Passwords coming to the Simon T client

One thing you’ll notice in the coming weeks is that I will be contacting everyone with a password for next season’s Simon T client.

You will need this password to open your team’s information in order to submit lines.

If you are sitting at home in self-isolations wondering if I’ve lost my mind, rest assured I haven’t yet.  Alright well don’t ask my wife that question as it may yield a different result, but at least I don’t feel that way yet.

The reason for the password this upcoming season is that we will not longer have a need to email in your lineups like you have the past few years.

Simply put you download the file as normal.  You would then adjust your lines and save the file to your hard drive.  At that point in time, it will ask you to FTP the file to the server and you answer that with a ‘yes’.  The file then uploads to the website for you.

What happens from there?  When I sign into the Simon T simulator I can then simply download all the lineups from the server that have been uploaded.  I do not have to manually complete the task as Bill has had to do for the past almost 20 years with APBA and Simon T.

The reason why we are passwording for each team is that with the upload to the server, I cannot tell who has uploaded what profile to the server.  While I believe we have an upstanding group of General Managers, in order to protect the integrity of the lineups submitted, we need to password protect each team.

I’m excited for this change because I believe it’ll make everyone’s life easier when submitting lineups and certainly mine easier for getting them updated in the simulator.

If you have any questions about it, please let me know.  Please note this is not in effect yet but will be once you receive an email from me.

Incoming Commissioner Commissioner's Corner

NEW guy Commissioner Corner

Welcome, everyone to the new guy Commissioner's corner, or shall we say, incoming Commissioners Commissioner’s Corner!

What’s going on around the league you ask?  Well, lots of it that’s for sure.

I’ve been working to migrate the CCHL files over to the new website and giving Bill back his site in relation to the CCHL.

I’ve got to teach Terry how to work through the prospect and draft pick files in the coming week or so as well.  We cannot open trading without it as trying to maintain that and all other league business would be simply overwhelming.

We have completed the three-team dispersal draft and I believe that we have some very even rosters as a result of the drafts.  I’m excited to see how Charlie, Brad, and Amos Maxine further refine their rosters as trading opens and free agency happens.

What else is going on you ask?  Well, Covid-19 continues to make things interesting and I am trying to determine the steps for the league in terms of a new disk.  It appears that there might be a new disk already produced by the team we got this year’s from – but I am awaiting confirmation on that.  It would be nice for that to be there already but it would also delay trading opening up as I’m sure everyone would rather have the new ratings to evaluate trades with.

I know you are reading this likely saying “how are there new ratings Matt?  The NHL season isn’t done yet….”

You’re absolutely right it’s not done yet – or is it?  We don’t know but what we do know from those I’ve talked to in the community is that the disk is basically complete at this point annually anyways with minor adjustments that take place over the last ten games.  With 70-71 games in the books for most teams, it’s plenty of sample size to work off of and if they weren’t rating throughout the year we would not get disks in April anyways.

I’m comfortable with the body of work they have put together in the past for us and I’m excited to import the ratings.

If the disk isn’t ready, I’ll work through converting the three dispersal teams with their new rosters (prospects and picks are already done) and then open trading.

I’ve noticed quite a few trade blocks going out already.  I ask that everyone remain diligent in checking their emails this time of year or notifying the league if you are going to be away so our franchises are not waiting for a reply that isn’t coming.

That’s all I have for you currently.  I hope everyone is safe during this tumultuous time in the world.  Stay in, stay safe and respond to trade offers timely!

-Matt

Falcons face uphill battle in finals...

After having dropped both games on home ice, the Fort Erie Falcons find themselves with an unenviable task of trying to tie the series in Siberia.

Siberia goaltender Matt Murray has been the star of the series thus far, stopping 62 out of the 65 shots faced in the final.  The Falcons have only been able to score with any consistency on the man advantage as their five-on-five offence has disappeared. 

Heading back to the Corfield Conference final, Fort Erie has only won once in their past five games and is playing the worst hockey of their entire season; despite being very much in both games.

Morgan Reilly has certainly been on the hot seat in Fort Erie throughout the playoffs as his -9 rating has really hurt the team, despite the contribution of 10 points in 11 games played.

Some feel like Reilly has been nursing an injury throughout the playoffs and that might be the case as he was forced to miss time in the Conference final and very limited in the opening game of the Kehler Cup final.  If the Falcons are going to turn things around, Reilly will need to be much better defensively in his own zone.

