A Weekly Look at the 2019-20 Sudbury Miners: Volume 13 (Games 52-59)

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

Miners Weekly Record: 2 wins, 4 losses, 3 OT loss.
Miners League Standing: 30 wins, 21 losses, 8 OT Loss = 68 points total.

Currently sit in 5th place in the Canosa Conference, 8th overall in the CCHL.

Miners Special Teams: Power Play – 21.5% (6th); Penalty Kill – 81.2% (11th)

Miners Scoring Leader: Center Tyler Seguin (28G – 74A = 72 pts; 8th Overall in the CCHL)

Simply put, the Sudbury Miners are in a slump and the timing isn’t great.

Because of their recent stretch of play (7 out of a possible 18 points), the Miners have now seen
their lead shrink to just 4 points ahead of 6th place Victoria and 7 points ahead of 7th place Georgetown.

“This is not the time of year for us to be playing our worst hockey of the year”, stated Miner's
defenseman Josh Morrissey. “We need to right the ship and do it quickly, or else we are going to find
ourselves on the outside looking in, and we know we are better than that but we need to perform…..talk is cheap.”

In an effort to bring a little more scoring to the Miners, General Manager swung a deal with
Capeside for forward Kyle Palmieri in exchange for a pair of mid-level prospects in Alex Vlasic and Bobby Brink. The hope is that Palmieri will bring some scoring depth and a veteran presence as the Miners hit the stretch drive, looking to secure a playoff berth. He is scheduled to be a RFA this summer, but should not command too much salary, so look for him to remain in Sudbury after the season.

According to Coach Derek Sutton, “we finally have everyone healthy and with the additions made,
we are just trying to find the combinations that work best and give us the chance to win. Unfortunately, it getting close to crunch time and not ideal to find what works best…we need to figure it out and do it fast.”

MINERS PLAYER PROFILE OF THE WEEK: Ryan Suter
This veteran rearguard has built his career around being a responsible, well-rounded workhorse,
who plays big minutes in every situation. He is versatile and effective in all situations. He closes down space and cover gaps with his deceptive mobility and stickwork and has shown little signs of slowing down late in his career. Suter’s overall value has not been diminished much, as his physical play in the defensive zone and his ability to eat up minutes are still noticeable and valuable. The veteran is an unrestricted free agent this year.

MINERS PROSPECT NEED TO KNOW: Ryan Johnson
Johnson was a key driver of his Sioux Falls’ squad’s postseason run to a Clark Cup
championship last season. While he doesn’t have that “wow” factor, one needs to watch him a few times to really appreciate his offensive skills which are still developing. With that being said, he is a smooth skater, with good speed and great edges and agility. His defensive zone game is also ahead of other players in his age bracket. Now a freshman at the University of Minnesota, Johnson looks like a future second pairing mainstay, and possibly more if his instincts in the offensive zone continue to grow. Expected CCHL arrival: 2023-24.

CCHL POWER RANKINGS FOR 1/25/20...

  The newest CCHL Power Rankings don't have a lot of big changes in them but are still interesting nonetheless. The Icecats cut significantly into the Falcon's lead and make no mistake, Fort Erie and Siberia seem to be the top two teams at the trade deadline.  Then comes a cluster of three teams (HAM, SPR and SUD) that fall in after the top two. Just behind that trio we see Dayton and the Puffin. After them, Gillam is the best of the bunch and 7 other teams fighting for four playoff spots. Twenty games or so remain for most teams and we should see some clarity this time next week, not a lot but a sudden hot or cold streak with dwindling games remaining can reveal what the playoff field may wind up as.

POWER RANKINGS FOR 1/25/20...

1. FOR - 14
2. SIB - 17
3. HAM - 37
4. SPR - 40
5. SUD - 44
6. DAY - 50
7. REK - 52
8. GIL - 60
9. SEA - 69
10. GEO - 72
11. DRT - 74
12. CAP - 76

13. VIC - 77
14. CGY - 80
15. WIS - 81

LOOKING AT THE CANOSA CONFERENCE: The top five teams seem set in the Conference, with just the final seedings to be determined. Victoria holds a slim three-point lead over the charging Millers who hold a game in hand in the battle for the last post-season berth in the Conference.

OVER IN THE CORFIELD CONFERENCE: Only the top three teams seem safely bound for the playoffs with everybody a muddle behind them. Of note is the recent surge by the Parry Sound Orrsmen who, on the heels of an 8-2-0 stretch, sees them just six points behind 6th place Capeside.

See you next week!

Max on his way out of town?

Fort Erie, ON

It is becoming increasingly apparent that Max Pacioretty's days in Fort Erie appear to be numbered. 

The veteran left-winger appeared poised to ink an extension with the Falcons in the offseason to become a top-six winger next year but the addition of Artermi Panarin appears to have changed those plans. 

"Yes I've asked for a trade," said Pacioretty after practice yesterday. 

"I thought next year I would be a key contributor on this team but Panarin changes it.  There just aren't enough minutes for all of us to play in Fort Erie so I think a change is best, for sure." 

While it's true that the addition of Panarin changes things, GM Matt Young isn't so sure that Pacioretty will be the guy to go. 

"I like Max a lot.  He's played here before.  We have the basis of a 3 year, 5.5 million dollar contract agreed to for beyond this year.  If he doesn't want to stay, I'm open to dealing him now or making it a sign-and-trade in the post-season.  We need to be clear though - we never told Max he wasn't in our plans whatsoever.  He's made that decision for us." 

