A Weekly Look at the 2018-19 Sudbury Miners: Volume 16

A Weekly Look at the 2018-19 Sudbury Miners:  Volume 16

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

Miners Weekly Record:  0 wins, 3 losses, 1 OT loss.

Miners League Standing:  31 wins, 23 losses, 7 OT Loss = 69 points total.  Currently sit in 4th place in the Canosa Conference, 9th overall in the CCHL.

Miners Special Teams:  Power Play – 21.2% (13th); Penalty Kill – 80.0% (10th)

Miners Scoring Leader:  Center Vincent Trocheck (21G – 49A = 70 pts; 11th Overall in the CCHL)

After going 6-3-1 in their previous 10 games, the Miners could not have picked a worst time to have an off week.  The Miners went 0-3-1 for the week, but somehow even with their performance this past week, the Miners still remain in 4th spot in the Canosa Conference, and but the gap has closed 5 points ahead of 7th place Springfield, who has 2 games in hand.

“Brutal……just (expletive) brutal.  There is no point in sugar coating what this past week was for us”, stated Miners defenceman Andy Greene.  “It just goes to show how quick things can change in the CCHL. One week were are on a good roll and then the next week, our wheels fall off and we look worse than the Anaheim Ducks!  It’s embarrassing.”

 With just 20 games remaining in the CCHL season and the playoff race being as tight as it is, the Miners can ill-afford to have a repeat of last week and hope to taste post season action for the first time in franchise history.

MINERS PLAYER PROFILE OF THE WEEK:  Travis Konecny

Simply put, Konecny is a fiery competitor with great hands in tight, balanced skating and world class lateral agility.  He likes to beat the goalie laterally, stretching him out to create – and exploit – those holes created. He has an excellent shot with a heavy and quick release which allows him to pick his spots.  Konecny is also a heads up playmaker and is very accurate with his passes. Despite being a bit undersized, he will take hits to make a play. He continues to work on his game, and has the potential to become an effective penalty killer.  A natural leader, it would not be a surprise to see him wear a letter at some point in his career.

MINERS PROSPECT NEED TO KNOW:  Ian Mitchell

Mitchell is another modern, undersized blueliner, who currently plys his trade in the NCAA with Denver.  The Canadian World Junior player is a tremendous skater with good hockey sense and plays with poise, skill, and confidence. Although his shot is somewhat lacking to expect a fulltime role on the power play, Mitchell does move the puck very well.  Away from the puck, he makes up for his lack of size with hard work and great stick placement. He needs another two years with the Pioneers before themaking the jump to the CCHL, but he still projects as a probable second-to-pairing blueliner at his highest level.  Expected CCHL arrival: 2023-24.