miners blue-line while some of their young
talent continues to develop.

DonPaulo Talks about the Ronin's roster changes ...

September 23 2018


With the summer league in the rear view mirror and the preseason upon us the press has gathered to hear what the GM of Victoria has to say about the franchise for the upcoming season. If you recall in a previous discussion a lifetime season ticket holder told the GM that his moves had made his children cry. That comment seems to have struck a cord and the team has since moved in a different direction than had been the standard operating procedure.


“Welcome everyone.


Its nice to see so many familiar faces as well as some new ones here in beautiful supernatural British Columbia. So lets dive in right away and get started. Firstly I want to say that the Ronin have valued Alexander Radulov both as a player and a person. Throughout the years our hockey club never doubted his intention to return to the NHL. We have kept him on the payroll for quite a few seasons in the anticipation of his return but the time had come to part ways with him. We worked out a deal with the Musicmen and included Alex in the discussions as we wanted him to be happy with the deal as well. The Ronin can think of fewer high quality franchise than that in Dayton, so in this regard this was an easy deal to do. We simply had to stick to our guns and make our demands clear to them.


The two players coming back to us in Taylor Raddysh & Morgan Frost are, we hope going to be a major part of a renewed vision for the team over the next few seasons. While its quite likely that they will not make the team this season we have plans centered around them. They are part of the Ronin family and we no plans to entertain moving them at any point in the future. So welcome to both Morgan and Taylor.


The team will most certainly miss Rads and we wish him all the best with his new team. Having said that there are a number of other deals we made that cut from the same cloth. Today we agreed to send Gustav Forsling to Sudbury in exchange for Dennis Yan. Dennis fits the new mold we want to shape our club into, so welcome to Dennis.


The club has also traded Alexander Wennberg to Capeside in exchange for prospects Jonah Gadjovich and Thomas Novak. While it was hard to part with Alex, we also knew that there really wasn't enough space on the roster to fit him in to a role that he would excel at. Far better for both him and our team to move him somewhere he can flourish. Welcome to both Thomas and Jonah.


We also agreed to bring in Mika Zibanejad which cost us a very good player in Ryan Nugent Hopkins. However premier centers do not become available everyday and we thought it important to make this move to give us a solid 1 – 2 punch with Evgeni Kuznetsov down the middle. Part of the reason this deal became possible was a previous trade we made with Sudbury for Brendan Saad. Yes it cost us a first round pick, which is a very high price, but Brendan is an established NHL player, still quite young and likely looking to prove himself after a poor season by his own standards. The Ronin are committed to Brendan and have helped him buy a home here on the island. This move allowed the team enough flexibility to make the Nugent-Hopkins deal. Both Mika and Brendan have something to prove both to themselves, the fans and the team. We are going to give them every opportunity to get that done.


We have also picked up another solid winger in Anthony Duclair from Sudbury. Anthony knows what is expected of him and we will tolerate nothing less than a complete effort especially in the offseason. Both he and Mika are known to have tested very poorly at the start of camp, so it will be struggle this year to reach the levels they had established for themselves.


Previous to that and after some extensive discussions with Fort Erie, we managed to acquire Tyler Myers. Once again we gave up some futures in picks, but we felt that with our team makeup at present we needed more veteran presence in the locker room and out on the ice. Tyler being a former Ronin was well known to us so we jumped at the opportunity to bring him back to the family.

We also picked up Lucas Johansen from Fonthill for Filip Larsson and Nick Shore. While we think the world of Filip, there is clearly a quite a few promising young netminders in the system and we felt it prudent to move him to bring in a possible NHL defensemen in Lucas. Nic, on the other hand, did a fine job for us last season and we wish him well.

In another deal, Sudbury (see a pattern here) sent us Dan O'Regan for a 3rd round pick. We liked what we saw in Dan and feel our team can always use that kind of player. Its a franchise depth move and we hope to see Dan in the NHL at some point in the near future.