When asked what it would take to pry the 30 goal, 70 point guy (projected numbers for next sim season) away from the Falcons, Young was honest. 

"You see the players in that room?  It's cost us a lot of prospects and picks to put that team together so we need picks/prospects to replenish the system as we don't know when Casey (Mittelstadt) and Jesse (Puljujarvi) are going to be ready to contribute regularly upfront here.  Luckily for us, we have Dylan Strome ready to go for next year or if somebody goes down this year." 

Looking around the league one can't help but wonder how Young's phone or email is not being flooded with calls for the scoring winger.  There are a number of teams that could use scoring but remain inactive with the trade deadline quickly approaching. 

It could be an interesting week in Fort Erie as Young looks to augment his team for what he hopes is an extended playoff run. 

An Outsiders look at the CCHL finances

With only a season and a half under our belts here in Capeside, we still consider ourselves outsiders here in the CCHL. This article is by no means is criticism as I am not sure what has been tried in the past. This is just an outside perspective.

Financial Issue #1 - Revenue Model

What makes the CCHL a great league to be a part of is the financial side of it. It keeps the league balanced by not allowing teams to load up and stay on top year after year. The financial aspect allows the owners to be more involved and invested. When I look quickly at the financial page on the website, only 6 out of 22 teams are predicted to make money this year. I feel like that is an issue. Last year I was lucky enough to win 54 games in the regular season which earned $90 million. However, a team with half those wins earned only $7 million less. Where is the incentive to field a competitive team? I think the goal of the CCHL is to be as realistic as possible and if an NHL franchise were to not have a competitive team that franchise would lose revenue through a loss of ticket sales and fan support. My solution is that there should be a wider gap between the revenues for a win and a loss.

Financial Issue #2 - UFA bidding

A quick way to CCHL bankruptcy is building a team through the UFA bidding process. For the first 3 rounds, the starting point is the NHL salary, this leads to good players making high salaries and then they even get a raise off of their higher then NHL salary if a team wants to use their one UFA resign on them down the road. Last year Chara was making $13 million even though his highest salary in the NHL was $7.5 million. I understand that it's an owner's choice to bid on a UFA and it's one of many different ways to construct a roster, but I feel that there would be greater involvement and greater strategy if the bidding were to start at a point below the NHL contract.

Issue #3 - UFA resigns

A team gets only 1 UFA to resign a year and a raise comes with that resign. I would propose that a UFA resign should be treated like the RFA resign and stay the same or match the NHL salary. In a case like Chara whereas he has gotten older he took less money, A CCHL franchise should be able to receive the same benefit when resigning one of their own players.

I imagine these ideas are not perfect but maybe it can create some conversation throughout the league.

CCHL POWER RANKINGS FOR 1/18/20...

The 2020 CCHL Trade deadline is a week away and our new power rankings have gotten more interesting. This week we had to include sixteen teams that we see as having a serious shot at the playoffs. The Dartmouth Lakers make their first appearance in the power rankings at #11th overall due to a mix of them playing slightly better but also some of the teams around them playing worse. Dartmouth jumped from 15th last week overall to 12th and sit just four points from a Corfield Conference playoff spot. The offense as much as anything is responsible for the Lakers improvement as they sit 6th overall in goals scored and 6th in power-play conversion percentage. We also recognize the Wisborg Donuts who have cracked the power rankings on the basis of their 6-2-2 hot streak in the last ten games.

Will Dartmouth make a deadline or two to upgrade their blueline? We'll have to wait and see...

Here's this week's updated CCHL Power Rankings:

1. FOR - 10
2. SIB - 22
3. SPR - 37
4. SUD - 37
5. HAM - 40
6. DAY - 48
7. REK - 57
8. SEA - 65
9. GIL - 70
10. GEO - 71
11. CGY - 73
12. DRT - 78
13. CAP - 79
14. VIC - 83
15. ISL - 84
16. WIS - 85

OBSERVATIONS: 

WHO'S HOT: FOR, SIB, HAM, SPR, PAR & WIS...

WHO'S NOT: HIL, GIL, POR & MIN...

FOR GOODNESS SAKE: The Falcons hang onto the top spot in our rankings and this week, on the strength of a seven-game winning streak, have separated themselves from the rest of the pack by posting a season-low 10 point total power ranking score. How impressive have they been? They rank no worse than THIRD in ANY of the power rankings categories.

SECONDS ANYONE: A tip of the hat to Siberia who, while not quite on the level of the Falcons, sit alone in second place in the league - a healthy distance from the third-place Homers & Miners.

TIGER OR TIGGER? We need to watch Hamilton closely going forward. Since the first week of our power rankings, three weeks ago, HAM has slipped from 3rd to 4th to 5th this week. They are very close to recapturing the 3rd or 4th place but given how stacked that team is, we wonder of GM Taylor might make a deal or two this week to try and fortify the roster for the playoffs. The Tigers are a team I suspect no one really looks forward to playing...and....depending on what Chuck does...they might get stronger soon...

CONGRATS TO CAM: For cracking the top ten for the first time this year!

VICTOR/VICTOR: Also, props to Donpaulo Canosa and his Ronin for their 5-3-2 stretch over the last ten games which has kept them in the driver's seat in 6th place in the Canosa. The Millers and Express are right on his ass and the last playoff berth could go to any one of three or four teams...

