A Weekly Look at the 2018-19 Sudbury Miners: Volume 1

A Weekly Look at the 2018-19 Sudbury Miners:  Volume 1

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

Miners Weekly Record: 2 wins, 1 loss, 1 OT Loss.

Miners League Standing:  4 wins, 5 losses, 1 OT Loss = 9 points total.  Currently sit in 8th place in the Canosa Conference, 15th overall in the CCHL.

Miners Special Teams:  Power Play - 31.1% (6th); Penalty Kill – 76.32% (11th)

Miners Scoring Leader:  Winger Sam Reinhart (8G – 6A = 14pts; 13th Overall in the CCHL)

The weather is quickly becoming a little more like true hockey weather as October is quickly wrapping up.   And with it, the CCHL season is now in full swing.

The Miners were extremely busy over the past week having played in four games in seven days, which saw them sport a record of 2 wins, 1 loss, and 1 OT loss.   The team opened the week with a 5-1 loss to the Victoria Ronin, in a contest that they were never really in. The Miners would extend their losing streak with a hard-fought 3-2 shootout loss to the Las Vegas Aces before closing out the week with wins over Georgetown and Long Island.

“We just need to continue to work hard and set realistic goals for us to achieve”, stated veteran forward Mike Fisher.   “It’s a process. Our first step is getting back to .500 and we are almost there. After that, given the group we have, I don’t see why we can’t make a push for a playoff spot?  It’s what our fans deserve”.

MINERS PLAYER PROFILE OF THE WEEK:  Sami Vatanen

Defenceman Sami Vatanen is an undersized sparkplug, who has a reputation as a wild and adventurous puck mover.  He is a talented skater with powerful quick, nimble feet. He skates light and fluid with exceptional lateral agility and quickness accelerating through each stride.  He excels on breakouts, making solid outlet passes and uses his quick feet and dexterity to open lanes. At times, he is an effortless puck carrier executing in top gear and does possess a good, accurate right-handed shot.  He is aggressive and courageous for his size and is proactive in blocking shots and throwing hits, despite just bouncing off bigger opponents. Given his smaller stature, he will need to refine his coverage skills and defensive postures.

MINERS PROSPECT NEED TO KNOW:  Isac Lundestrom

A creative two-way player with pro-level rink discipline, Lundestrom was selected in the first round of this June’s entry draft (18th overall).  Having already played two seasons in the SHL, the 18-year-old is very responsible with the puck and has great timing down already.  Lundestrom has a knack for finding open passing lanes and exposing poor positional play from the opposition and has a strong frame that makes his play on the puck better. He isn’t a forceful offensive player, and his issue with compiling points is due to a lack of assertiveness; he’s imaginative with the puck and has soft hands but is too concerned with defensive efforts to give it his all in the o-zone.  Expected CCHL arrival: 2021-22.