Another player having a quiet final thus far is Alexander Ovechkin who has yet to contribute a point in the series.  Ovechkin had nine points in 11 games coming into the final but has not had the impact on the series thus far that many had hoped.

Fort Erie formed a super line with Ovechkin, Marner and MacKinnon in the opening game to try to counter the McDavid line in Siberia but that failed miserably.  Ovechkin found himself back with familiar line mates Pavelski and DeBrincat in game two.

While the line generated six shots on Murray, the trio were all minus one on the night and were absolutely victimized by the play of the Bergeron line in Siberia.

Things do not look good for Fort Erie to capture their first Kehler Cup at this point.  Having said that, there is still a lot of hockey to be played and Fort Erie’s top offensive talent may still break out at five-on-five in Siberia.  It’s unlikely but you can’t count out any team that has won 60 games in the regular season.

Sudbury Miners: Season in Review 2019-2020

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON)

After qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history last season, the Sudbury Miners came into the 2019-2020 season with some raised expectations and a hunger for more success.

In his season-opening press conference, General Manager Terry James talked about his idea that a lot of his young prospects gained valuable experience and that he expected them to take another step this year and establish themselves as one of the top teams in the CCHL.

But sometimes, things don’t always go to plan. The inconsistent play would plague the team all season, to the point where the Miners would not finally clinch a playoff spot until Game 80. They would end up finishing the season in 6th place in the Canosa Conference, good for 10th overall in the league. The prize for their efforts this season was a re-match of last years’ series versus the Springfield Isotopes. Springfield had finished in 3 rd place in the conference and easily dispatched the Miners in 5 games last year.

This year would be different though. The Miners picked the right time of the year to play some of their best hockey and upset the Isotopes in 6 games. The Miners would eventually fall to the top-seeded Siberia IceCats in 6 games, the last one being in double overtime.

Despite the inconsistency throughout the season and playoff loss, the Miners were able to take some positives from this season. Winning their first playoff series in franchise history and pushing a top team like Siberia can only be viewed as another valuable step for the Miners.

Going into the off-season, the Miners are armed with 17 picks in this year’s Entry Draft, including three (3) first-round selections. The Miners feel that they are well-positioned to fully transition to one of the top teams in the CCHL within the next few years.

On that note, as always with every year-end, here is the Good, the Bad and the Ugly for the 2019-2020 edition of the Sudbury Miners.

THE GOOD
 Playoff Series Win

Simply put, winning their first playoff series in franchise history cannot be seen as anything but good. Getting that victory and avenging last season’s playoff loss to Springfield made this just a lit bit more satisfying.

 Tyler Seguin

The Miners top scorer was simply brilliant this year and was their team MVP most nights. He finished with 102 points (good for 5th overall) and was one of three Miner players (Sebastian Aho and Dylan Larkin being the others) to break the 30 goal barrier. He goes into this off-season as a restricted free agent, but Sudbury is expected to re-sign their top center.

THE BAD
• Lack of Physicality

The Miners finished 19th in the CCHL in Hits, with only an average of 16.7 per game. To put this in perspective, the Niagara Falls Thunder led the league with an average of 20.18 hits per game. That may not seem like a big difference but too many times this season, the Miners could not respond if physically challenged and this lack of engagement, especially in their own end, would often lead to a scoring chance for the opposition.

THE UGLY

• Inconsistent Play

This was a problem for the Miners all season long. They would lose 4 games in a row, then reel off 5 wins, or be below .500 for a 10 game stretch but then lights out for the next 10. It was hard to know what Miners team you were going to get on a nightly basis. Because of this, the playoffs were in jeopardy until the final few games……too close for comfort for Miners management.

All in all, it could be classified as a roller-coaster year in Sudbury but ended on a pretty decent note with their playoff success. Management will be careful not to set expectations too high for next year, given how most of this year transpired. Having said that, the Miners should be well-positioned to try and continue their climb up to the upper echelon of CCHL teams.

Next year has the potential to be a big year for the Miners, but only if that potential turns into
results.

Chinook picking first in upcoming CCHL Draft. Future is optimistic for the franchise.

CALGARY - The Calgary Chinook has the No. 1 pick in the 2020 CCHL Draft after Hilo Wildcat won the CCHL Draft Lottery last week.

The Fort Erie Falcons won the No. 2 pick, and the Wisborg Donuts won the No. 3 selection.

The Calgary Chinook, acquired Hilo’s 1st round pick this midseason along with Sweden’s wunderkind Nils Hoglander and Dayton's 1st round pick in the 2021 draft from Minnesota Norsemen in exchange for John Carlson.