See everyone next weekend with new power rankings!

Canosa Conference Scouts weigh in on trading Pekka Rinne in Dayton...

The league is abuzz about word out of Dayton earlier today that stud netminder Pekka Rinne may be moved before the deadline. Rinne has put sterling numbers together so far this season and leads the league in wins and sits top three in most other goalie stats. Dayton is mediocre when it comes to offense, but defensively they own the league's stingiest defense.

Let's examine the pro's and con's of Dayton putting Rinne on the market before the trade deadline. We've asked a few scouts from a few teams in the Canosa Conference for their candid thoughts...


The case to trade Pekka Rinne: 

Dayton owns the 15th best offense and the best defense in the league. Despite countless attempts to generate more offense, it really hasn't come together yet this year. The other teams the 'Men would have to face would all have better offenses than Dayton and an offense this weak puts an incredible amount of stress on the defense and goaltending to play error-free hockey. Let alone do it for at least three but maybe four playoff rounds. Unless Dayton's offense explodes over the next ten days or so, they should sell off Rinne and perhaps a few other valuable assets and retool for what should be an exciting season in 20-21. Rinne should bring a substantial return as perhaps the biggest difference-maker on the market.

The case to keep Pekka Rinne: 

Even without a stellar offense, Dayton has been a consistent force all year and been in the top five teams for a while. The playoffs are a case study in small-sample size madness and anything can happen in a seven-game series. Dadonov will be fully healthy soon and the Musicmen have plenty of quality depth on offense, defense and in nets with Mike Smith. Dayton will be a team nobody wants to play due to their ability to shut good scoring teams down.

The true story behind the turnaround in Steeltown

The true story behind the turnaround in Steeltown...


The Hamilton Paper Tigers completely self-destructed at the beginning of the season. They stumbled out of the gate and at the quarter pole Hamilton was 3-8-2 at home and barely over .500 on the road. The team was in eighth place in the Canosa Conference, things had begun looking bleak and the team chemistry was nonexistent. Things came to a head at practice when after losing their 6th in a row a line brawl broke out. The dressing room was a mess with cliques that had formed within the players. The staff was demoralized and goalie coach Rollie Melanson quit in despair.

Team Owner Chuck Taylor was forced to step in. “I was about to blow everything up and go into
rebuild mode. I have been spending like water to build the best team in the CCHL and the spoiled
millionaires couldn't get along.” This was an ultimate Hail Mary but I remembered En vino veritas and we needed some truth. The Tigers lost two more in a row then had a 4 day layover. Taylor loaded the entire team up after a game in Dayton, including training and medical staff and flew to Budapest.

The franchise still owns training facilities located there from their previous incarnation as the Honved. A In the Pearl of the Danube over many bottles of slivovitz and a few barely refereed bare knuckle bouts the team worked out their differences. Mark Crawford and his staff departed on the first day after objecting to being told they might be expected to answer the bell and take a turn in the cage.

New head coach Kirk Muller arrived the next morning and the mood of the team changed when he KOed a mouthy Boo Nieves. Once a few missing teeth were dealt with, stitches were installed and Neives cleared concussion protocol everyone was on the same page. During the return flight, Ilya Kovalchuk was dropped off with single-A affiliate Jarvis Corn Kings of the Federal League to “Work on his attitude.” Kovalchuk was about to wing his way back to Russia and the KHL when his agent pointed out a clause in his contract that states if he refuses to report he would have to return the entirety of his $7,000,000 salary. “Was last chance contract. We hate busses but already spent much money and can no pay back. So bus we go.”

Hamilton lost their next game in regulation with only Muller behind the bench and definitely not because of the extended hangover. Assistants Chris Nilan, Saku Koivu, and goaltending coach Felix Potvin joined the team the next day Since game 25 the Tigers rose like the mythical phoenix-like from the ashes of what looked like a failed season. During that period these Steel Tigers have gone 20-0-7 going unbeaten in regulation in 27 games climbing from being on the playoff bubble to 2nd place in the conference and 2pts out of 1st overall.

Kovalchuk also made great strides on his tour of small-town North America. He scored 30 goals and
47 points in his 10 games in the Federal League and after an interview with Muller was promoted to the Brantford 99's of the ECHL. Kovy averaged 4 points a game in the Telephone City despite the bus-lag and spent 6 games there before moving on to the Spiders in the Big Smoke. Due to an injury on the main club, Kovalchuk made an appearance in the Hammer picking up an assist and according to team sources acting like a team first player before returning to Toronto. He seems primed and ready to make his full-time CCHL return.

With the trade deadline rapidly approaching the question in Hamilton fans minds is will Taylor stand
pat? With his team flying high will he on a roll the dice on team chemistry. Would it even be possible
to move Kovalchuk? We will know in just 16 days.

A Look at the Millers Recently Acquired Players

In the midst of a terribly disappointing season that has seen the club deal foundational stalwarts such as Brett Pesce, Brayden Schenn and Roman Josi, the Millers have sought to restock a system depleted by several years of “win-now” trades. While bringing in multiple highly-rated prospects was the main emphasis, Georgetown also sought young talent who could potentially contribute this season or next.

Below are some notes on 4 of those players.