The team has also added Tristan Jarry to the club. We think the world of this kid and believe he could challenge for the starting job as soon as this season in the NHL. Additional deals included Thomas Chabot whom we have long coveted. Thomas knows his value to us and should be a contributing member in short fashion. Victor Rask was picked up to fill the bottom six checking & pk role. Victor knows what is expected of him and it saddened us to hear of his injury just a week ago. Another new name is Brett Howden who adds his skillset to an increasingly deep pool of prospects. The team moved Jay Bouwmeester, picking up Caleb Jones in the deal that also included former Ronin Ryan Getzlaf who was resigned and flipped to Springfield for a 1st round pick. Prior to that Julius Honka came over in a deal that included Tristan Jarry, who since has come full circle.

This has probably been far too long of a discussion but we wanted to document the changes that have occurred to the team and to promise the fans of our determination to do things “the right way” this time around.


We wish you all well!

GEO pre-season (Around The CCHL Blog)

Georgetown Millers Hockey Club kicked off their pre-season last week with a relatively settled roster. The only battle of note is on the 4th line, where Derek Ryan, Zack Smith, and Tobias Reider are competing for 2 spots alongside free-agent signing Jay Beagle.

Below is a quick look at the 3 contestants.

Zack Smith: Acquired from Dayton last offseason for  Jake Muzzin, Smith was projected as a 3rd line mainstay and special teams contributor. However Smith failed to score and the PK struggled when he was on the ice. In season additions left him a healthy scratch for the final half of the season. After failing to find a new home for him in the summer Smith came to camp seemingly destined to be no better than a depth forward option. 2 goals in 3 pre-season games has seen his stock rise and he’s edging out the player below for the opening at LW.

Tobias Reider: A throw-in along with a 1st round pick when Wayne Simmonds was moved this summer, Reider camp to camp as the favorite for the bottom line left wing spot. Management likes his speed and defensive acumen and felt he still had some growth in his offensive game. Through 3 pre-season games Reider has been scoreless, opening the door for Zack Smith.

Derek Ryan: Acquired from Dayton this summer, Ryan is a near lock to take the 4th line C spot, moving Beagle to RW. Ryan is not the defensive stalwart normally found on a checking line, but he’s decent enough and provides more offensive skill than most 4C. He’s also seen time on the 2nd PP unit and has looked good in the role.

Projection: Zack Smith and Tobias Reider do a fair amount of rotation at LW on the 4th line, and injuries elsewhere among the forwards see both playing over 60 games (barring any additional forward additions). Derek Ryan puts up 35 to 40 points as an everyday player and PP contributor.

As the Loons are coming to the end of our first training camp here in Capeside, I wanted to take a few minutes to touch base with our fans. In our last article, I spoke about my reasons for moving on from Puljujarvi after I had worked so hard to acquire him. Well, I am happy to say that I was able to bring him back to Capeside. Jesse made it known publicly that he wanted to remain in Capeside, and thankfully Siberia and I were able to make that a reality. However, it was a pricey reality for us in parting with Johnathan Dahlen and a 2020 first rounder.

Our biggest need has been and continues to be scoring, and we feel like we addressed that need tonight. A few moments ago I agreed to send a package of Alex Wennberg, Tyler Toffoli, and prospect CJ Seuss to Fort Erie for James Van Riemsdyk. I believe that JVR will solidify our top 6 along with fellow new acquisition Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Capeside recently parted with Mika Zibanejad in order to acquire Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Even though Mika was easily our highest point producer during the summer league, we believe that the flexibility that RNH provides by being able to play on the left wing and also center was worth the gamble. RNH closed out last year on a hot streak after moving over to left wing, and we believe he will continue that this upcoming season. Hopefully, Pierre Luc Dubois (PLD) can see this as an incentive to continue to improve and the first line center spot will be his as early as next year. The downside of boosting our scoring is that we had to trade away some solid prospects in Cal Foote, Johnathan Dahlen, and Jonah Gadjovich. But we believe that our success in the recent draft allowed us to use our farm system in order to give our new fans a team that can have playoff aspirations.

Training camp showed us a lot. We like what we saw from our prospects and are very excited about the future. Oliver Wahlstrom, Jay O'Brien, and Jakub Lauko really impressed the coaching staff in their first camp. Ryan Donato's play has forced our hand to make him an everyday contributor to the Loons. By deciding against placing the "M" tag on Ryan we then had to cut ties with Derek Dorsett and eat his 2.5 million. But Ryan deserves the opportunity. Training Camp has also showed up where our holes are. We will be on the search for a puck-moving defenseman prospect. Puck moving, scoring defensemen is where the game is trending and we need to add that to our system. We also will be keeping our eyes open for a scoring right wing as that is a definite need with the departure of Toffoli.