This trade now looks like a key trade to speed up the rebuild process for the Chinook.

The Chinook could use the pick to select center Alexis Lafreniere, a winger that consider a generational talent. Lafreniere has the best resume of any prospect planning to enter the CCHL draft pool.

He won Most Valuable Player at the World Junior Championship and took home MVP honors in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League last season.

"He's incredibly skilled and smart, showing the ability to make defenders look foolish and to pick apart defenses with his vision," Chinook Scout Todd Button said. "He's not only very skilled but also very competitive. Lafreniere attacks the net, has some physicality in his game and gets a lot of goals in the dirty areas."

There is always the chance a team prefers Byfield because of the specific skills he brings to the ice, but in terms of pure talent, Lafreniere appears to be the top prospect on the board.

“My and staff and I will have a serious meeting on whom we pick in the upcoming draft.” Eugene said.

WIS receives the third pick!

WIS receives the third pick!

The Donuts have endured a tough year after a surprise appearance in the finals last year. This year has been different...

The team has been close to making the playoffs all season but never really close. But landing a third pick is, of course, a feather and is not a bad year to do it either.

Wisborg always does it best and seldom finds itself in the bottom run (and never been in last place, which for example DAY has for instance), but seize the opportunity when it comes around. Last time WIS had a high pick was in a year with loaded talent, namely 2014:

1. HAM- Ekblad, Aaron D
2. BOS- Reinhart, Sam C
3. SIB- Bennett, Sam C
4. WIS- Draisaitl, Leon C

Great names all around but questions are if not WIS walked away with the prize that year. WIS has entertained deals involving Draisaitl during this season and everything was including free pucks, unlimited access to sister and so on. But Leon is a fan favorite of the island fan base and it takes more than cheap shots to bring him home. Visby with is the present name of the town that was part of the German Hansa in the 1100-1200's, so not so strange to embrace the German giant.

Most scouting services have the same names on top, namely Lefrenierie and Byfield as top picks. No brainers, so who is next in line? Do you even know?

How about saying Tim Stutzle?! Do you see where I am going? Another player from the far and remote hockey country of Germany. So is he a new Leon? Who knows but the stars are aligned that WIS will land this trophy. I bet he works well with Leon! But WIS can trade up to get a center or down to get those fine players with three crowns on their chest. But keep your offers serious and don't offer pucks or sister, I already turned those offers down and I do get annoyed fast.

CCHL Front Office – Bonus Program – Lineup Bonus Awards

It’s that time of year again where the CCHL awards annual bonus’ to their teams for
ensuring that valid lineups were sent throughout the year.
Before we get into how much each team will receive, it was encouraging to see that
the bonus for lineups was indeed on the upswing this season after falling 12 million
dollars the season before that.

CCHL teams will collectively see an increase of $5.5 million dollars in lineup bonus
money more than that of a season ago. The negative here is that it appears several
franchises are leaving significant cash on the table still.

The CCHL makes $104.5 million dollars available to teams through bonus’ money
each season.  After the bonus money was allotted, it was determined that the franchises
throughout the league only acquired 47.8% of that money; approximately $50 million
dollars.

This means that $54.5 million dollars were left in the coffers of the CCHL Head Office;
a number that we hope declines next season.

If you are sitting at home cursing yourself for not submitting a lineup or five, there is still
time to make bonus cash.  The blogs are open for the 2019-20 season for another month;
until April 15^th. 

It just takes 10 blogs to hit that coveted 10 blog mark which nets your team $1.5 million dollars.

That money could assist a team in need given the shortages being left on the table previously mentioned.

Aside from that, there is absolutely no better time to do it than now.  Seriously, think about it.  You
aren’t able to watch live sports or have any ‘normal’ fun activity given the outbreak changes that
the Coronavirus has caused.  Now is the time to make your team some CCHL bonus cash, folks!

Now for what you came here for, the actual bonus payouts:

$4.75M (zero lineup violations)– FOR, GEO, SUD, SEA, DAY
3.5M (1 lineup violation) – SIB, HAM, REK, CAP, VIC
$2.75M (2 lineup violations) – SPR
$1.5M (3-5 lineup violations) – MIN, PAR, WIS
$0.75M (6-8 lineup violations) – DRT, POR,

Unfortunately, if you do not see your team listed above, it means that you had over nine lineup
violations this season and are not eligible for the bonus.

Again, don’t forget if you are short you can simply make up the money with blogs over the
next month still so do not despair!