Dominik Kahun, F - Kahun, 24, was acquired from Dayton along with 3 prospects for Travis Sanheim, who himself was part of the return for Brett Pesce. Kahun can play all 3 forward positions and across a variety of lines. Currently, he’s only seen time on the 4th line in Georgetown but that could change as the Millers try to move out some more veteran forwards. He’s more of a passer than a goal scorer, and although not a physical player is strong defensively. His skillset suggests a middle 6 winger and 2nd Power Play unit contributor who should reliably score 40 points a season and could have the odd 50 to 60 point years with some luck. Looking ahead to the 20-21 season expect Kahun to play as a winger on the 2nd line and on the PP.

Taro Hirose, F – Hirose, 23, isn’t eligible to play this season but could see time next year. He came into the 19-20 NHL season as a darkhorse Calder candidate but was sent to the AHL after 23 underwhelming games. He is very similar in skillset to Kahun but not as strong defensively. Hirose has to play a top 6 role and on the PP to have any chance as a contributor. He’s expected to be a depth player on next year’s squad and may never be a full-time player, but as the return for Siberia’s rental of Paul Byron, he’s a low risk/high reward lottery ticket.

Madison Bowey, D - The 24-year-old Bowey was acquired from Minnesota for prospects Cole Fonstad and Linus Karlsson. Both prospects are considered long-shots to have any meaningful pro career, so Georgetown felt there was little risk in acquiring the offensive-minded blueliner. And while Bowey can put some points up, his defensive issues can give them right back. If Bowey can get his D work up to even a barely average level, he could carve out a career as a 3rd pairing/PP specialist type of player. That’s the role the Millers envision for him in the 20-21 season.

Rocco Grimaldi, F – Grimaldi is 26 years old and had never established himself as a full-time NHL player since being drafted in the 2nd round back in 2011. He’s found a home in Nashville the last couple of NHL seasons, and the Millers thought enough of him to sign him from the UFA pool for the next 2 years. At 5’6 Grimaldi will not be expected to play a defensive role, but his energy and offense should make him a highly skilled 4th liner or a stop-gap 2nd liner on a rebuilding club. The 20-21 Millers fit the latter description; Grimaldi could put up 35-40 points as a 2nd line winger and 2nd PP unit contributor.

A Weekly Look at the 2019-20 Sudbury Miners: Volume 12 (Games 48-51)

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

Miners Weekly Record: 3 wins, 1 loss, 0 OT loss.
Miners League Standing: 28 wins, 18 losses, 5 OT Loss = 61 points total.

Currently sit in 5th place in the Canosa Conference, 8th overall in the CCHL.

Miners Special Teams: Power Play – 21.2% (8th); Penalty Kill – 81.8% (7th)

Miners Scoring Leader: Center Tyler Seguin (22G – 39A = 61 pts; 10th Overall in the CCHL)

The Miners continue to keep pace with the upper end of the standings in the CCHL – never losing
any ground, but never gaining any. But their consistency in recent weeks has seen them open up a
sizeable gap of 11 pts over 7th place Long Island and they now sit comfortably in a playoff spot with 30 games to go.

“We are liking the consistency in our game lately”, stated Miners forward Sebastian Aho. “We
have had a lot of changes to the roster this year, me included, but now everyone seems to be getting
healthy and comfortable, so we are excited to see what the rest of the season and playoffs will bring.”
It is true the Miners are starting to get healthy again and should have their full roster for the first
time this season with the return of defenseman Ryan Murray. Management is hoping for good health for the remainder of the year so that this team can really show its fan base what it is capable of.
With the trade deadline fast approaching, there are rumors that General Manager Terry James
has dipped his toes into the trade waters but nothing appears to be on the front burner at this point.
Given the moves he has made earlier this year, one would not expect the Miners to be too active on the trade front.

But…..it is the CCHL and that could all change with a quick e-mail……

MINERS PLAYER PROFILE OF THE WEEK: Vincent Trocheck

Trocheck is a shifty and creative forward, whose main strength is driving play by his great skating.
He has good hands with good offensive vision. He is a very underrated talent. He drives strong to the
net, can spin off pressure and can generate plays off the cycle. He is a very responsible forward in his
own end as well and has often been used on the penalty kill for the Miners in recent years. He is one of the Miner's most trusted forwards, and is a leader in the dressing room. Given his talent and the depth that the Miners are beginning to show, he could push for another 30 goal and 70-point season.

MINERS PROSPECT NEED TO KNOW: Joel Farabee

Farabee decided to turn pro after only one season at Boston University, but he is still slight and
will have a harder time gaining muscle mass under the pro schedule. Having said that, the upside is that he could probably play in the top six for some teams right away and has the two way game to mature into a rare Selke candidate from the wing within a few short years. Despite his lack of mass, he is strong. His offensive tools are high end. He was close to a point per game player as a freshman on a mediocre team and performed well as an 18-year old in the WJC. A cerebral player, Farabee can control the pace of the game better than many centers. He is an impact player even when he doesn’t score, but there is no reason why he shouldn’t score at a top-six level in the CCHL. Expected CCHL arrival: 2021-22.

Why we sat Pekka Rinne...

Some have asked why Dayton sat Pekka Rinne for a week when the team was within 2 points of having the best record in the CCHL? Dayton actually led the CCHL in winning percentage for a few days just before Christmas and things seemed to be going well.

So, why did Rinne get sat down?

Short answer, he was tired.

Like really tired.

