The Nickel Report – Evaluating the 2020-21 Sudbury Miners: Volume 1

 CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

 

Up to games ending on October 18, 2020

Miners 5-Game (Nickel) Record:  2 wins, 1 losses, 2 OT loss.

Miners Season Record:  4 wins, 2 losses, 2 OT losses.

Miners League Standing:  4 wins, 2 losses, 2 OT Loss = 10 points total.  Currently sit in 4th place in the Canosa Conference, 8th overall in the CCHL.

Miners Special Teams:  Power Play – 22.7% (7th); Penalty Kill – 83.3% (13th)

Miners Scoring Leader:  Winger Bryan Rust (4G – 7A = 11 pts; 6th Overall in the CCHL)

 

The weather is quickly becoming a little more like true hockey weather as the calendar turns to mid-October.  And with it, the CCHL season is now in full swing.

For the Sudbury Miners, they are looking to build on last season’s playoff run.  With the number of off-season acquisitions, management has given this team their best shot to potentially go on a playoff run and give the hard-working fans in the Nickel City something to cheer about.

“We are still trying to shake off some of that summer rust and figure some things out.  There has been a lot of changes here, so building some chemistry takes time”, stated new Miners defenseman Roman Josi.  “We just need to continue to work our asses off, and the wins will follow more consistently.  We will get there”.

 

MINERS PLAYER PROFILE OF THE WEEK:  Artemi Panarin

One of the big acquisitions for the Miners this off-season, Panarin is one of the best offensive talents in the CCHL.  He is a supremely skilled winger who oozes creativity and is equally adept at setting up his line-mates and finishing off plays himself.  His puck skills are off the charts and his shot is wicked.  He is a true game-changing talent in the CCHL and big things are expected of him in Sudbury this year.

 

MINERS PROSPECT NEED TO KNOW:  Barrett Hayton

One of the Miners top prospects, Hayton is seen as a sure-fire CCHL player with top six upside and a middle six floor.  He is a good playmaker with a very high hockey IQ. The captain of last year’s Gold Medal winning team for Canada at the World Juniors, Hayton plays a very mature game and can be used in all game situations He may not have as much upside as a goal-scorer compared to current players such as Jonathon Toews for example, but his game is similar.  Expected CCHL arrival:  2021-22.