Capeside may not lead the CCHL in much this year, but we will definitely lead in player initials with PLD, RNH and now JVR. The Loons are off to an inconsistent start in the preseason, probably due to the constant tinkering by me. However, I believe that each move had made us better and I know that coach Janney and captain PLD will find a way to get everyone on the same page.

Icecats make HUGE splash, land generational talent, Rasmus Dahlin

Hello sports fans.  As you know, the CCHL is getting ready for their new season.  Many teams have been making deals to position themselves for the season to come, vying for the coveted Kehler Cup.  One team that has certainly been active this offseason is the Dayton Musicmen.  They are coming off a difficult year which saw them land the prized player of this past draft, Rasmus Dahlin.  Dahlin has been compared to Connor McDavid as a generational talent.  Dayton can certainly look to build around such a cornerstone player.

Wait a minute, this just in... we are hearing rumors of a monster trade!  I'm getting word that Dahlin has been traded, but no word yet on who he has been traded to.  If this is true, this is HUGE.  Rarely do generational talents get traded, and certainly not so soon after being drafted.

I'm hearing that the package coming back includes several top prospects, picks, cash, but still no word on the destination.  Speculation is that he may be headed to a team that is looking to jump start their rebuild, as Dahlin is NHL ready now.

We now have word that Dahlin may actually be headed to a contender!  How can a contending team acquire such a talent without disturbing their team?  Bob McKenzie is reporting that the mystery team may actually be in the in the Canosa conference.  If this is true, it's obvious that GM Corfield did not want to have to face this kid over and over each year in the same conference.

We are now hearing that Dahlin has been traded to the Siberia Icecats!  If this is true, wow!  Who could be coming back to Dayton?  Ehlers, Parayko, or another young talent?  Would Siberia trade their #1 prospect, Miro Heiskanen to upgrade him to Dahlin?

I just received word that Dahlin has been traded for Filip Chytil, Ville Husso, Will Butcher and Dayton's own 1st rounder in 2019.  Siberia has managed to land the #1 defensive prospect in the world without having to give up a key roster player, which is amazing, and have set themselves up to have a heck of a defensive line in the future with Dahlin, Heiskanen and Quinn Hughes.  That is a young d-line to drool over.  We have also received word that Siberia will also send Michael Frolik, a 7th rounder in 2019 and cash to Dayton for Blake Comeau and a 4th in 2020.

We now swith to a live press conference by GM Saouaf, announcing the deal.  Let's listen in.

"First of all, thank you all for attending this press conference on short notice.  As you have already heard, the Siberia Icecats have acquired Rasmus Dahlin.  We are thrilled to be able to add a player of Dahlin's talent to our team.  Obviously, it was not an easy decision to part with so many assets, but getting such a player required making some sacrifices on our end.  Filip Chytil was a talented young player who we had great hopes for and should become a top center in the league.  With McDavid in Siberia, Filip would never have gotten a chance to become a #1 center.  In trading Husso, we traded away a future #1 goalie, but once again, with Hellebuyck and Murray, he was probably not going to get the chance to become that #1 here.  Will Butcher was a former Hobey Baker winner with great talent who had a great first year last year.  He became expendable given by acquiring Dahlin and with the expected promotion of both Dahlin and Heiskanen next year.  The first rounder was also tough as it could be a top 10 pick, but as I mentioned before, you have to give to get.  Also, we were able to upgrade Michael Frolik to Blake Comeau, which also gives us some roster and cap flexibility after this year.  Blake is solid defensively and can chip in some offense also.  He will be a great addition to our 3rd or 4th line.  Also, upgrading a 7th to a 4th in 2020 gives us an extra pick in 2020 to replenish our stock of prospects.

Overall, we are very pleased to bring in the players that we did and we wish the players we traded away the best of luck, and wish GM Corfield the best of luck in his quick rebuild.  For now, no questions, but we will have more opportunities for questions"

Wow, just wow sports fans.  It's obvious that GM Saouaf is building a team that can compete now and in the future.  If those young dmen can develop into the talents they are projected to be, the Icecats will be Kehler Cup contenders for a long time.  That's it for now!