"Olin niin väsynyt menemään jouluun, pyysin vähän taukoa, jotta olisin valmiina pudotuspeliin. Voin paljon paremmin." (Translation: "I was so tired heading into Christmas, I asked for a bit of a break so I'd be ready for the playoff push. I feel much better," said Rinne.)

Pekka Rinne had started forty-five of Dayton's first fifty games in this season. Corey Crawford, now a member of the Millers, had one start in net and did relief duty in two other games that Rinne started. To start 90% of a team's first fifty games is a bit unusual and especially in Simon, where fatigue and a sometimes quirky schedule puts goalies in a position of three games in three nights.

Rinne has performed as well as any other goalie in the league. Rinne's body of work for the 2019-20 season puts him in an elite stature among other CCHL netminders.

1st in Wins
2nd in save percentage
2nd in goals-against average
3rd in shots faced
3rd in minutes played

A W/L record of 31-12-3 from the veteran Finnish goalie puts him at the top of any serious MVP list for the Musicmen this season.

General manager Bill Corfield, when asked about Rinne's future with the team after last night's victory over Capeside responded, "Pekka is a huge, HUGE part of our team. His performance has been outstanding this year and he looked strong and fresh last night against the Loons, stopping 24 of 25 shots. He's our horse, our number one if anyone had any doubts about that. Mike Smith has done exactly what we thought he would do when we traded for him. He's one of the best backup goalies in the CCHL and we're happy to have him."

Looking forward to next season, Dayton has a bit of a surplus of depth in nets. Rookies Tristan Jarry (who currently leads the NHL in save percentage and GAA) and Pavel Francouz (who sits fifth in NHL save % and top ten in GAA) will easily qualify for a full season for the 'Men in 20-21. "To have two younger options in net going forward gives us a lot of flexibility. It's possible we might move one of our goalies prior to the CCHL trade deadline. The return for either would have to be a significant upgrade to our team," said the GM.

When asked if Rinne would be back next year, Corfield said, "Maybe. He's a number one and would make any team he'd play for better, no question about it. Our team profiles well for next season..the Guentzel thing really hurts, for sure, but we like how we look today and heading into 20-21. And before you ask, could we possibly trade Rinne before the deadline, let me say it would take a helluva offer. We see ourselves as a serious contender right now. Defense wins championships and we're the best defensive team in the league. On the other hand, if we found ourselves  - for whatever reason - thinking this wasn't going to be our year - remember we have a heck of a stretch of games against Siberia, Hamilton etc...coming up to measure ourselves by - we'd have to have a serious conversation about microtargeting the teams that could use an upgrade in nets heading into the playoffs."

"Right now, Pekka is the man in the Dayton nets, but never say never..."

CCHL POWER RANKINGS FOR 1/10/20...

The trade deadline is approaching and after a flurry of moves, we present our second installment of the CCHL Power Rankings. The top two teams (FOR & SIB) stay the same, SPR & HAM trade places, SEA moves up two places and three teams (GEO, ISL & VIC) are fighting for their playoff lives. It should be an exciting couple weeks until the trade deadline and then beyond as teams jockey for playoff positioning, especially the coveted first-round byes.


POWER RANKING FOR 1/11/20:

1. FOR - 16
2. SIB - 19
3. HAM - 36
4. SUD - 37
5. SPR - 38
6. REK - 45
7. DAY - 49
8. GIL - 60
9. CGY - 66
10. SEA - 70
11. GEO - 76
12. CAP - 78
13. ISL - 80
14. VIC- 82

OBSERVATIONS:

*VICTOR, VICTOR: VIC seems in the driver's seat in the Canosa Conference. The Ronin hold a three-point lead over ISL and GEO. Don't look now, but the CCHL's reigning champions are just two points behind GEO & ISL...

*THE END IS NEAR? The playoff teams may be known in the Corfield Conference. Seattle has a six-point lead and a game in hand over Dartmouth. Six points is a pretty big margin to overcome at this point of the season.

*THESE TEAMS ARE HOT: HAM, SIB, REK & SPR...

*THESE TEAMS ARE NOT: POR, HIL, GEO & DRT...

*DID YOU KNOW? In the last ten games, of the current playoff teams in the Canosa Conference, no team has a losing record. Conversely, in the Corfield Conference, three teams have winning records, while three do not.

CCHL 2019-2020 Mid-Season Awards Nominees

Hello, sports fans. Today I am coming to you from warm Novosibirsk, where the locals are tanning in this warm 32 degrees F (0 Celsius) weather. I had a chance to meet with local sportswriters about the current CCHL season. We will be looking at early nominees for most of the major awards this CCHL season. 

The voting is based on nominations by the Siberian Hockey Writers Association...but mostly by Kate Upton. While there were many viable candidates, the nominees below were chosen based on how they have performed thus far, as we are a little more than halfway through the CCHL season. With that, let's get to the awards and the mid-season nominees!

Lady Byng - given to the most gentlemanly player. These guys are practically nuns!

 Matthew Barzal - ISL: 6 PIM in 49 games
 Jakub Vrana - MIN: 2 PIM in 48 games
 TJ Brodie - POR: 4 PIM in 47 games
 Brandon Saad - VIC: 2 PIM in 48 games
 and finally, William Karlsson - SUD: 0 PIM in 40 games! "Excuse me, I don't mean to bump into you, but would you mind letting me pass so I can score this goal?"

