The 2018/19 season began with no unreal expectations. General Manager Terry James talked about his idea that a lot of his young prospects would gain another year of valuable experience, and there would be a few bumps and bruises along the way.
But something happened this year in the Nickel City. Some of the youth performed better than expected. They also received career season from a number of players on the roster and there is no reason to believe that there will be a drop-off. There were a few savvy trades that paid immediate dividends. When it was all said and done, the Miners would finish the season 7th overall and clinch the franchise’s first playoff birth, versus Springfield.
Despite the playoff loss in 5 games, the Miners season of growth could be considered a reasonable success. Armed with 11 first round picks in this years CCHL Entry Draft, the outlook for the Miners is bright.
Here is the Good, the Bad and the Ugly for the 2018/19 edition of the Sudbury Miners.
THE GOOD
Playoffs?!? Yes, Playoffs!
It was supposed to be another year of growth in Sudbury. A .500 team given where the team finished last year was a very optimistic, but realistic goal. As the season wore on, the talk of playoffs grew louder and louder and the young team responded. Instead of buckling under the pressure, the Miners responded to finish the season 7th overall and clinch the first playoff berth in franchise history.
Vincent Trocheck
The Miners top scorer was simply brilliant this year and was their team MVP most nights. He finished with 94 points (good for 11th overall), and was one of two Miner players (Sam Reinhart being the other) to break the 30 goal barrier. Barring any unforeseen injury, there is no reason to expect a drop off next year. He is the real deal.
THE BAD
Defensive Coverage
This was a problem for the Miners for most of the season. The defense was young, and many of the problems in their own zone were covered up by the solid play of goaltender Freddie Andersen. But, as Springfield showed in the playoffs, this group just is not seasoned enough. Experience and continued development should eventually make this a strength of this team.
THE UGLY
Shots Against
The Miners were in the bottom third of the CCHL for Shots Against, and it is a dangerous recipe to rely on your goaltender to bail you out all the time. The great teams do not do this. If Sudbury wants to go from good to great, they will need this young defense core to do a better job of limiting shots against.
Power Play
While better than last year, the Miners finished the season with the power play at 20.7%, good for only 13th overall. Compare that to top-ranked Reykjavik, which ran at 25.9%. If the team was struggling defensively or trailing in a game, they needed the power play to capitalize on chances to stay in games. Simply put, this did not happen often enough, especially in the playoffs.
Despite bowing out early in the playoffs, this season showed unexpected growth and great promise for the future. Patience is a word being thrown around in Sudbury. Patience to let the youth continue to develop and to resist the urge to make a huge move will dictate if they continue to trend upwards. The could be the start of an interesting time in Sudbury.
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