Fort Erie has time with prospects

The Fort Erie Falcons spent a lot of time this season acquiring top ten drafted players that perhaps other CCHL organizations have given up on. 

Fort Erie acquired both Jesse Puljujarvi and Casey Mittelstadt this season, with the long game in mind for their development. 

The Falcons also acquired Juho Lammikko off of waivers from Dayton. 

Mittelstadt was rated the top prospect in all of hockey just two years ago by the Hockey News.  The Minnesota native oozes talent but needs time to properly develop in the minor leagues for a year or two.  Let’s not forget this is a player that could not do a chin-up at the draft combine in 2017; a sign that he needs to seriously spend the time improving his strength to reach his full potential in the CCHL. 

Jesse Puljujarvi is expected to spend next season in Europe rather than trying to crack an obviously stacked Falcons’ roster once again.  The big winger can play significant minutes in his native Finland and will be better for it when he returns to the CCHL.  It is expected that he can dominate his home league for a season before coming back to North America ready to make an impact. 

While Puljujarvi is going to spend time in Europe, he’s expected to do so with Lammikko, as the two are expected to be teammates and potentially linemates next season. Similarly, to Puljujarivi, Lammikko won’t crack the Falcons roster next year and has requested, through his agent, that he be able to play and develop back in Finland. 

“We believe all three of these players have the potential to be impact players in the CCHL if we develop them right.  We are in a position of luxury in that we have a full, young roster at this time and we can let them develop at their own pace as a result.  I am very excited to see what the future holds for all three players as members of our organization,” said GM Matt Young on the team’s development plans. 

With the second overall pick in the 2020 CCHL Entry Draft and a good young roster, the Falcons appear ready for an extended run for several CCHL championships should they fall short this year. 

It’s an exciting time to be a fan of the Fort Erie Falcons, both for now and into the future. 

Fort Erie to Pick Second in CCHL Draft

Fort Erie to Pick Second in CCHL Draft

Fort Erie, ON

Fort Erie entered the annual CCHL Draft Lottery with the second-best odds of winning the lottery. 

Fort Erie acquired Minnesota's first-round pick in the Darcy Keumper deal earlier in the year which now looks to be a franchise trading deal. 

While any pick in the top ten of this year's draft should be considered outstanding, picking second will allow Fort Erie to pick either Alexis Lafreniere or hulking center Quinton Byfield. 

Lafreniere is likely a better fit given his primary position is left-wing but Byfield is an excellent franchise-changing center who is one of the youngest players available in this draft.  Byfield's late August birthday sees him qualify for this draft by just a few weeks before the mid-September cutoff. 

Of course, Fort Erie could also look to trade the pick as the team is already loaded at center for the foreseeable future with MacKinnon, Point, Strome, and Couturier. 

Falcons GM Matt Young was coy about the prospect of trading the pick. 

"Listen, we like both players at the top of this draft a lot.    We are happy to take either guy but we will listen to potentially slide back a few picks as well.  If somebody wants a franchise center at worst, and want to discuss us moving back, we're open to it depending on the return."

While the draft is several months away it shall be interesting to see what Fort Erie does with the second overall pick. 

A Weekly Look at the 2019-20 Sudbury Miners: Volume 19 (Games 80-82)

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

Miners Weekly Record: 1 wins, 1 losses, 1 OT loss.
Miners League Standing: 41 wins, 30 losses, 11 OT Loss = 93 points total. Currently sit in 6th place in the Canosa Conference, 10th overall in the CCHL.
Miners Special Teams: Power Play – 20.2% (9th); Penalty Kill – 82.2% (4th)
Miners Scoring Leader: Center Tyler Seguin (39G – 463A = 103 pts; 5th Overall in the CCHL)

X – Clinched a playoff spot.

That sound you hear is a sigh of relief from management, as this years’ edition of the Sudbury Miners
waited until Game #80, before finally securing a playoff spot. They finished the season with a 41-30-11 record for 93 points and good for 6th place in the Canosa Conference.

“It wasn’t easy this year…..a lot of ups and downs but at the end of the day, we have that little mark beside our name that says ‘clinched playoff spot’. We now have the opportunity to put all the inconsistency behind us and move forward. We are excited to get the post-season going”, said Miners goaltender Fredrik Andersen.

Now that the season is done, the Miners will turn their attention to their first-round match-up versus the Springfield Isotopes. The season series between the two teams stood at 3-3-0, but the Miners have lost the last two verses the Isotopes. The Miners know this first round match-up will be no easy task and they will need to start playing their best hockey of the season or else they will have lots of time on their hands to catch some spring training baseball.