Selke - given to the best defensive forward

 Gabriel Landeskog - ISL: tied for the league lead with a +20, while scoring 56 points in 48 games
 Jonathan Huberdeau - SPR: tied with Landeskog, scoring at almost a PPG
 TJ Oshie - SPR: the other part of that fabulous line for Springfield, is a +19 with 52 points in 49 games
 William Karlsson - SPR: completing out the trio is William Karlsson, who is tied for 2nd in the league at +19 with 63 points in 49 games
 Mark Stone - SIB: Siberia's top winger is a +14 while averaging a PPG

Calder - given to the best rookie (min 20 games played in NHL 2017-18 season to qualify)

 Elias Petterson - WIS: The Swedish wiz has put up 30 points in 47 games for last year's runner up Donuts
 Jordan Binnington - GEO: The rookie netminder has 12 wins and a .901 S% for the rebuilding Millers
 Anthony Cirelli - LAS: The young 2-way forward has 18 points in only 29 games
 Devon Toews - MIN: This young defenseman has not been able to consistently be in the lineup, but when he does, he is a dynamo, scoring 15 points in 19 games
 Zach Aston-Reese - GIL: The only nominee with 2 last names, he has quietly put up 26 points in 43 games for the Sharks

Norris - given to the best defenseman
 Brent Burns - SIB: the Siberia rearguard leads the league with 69 points in 50 games

Unrestricted
 Morgan Rielly - FOR: the slick skating defenseman leads the Falcons with 58 points in 50 games
 Jacob Trouba - VIC: this tough, 2-way dman is also having a great year, scoring 55 points in 47 games
 Ryan McDonagh - WIS: the veteran defender is second on his team in scoring with 54 points in 47 games
 Mattias Ekholm - SEA: the stalwart defenseman is also second on his team in scoring with 52 points in 47 games

Vezina - given to the best goaltender

 Ben Bishop - SPR: The veteran netminder has been traded, but he is helping lead one of the best teams, Springfield, with a league leading .916 S%
 Pekka Rinne - DAY: the big, Finnish netminder has helped Dayton be one of the best this year, leading the league in wins with 30
 John Gibson - FOR: this unsung hero in net has backstopped one of the best defensive teams this year, with a league leading 2.73 GAA
 Frederik Andersen - SUD: Frederik has been solid for Sudbury, helping them win games and is currently 3rd in the league with a 2.82 GAA
 Andrei Vasilevskiy - HAM: this perennial Vezina candidate is having another solid season and is currently 2nd in the league with 28 wins

Jennings - given to the team/goalies with the fewest goals against thus far

 DAY: currently sit atop the league with 136 goals against
 SPR & SUD: tied for 2nd with only 141 goals against
 FOR: in 4th place with 145 goals against
 CLG & GEO: in 5th place with 147 goals against

And finally, we have the grand-daddy of the awards, the Hart Trophy, given to the player who is the most valuable to his team

 Connor McDavid - SIB: the young captain has taken this team on his shoulders and has helped them to the top of the Canosa conference, with 78 points in 48 games
 Patrik Kane - HAM: the veteran winger is leading the surging Tigers (who are currently 2nd in the Canosa conference) with 68 points in 50 games
 John Gibson - FOR: the young netminder has backstopped the Falcons into a tie for 1st overall in the league, and leads the league with a 2.73 GAA
 William Karlsson - SPR: the young center is leading Springfield and making people notice with 63 points in 49 games
 Pekka Rinne - DAY: the Finnish wall has helped make Dayton the best defensive team in the league

Unrestricted

Well sports fans, there you have it, the mid-season nominees for the coveted CCHL awards. Come back at the end of year to see who Kate Upton...I mean the Siberian Hockey Writers Association votes for these awards. Until then, stay cold!

Trade Analysis: Who is making trades?: Don’t buy a house in Fort Erie

From time to time I look at the transactions page and wonder what the heck is going on? Often there is a flurry of trades that I had no idea happened until well after the trades have occurred. I don’t consider myself super active in the trade market, but I do think that I am fairly involved, it got me to wondering. How active am I compared to others? Welcome to the first of a dive in the trade analysis of the CCHL.

I have tried this analysis in the past and got hung up on tracking team relocations and tying existing teams to previous teams that were on the disk, to deal with this I chose to go back only to the start of the 2015 season. There were still some relocations that happened, but it at least allowed for me to handle it without having to go back and
spend significant time wondering who the acronym was and then what team that was now. I just used Excel to search and filter through the data to look for only trades and then break it down by teams trading for and to.

The result is that there were 796 trades from the start of the 2015 season (immediately after the waiver) and Jan 6th, 2020. That is a lot of moves that Bill and co. had to deal with, so thank you, everyone, involved! Getting a total number was fairly easy and likely not worth a blog so I wanted to get a better idea of the teams making moves.



The end result is not really shocking, Fort Erie with 188 moves and Dayton with 187 are well ahead of the pack. Springfield sits almost exactly in the middle, so I guess I was accurate in my assessment of my activity level.

Where does your team sit? Is it where you expected? Are you like me and get very nervous about making the wrong move and have held back?

Next up, with all those trades….who are the most frequent partners? There are a variety of approaches in the league with teams built on trades and through the draft? I wonder if there is a correlation with team success and trades?

Good luck with the upcoming trading deadline!