Miners continue to deal; trade hard-nosed defenceman Nurse

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

After days of trade discussions and debate, the Sudbury Miners and Dayton Musicmen finally agreed to a deal early Sunday evening. The deal, which was first confirmed on Twitter by TSN reporter Darren
Dregar, is as follows:

* Sudbury trades defenceman Darnell Nurse, prospect Oli Juolevi and a 2019 5th round pick to the Dayton Musicmen in exchange for prospect defenceman Ian Mitchell, prospect forward Troy Terry, and Dayton’s 1st and 3rd round picks in 2020.

Nurse was originally drafted in the first round of the 2013 CCHL Entry Draft (7th overall) by the Hamilton Tigers before being dealt to Sudbury in 2017. He is currently on the last year of his entry-level contract, will be a restricted free agent after the 2018-19 season. He is expected to sign with the Musicmen after the season is done.

“I enjoyed my time here with Sudbury. The organization, the fans and the city are all top notch. I think they have a very bright future. But, at this stage of my career, I am happy to be able to join an
organization that will give me a chance to be a leader going forward for years to come. It is very exciting to get in on the ground floor in Dayton”, stated out-going defenseman Nurse.

From the Miners perspective, this was about dealing from a position of strength and continuing to
strengthen its pipeline for the future.

“It’s never easy to part with a player of Nurse’s talent and character. He was an excellent player for us
and he deserves a chance to win “ stated General Manager Terry James.

“But, we have a lot of blossoming talent on defence and those players deserve a chance to play. It
becomes a numbers game as you can’t keep all of them, so moves have to be made. At the end of the
day, to acquire two high end prospects (in Terry and Mitchell) and also secure a 1st and 3rd rounder in 2020, it was a deal that we had to make” stated James.

“Trades like these continue to build depth at all positions for is, which is good. It may not look like it
now, but we believe in sticking to the process and that we are on the right path to be a consistent
contender for years to come. The loyalty that city of Sudbury and its fans have shown us the past couple of years will soon be rewarded.”

Allen goes “Looney” and is on his way to Capeside.

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

With the opening of the 2018-19 CCHL season right around the corner, the Sudbury Miners and
Capeside Loons consummated a deal late Saturday afternoon, just prior to both teams opening pre-
season contests that evening.

Rumours of trade talks between the two teams broke early Saturday morning, and by the afternoon a
deal was done. The trade breaks down as follows:

Sudbury sends G Jake Allen and Sudbury’s 2020 3 rd round pick in exchange for highly touted
goaltending prospect Mike DiPietro and Capeside’s 2nd round pick in 2019.

In order to complete this deal, Sudbury agreed to waive the condition made on the February 24th deal made with Capeside, and it now allows them to retain their 2019 4th round pick. Capeside will take on Allen’s $2.5 million cap hit, which expires after the 2018-19 season. Reports suggested that Allen had requested a trade at the end of last season, but neither Allen, nor Sudbury General Manager, Terry James, would confirm the reports.

Allen, who for the past two seasons, has started the season solidly but has experienced a “mid-season
meltdown” before finding his game again at the end of the year. As a result, his numbers have
regressed in back-to-back seasons and it was clearly something that James was not comfortable with.
When talking via conference call, Allen welcomed the fresh start. "I’m excited to get a fresh start in Capeside," Allen said, “Given that they (the Miners) already have a top goalie in Freddy, it’s something I knew would probably come this off-season. ”

From the Miners perspective, there was not enough crease for both Andersen and Allen to thrive. The
logical choice for the Miners was to get some assets for Allen. By acquiring a top prospect and an early draft pick, this move stays in line with the franchise’s philosophy to build through the draft and promote from within.

“It’s never easy to part with a player of Allen’s talent and character but it was clear to us that a change would be best for both parties. We wanted to make sure he went to a team that would give him the chance to be a true No.1. But for us, at the end of the day, to acquire a high end prospect and also secure another high pick in 2019, it was a deal that we felt comfortable in making” stated James.