“We have been saying all year that we just wanted to get into the playoffs and make some noise, and now here we are. It’s ‘put up or shut up’ time and any excuses are for losers. XXXXXX has some talented players but we have a few guys that can cause some panic in their room as well. It’s shaping up to be a dandy series, and we are raring to get at it”, stated Miners defenseman Ryan Suter.

The Miners will start the quest on the road, with their first playoff game on Sunday night.

MINERS PLAYER PROFILE OF THE WEEK: Aaron Ekblad

Ekblad is a hulking defender who combines size and decent skating either as a defender or a
contributor on offense. His best asset is his rocket shot. Defensively, he has worked hard on his
backward mobility to improve his gap control. While he is a decent skater, he does still have stretches of clunky footwork and sometimes has a knock-kneed skating style. He does have good hockey sense and often makes good decisions out on the ice. He is a veteran player but is still just approaching his mid-20’s. There may be another level that Ekblad can get to, but his floor is that of a top-4, point producing defenceman.

MINERS PROSPECT NEED TO KNOW: Conor Timmins

Last season was a year to forget for Timmins as he missed the entire season recovering from
post-concussion syndrome. He is now back playing and hoping to shake the rust off and continue on his upward trend. At his best, Timmins is a potential minute munching defender who can play in any
situation. He is particularly effective at winning board battles in his own end and can swing play the other way for his team. Of course, it remains to be seen what repercussions remain from his concussion as he starts to play meaningful hockey, and if he will be the same player he was prior. The potential is worth the gamble.

Expected CCHL arrival: 2023-24.

A Weekly Look at the 2019-20 Sudbury Miners: Volume 18 (Games 76-79)

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

Miners Weekly Record: 1 win, 3 losses, 0 OT loss.
Miners League Standing: 40 wins, 29 losses, 10 OT Loss = 90 points total. Currently, sitting in 6th place in the Canosa Conference, 9th overall in the CCHL.
Miners Special Teams: Power Play – 20.2% (10th); Penalty Kill – 82.0% (8th)
Miners Scoring Leader: Center Tyler Seguin (37G – 62A = 99 pts; 4th Overall in the CCHL)

If we have learned anything from this season’s edition of the Sudbury Miners, is that they don’t
like to make things easy for themselves.  An opportunity presented itself this past week with games versus Reykjavik and Victoria, two teams that the Miners are battling within the Canosa Conference. But losses to both this week have now put the Miners in a battle for the last playoffs spot with the red-hot Georgetown Millers. The Miners now only sit three points up on the final playoffs spot in the conference, with 3 games remaining.

The good news is that the Miners essentially control their own fate. If they can win 2 of their last
3, a spot would be secured, along with a sigh of relief. However, it won’t be easy. With games against
Springfield and rival Victoria this week, it goes without saying that the Miners need to take some points in one or both of those contests.

“Given how inconsistent our season has been, we really couldn’t ask to be in a better position than
to have control of our own fate”, stated Coach Derek Sutton. “I know our games lately haven’t exactly been ‘coaches porn’, but we have three games, and hopefully a few more to change that. Anything less than a playoff spot will be a lost year in our eyes.”

MINERS PLAYER PROFILE OF THE WEEK: Mikhail Sergachev

Sergachev is a strong defenceman with good size and excellent mobility and individual skills. He
is a calm and poised puck handler with soft hands and he has the ability to find outlets and follows the play. He supports the rush with his strong skating ability and has decent offensive instincts. He's a very aggressive defenseman who is always involved in the action and is developing into an all-around type who can produce offense, while also playing a shutdown role. Sometimes that aggressiveness can get him into penalty trouble, but there is no doubt that once he learns to play within his limitations, he can be a top-4, point-producing defenceman in the CCHL.

MINERS PROSPECT NEED TO KNOW: Peyton Krebs

A player with Krebs’ combination of skating ability and puck skills should not have fallen like he
did in last year’s CCHL draft, but that’s exactly what he did and the Miners were more than happy that he was available at pick #13. His numbers during his draft year suffered due to playing for one of the worst teams in the CHL and suffering from an Achilles injury which required surgery after his season ended. In addition to his offensive tools, Krebs can play a responsible two-way game and plays strong along the boards. He is also an experienced leader, having worn the “C” as a 17 year-old with Kootenay and again at the WU18 for Team Canada. He is a clear top-six forward for the Miners in the near future.

Expected CCHL arrival: 2022-23.