One caveat, I have no done a deep dive to look at the data and make sure it is all right. My tests seem to indicate that the numbers are true which surprised me for some teams but please let me know if you see anything that looks way off.

Springfield (special thanks to Matt for the title)

Georgetown Millers Prospects Mid­Season Update

Georgetown Millers Prospects

Mid­Season Update

When the first look at the Millers prospects was published in the early part of the season, this was their top 10:



1. Ilya Samsonov
2. Ty Smith
3. Tyler Madden
4. Calen Addison
5. Karl Henriksson
6. Samuel Fagemo
7. Oskari Laaksonen
8. David Farrance
9. Janne Kuokonnen
10. Dustin Wolf

Since then Samsonov, Addison and Wolf have been traded in win­now deals that have turned
out badly as the club, even at full­strength, was languishing in the 6 spot in the Canosa
Conference. Losing huge sums of money and unable to coax any consistent winning streak, the
decision to rebuild was made a couple of weeks before Christmas when Brayden Schenn was
dealt to Victoria. Captain Roman Josi was dispatched to Dayton for a large haul of prospects
reflected in the updated list below, and other trades have followed that have restored the Millers
prospect depth.

11. Alex Newhook, C ­ The centerpiece of the Josi trade, Newhook has 12 points in 15
NCAA games as a true freshman. Outlook: 2nd line forward at minimum and special
teams ace.
12. Ty Smith, D ­ 17 points in 21 WHL games is a comedown from previous seasons, and
he has 3 points in 6 WJC games to date. Outlook: top 4 Dman and PP stalwart.
13. Rasmus Kupari, C ­ A serious knee injury in the WJC ends his season early. Was
keeping his head above water as a 19 year­old in the AHL with 6 goals in 27 games.
Outlook: Top 6 forward.

14. Owen Tippett, RW ­ 13 goals in 37 AHL games as a 20 year­old. Pure sniper still
rounding out his overall game. Outlook: 2nd line RW/PP stud.
15. Tyler Madden, C ­ 26 points in 19 NCAA games as a sophomore. Well­rounded game
and improved skating enhances chance of a top 6 role in the pros. Outlook: Elite 3rd line
C/special teams star or above average 2nd line C.
16. Martin Fehevary, D ­ 20 year­old in first AHL season has 11 points in 31 games. Isn’t
splashy and probably not a top pairing future, but has a solid all­around game Outlook:
2nd pairing Dman with 40 point upside.
17. Alexi Heponiemi, C ­ Biggest wild card in this group; skill is elite but is tiny and first AHL
season has been poor with 8 points in 30 games. Outlook: 2nd line Forward, but huge
bust risk.
18. Ian Mitchell, D ­ NCAA rearguard has 13 points in 19 games.No outstanding traits
physically or skill­wise but is intelligent and very good with the puck. Outlook: 2nd pairing
Dman.
19. Carl Grundstrom, RW ­ Injuries have hampered his progress but his game draws
comparisons to Red Wings legend Tomas Holmstrom. Outlook: 2nd line winger and PP
stud.
20. Jett Woo, D ­ In contrast to many of the Millers blueline prospects, Woo is a bruiser who
has the skill to contribute 30 points a season. Outlook: Shutdown Defender with offense.

Honorable Mentions:

Samuel Fagemo, RW ­ Swedish winger has had an amazing WJC with 11 points in 6 games.
No jaw­dropping skills but he finds ways to shoot the puck and score. Outlook: Middle 6 winger
and PP contributor.

Elvis Merzilkins, G ­ 25 year­old in first North American season. Probably not a star, but should
be an average goalie most years. Outlook: 1B/Backup Goaltender

David Farrance, D ­ 22 points, including 12 goals, in 17 NCAA games. Breathtaking skater and
if the offense translates to the pros he could be a star. Outlook: 3rd pairing Dman/PP specialist.

SPR Prospects at World Juniors

Been done by others but Springfield wanted to get in on the action.  It is interesting to think your prospects are great and wonder how many are in the Junior tournament but then only end up with a handful.  Either way, there are some interesting potential Isotopes that are representing their countries.

Antti Saarela (W - Finland – NHL Draft 123rd overall by Chicago/125th overall by Springfield)  -  Saarela plays a fearless style of game and isn’t afraid to get his nose dirty, he is a great skater who can create offensive opportunities because of his speed and plays a reliable defensive game as well.

Moritz Seider (D - Germany – NHL Draft 6th overall by Detroit/17th overall by Springfield)
Springfield’s top pick in the 2019 draft, the big German defenseman has endeared himself to the locals overseas, where he has matched his great skating and skill with a physical edge that gets Topes fans roaring in the stands.

Martin Has (D- Czech Republic – NHL Draft 153rd overall by Washington/204th overall by Springfield) - Hugo creates offense in the modern style of NHL defensemen: jumping into the rush, taking shots from in close, and always being a passing option. His slapshot isn't the booming slapper that everyone loves, but the release is good, and he doesn't need to bomb the top corners if he can keep it low for tips and deflections.

Olivier Rodrigue (G – Canada – 2018 NHL Draft 62nd overall by Edmonton/36th overall by Springfield) - Agile goaltender with good reflexes and the ability to stay poised when under pressure. He’ll need some time in the minors before being CCHL ready.

