Sudbury Miners 2020 CCHL Draft Review

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

Did the Sudbury Miners find some prospect gold, with the draft being held right in the heart of the Nickel City??

With the 2020 CCHL Entry Draft now in the books, that’s the question that the collective media and fans of the Sudbury Miners will be asking General Manager Terry James in the years to come.

James offered up a quick summary to reporters this past weekend before the summer holidays and gave a quick review on how he felt his team did during this years’ draft.

“We’re very pleased and excited,” James said.  “We drafted players they we feel can be real contributors to our team and be to compete for a job sooner rather than later.  Others, we feel will take some grooming and development, and they probably won’t be CCHL-ready for a few years but with the amount of picks we had, we were able to re-stock the cupboard.  I think we’ve added some skill at different positions and hopefully it bodes well for the future.”

Armed with 10 picks in the first three rounds of this years’ CCHL draft, the Miners were able to re-stock the cupboards with some talented young men and improve their prospect pool, as they continue to try and build a team that will be in Kehler Cup contention for years to come. 

The Miners did pull off one significant trade after the draft, trading 13^th overall pick, Dylan Holloway to Amos, in exchange for Amos’ 1^st round pick in 2022. 

Given the additions that the Miners have injected into their line-up this off-season, they are one of a handful of contenders with a realistic shot at the Cup this year.  It has the potential to be a very good season for the Miners in 2020-21.

Below are some of the Miners more notable picks from this years’ draft:

·         Cole Perfetti – C (1^st Round, 7^th Overall):  A highly productive pivot who can set it up almost as well as he can score it himself. Has nice puck skills to go along with a very good hockey sense.

·         Hendix Lapierre – C (1^st Round, 21^st Overall):  Teams may have been scared off due to injury concerns but the Miners could afford to take a chance on him.  A creative player with quick hands and a knack for offense.  

·         Braden Schneider – D (2^nd Round, 24^th Overall):  Projected by many to be a 1^st round pick, so the Miners were pleased that this kid fell to them in the second round.  A throwback, two-way player who has a safe floor as a CCHL player.

·         J.J. Petreka – W (2^nd Round, 26^th Overall):  A nifty offensive player who has strong anticipation skills and the confidence to jump into openings and drive hard. His finishing ability is hinged on a quick and accurate release where he limits the movement of his bottom hand to add further deception.  Just drafted by London in the 2020 CHL Import Draft.

·         Ozzy Wiesblatt – W (3^rd Round, 46^th Overall):  The frenetic ball of havoc plays the game like he’s just been shot out a cannon. Loves to create chaos on the forecheck and has enough skill to create chances and points from the forced turnovers. You’ll love him on your team, or hate playing against him.

Overall, fans should not expect to see any of these players with the Miners next year, or even the year after, but it should be a draft that pays dividends down the road, given the high ceiling for a good majority of the players picked.