Barrett Hayton (C – Canada – 2018 NHL Draft 5th overall by Arizona/11th overall by Fort Erie)
Hayton has been named Team Canada’s captain for the World Junior Championship. someone who does a lot of things well. He can score with an excellent shot. He’s a good passer. He has some of the best hands in this draft. He can kill penalties and isn’t afraid to forecheck the heck out of you. He’s relentless in his own end.

Springfield is looking forward to seeing what the young guys can do for the team in the near future....and drafting some eligible players to join.

Springfield Times

AROUND THE CCHL: POWER RANKINGS RETURN!!!

Today we bring back our weekly power rankings, in a modified form of what we used to publish a few years ago.

The rankings will target the top twelve teams each week and ranking them in the following categories:

1. Winning percentage: this is weighed twice as much as the rest of the categories are. It's all about winning in the CCHL those teams that get their players to "over-perform" due to effective line setting are rewarded. 

2. Goals For rank

3. Goals Against rank

4. Power Play %

5. Penalty Killing %

The formula I'm using, as I did in the past, is...

The ranking of WIN% X 2 + the ranking of GF+GA+PP%+PK% = Total raw score.

I then rank the teams from 1-12, based on their raw score. The lower the score a team has the better.

In some weeks, due to ties in winning percentages, there may be more than twelve teams listed in the power rankings.

(I'll do this every weekend, time permitting...)

POWER RANKING FOR 1/4/20:

1. Fort Erie - 15
2. Siberia - 27
3. Springfield - 37
4. Hamilton - 39
5. Sudbury - 40
6. Reykjavik - 41
7. Dayton - 42
8. Gillam - 60
9. Calgary - 70
10. Capeside - 76
11. Georgetown- 77
12. Seattle - 79

OBSERVATIONS: 

*DON PAULO PATEA CULO: The Canosa Conference dominates the first six positions with five teams represented. Dayton, 7th best overall, is just a few points out of 4th and only five points out of third overall. But, for this week, Canosa Conference is rocking...

*HEY, WHAT ABOUT US??? Three other teams caught my eye but didn't qualify for this week's rankings based on their lower winning %. Long Island and Victoria are both tied with Georgetown for the last playoff spot in the Canosa Conference. Graded out, the Express earn 70 pts., which would put them in a tie for 9th with Calgary. The Ronin earned 83 pts, which would've left them on the outside looking in. In the Corfield Conference, Dartmouth sits a single point behind Seattle in the standings and when graded, earn 76 pts., which would've tied them for 10th with the Loons. Keep an eye on all three of these teams and don't be surprised if one or more breaks into next week's power rankings.

*FORT ERIE IS GOOD. SERIOUSLY. The Falcons are the creme de la cream of the CCHL. Strong across all five categories, they are no worse than top five in each. Let's be honest, Fort Erie is so good, we should just pack it in and get ready for baseball. (Fun Fact: Mr. Young is good at that, too!) The Falcons should have no trouble winning their first CCHL Champions Cup in a couple months. Amiright? :)

*GOOD THINGS HAPPEN IN THREE'S: There's an interesting battle in the Canosa between Siberia, Hamilton, and Springfield, three of the top four teams in the CCHL based on the power rankings. Looking at the rest of the schedule, I wanted to see how difficult each of their schedules look. Looking at the top six teams in winning percentage (FOR, SIB, DAY, HAM, REK & SPR,) this is how it looks for the trio of terrific teams in the Canosa.

# of games vs. (FOR, SIB, DAY, HAM, REK & SPR,)

Springfield Isotopes have 7 games...
Hamilton Tigers have 7 games...
Siberia Icecats have 9 games...

Don't be surprised if those two additional games the Icecates have to play against the league's best wind up making a difference at the end of the regular season standings, playoff seedings, first-round byes, etc... FUN SHIT!!!

See you next week!

Bill (I need more offense) Corfield

If the Playoffs started today...

If the Playoffs started today...

It's fun to look ahead and see how our postseason might look.

Last year, in the Canosa Conference, the following teams, by rank, made the playoffs:

1) MIN- 112 pts.
2) HAM- 101
3) GEO- 98
4) SPR- 98
5) SUD- 96
6) ISL- 89

And in the Corfield Conference, these were the playoff teams:

1) CAP- 110 pts.
2) WIS- 100
3) POR- 94
4) CGY- 91
5) DAY- 89
6) FOR- 89

Compared to this season's current standings:

 Canosa Conference teams by rank:

1) SIB
2) HAM
3) SPR
4) REK
5) SUD
6) GEO

And in the Corfield Conference: 

1) FOR
2) DAY
3) GIL
4) CGY
5) CAP
6) SEA

*Barring an improvement in the second half of the season, MIN, ISL, WIS & POR wouldn't return to the playoffs after appearing last season.

*Six teams would have missed playoffs in both seasons. (DRT, NIA, PAR, VIC, LAS & HIL...)

*Of the four teams that received first-round byes (last year and this year's projected), only one, the Hamilton Tigers would've have earned one in each season.

*Teams have roughly 13 games left until the 2029 CCHL Trade Deadline goes into effect, which allows plenty of time for general managers to address issues their teams have or sell-off spare parts that may be heading to unrestricted free agency after the season ends. There's always a few blockbuster type deals where some teams surprise us.

*Currently, there are several teams on the outside of the playoffs but within five points of capturing a post-season berth.

Who will the sellers be? Who will the buyers be?

Who will fall out of a playoff berth and who might climb into one?

Time will tell...