31 Thoughts That Are Actually 5 Thoughts by the Commissioner!

 It's another week of CCHL action and another week of my brilliant thoughts.  Once again I couldn't quite come up with 31 thoughts but we'll stay with the five for the week.  

Let's get it underway because I'm short on time and long on ideas this week.  

1.  Travis Zajac could have been had by anyone if they wanted to assume his large salary for the year.  It was looking like Zajac would become a free agent and likely not play the rest of the season in the CCHL until a two and a half month injury to Fort Erie's Sean Couturier made Zajac an appealing option.  

Zajac has helped improve the Falcons PK by 5% since his arrival and has bounced back and forth between the first and fourth lines.  It's impressive to see the veteran center sit at a plus-five rating in seven games with the Falcons despite flip-flopping in his role almost every other game.  

2.  After a scorching red hot start to the season, the Long Island Express find themselves losers of five straight contests and sit in seventh place, just two points ahead of Moscow for the final playoff spot in the Canosa conference.  

It seems impossible to think that after that start that Long Island would have been in this spot but goaltending has become a bit of an issue of late.  Can Long Island rebound and go on another hot streak?  Remember just two years ago Fort Erie started 10-2 before losing eight straight and having to start from scratch.  It worked out well for Fort Erie that year; can it work out well for Long Island with a solid winning record again?  

3.  Vlad Terasenko is averaging a point per game through 20 games and finds himself on the trade block in the land of the Freezing Bears.  It's incredible that no other CCHL team has stepped up to acquire the dynamic, yet injury-prone winger.  He's managed to stay healthy all year but with a questionable durability rating, can he maintain that health throughout the year?  I bet there's at least one team that will take a chance on him.  

4.  Who is looking forward to the prospect tournament?  Are you excited?  

5.  The league average penalty-killing rate has gone up illustrating the early power-play success was unsustainable as I had originally thought.  Still an interesting study to watch going forward.  

Well, that's it for another week of 31 thoughts.  I hope you enjoyed it.  If you didn't, send an email to the league commissioner.....wait, nevermind that's me.  I guess if you didn't like it, wait until next week when I write something you may like more!  Until then, take care and stay safe friends.  

The Nickel Report – Evaluating the 2020-21 Sudbury Miners: Volume 3

 CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

 

Up to games ending on November 8, 2020

Miners 5-Game (Nickel) Record:  3 wins, 2 losses, 0 OT loss.

Miners League Standing:  11 wins, 5 losses, 2 OT Loss = 24 points total.  Currently sit in 3rd place in the Canosa Conference, 8th overall in the CCHL.

Miners Special Teams:  Power Play – 19.5% (11th); Penalty Kill – 80.8% (12th)

Miners Scoring Leader:  Defenceman Roman Josi (4G – 18A = 22 pts; 19th Overall in the CCHL)

 

If recent activity is any indication, then it appears that the Miners are all in for the next couple of years.

In acquiring both winger Nikita Kucherov and defenceman Ryan Ellis, Miners management sent a message to both the team and their fans, that they are in a win-now mode.

“We paid a price no question to acquire both of these players”, stated General Manager Terry James.  “But, we feel these two additions can compliment our group and give us a push in a very tight Canosa Conference.  We owed it to the team and our fans to try and put our best foot forward”.

However, initial results have not been good.   The Miners have failed to register a point since both players arrived and their special teams, that once sat in the top 5, have dipped to middle of the pack.   Both Miners management and fans are hopeful that the right chemistry can be found quickly, and get back in the win column soon.

 

MINERS PLAYER PROFILE OF THE WEEK:  Bo Horvat

Simply put, Horvat an excellent two-way player.  He skates well, has very good hockey sense and is a sound positional player most of the time.   He has a knack for coming up big in clutch situations. Horvat is good on face-offs and plays with plenty of grit.  He may never be a big point producer in the CCHL, but he is a better all-around player given his defensive ability.

 

MINERS PROSPECT NEED TO KNOW:  Peyton Krebs

Scouts agree that Krebs is a talented, versatile playmaker with upside.  He is an extremely fast skater with great burst and the ability to be quick with the puck on his blade.  He is not a liability when he does not have the puck and is good at working the defensive side of the game for a player of this age.   At times, he may be guilty of passing the puck when he should be shooting it.  He can play both wing and center, which adds to his overall value.  Expected CCHL arrival:  2023-24.

31 Thoughts that are actually 5 thoughts by the affable CCHL Commissioner

 Welcome, welcome, welcome back to the third edition of your favorite weekly column - 31 thoughts that I condense into five pieces of pure brilliance!  

Alright, so it may not be pure brilliance but it's still pretty good stuff!  Without further adieu, let's get the pontification going!  

1.  The Sudbury Miners kicked off a flurry of league-wide trade activity this week when they acquired Nikita Kucherov from the Moscow Freezing Bears.  Kucherov did not come out of the gates flying in Moscow this year with 14 points in 16 games, and many thought he'd be rejuvenated moving to a contender from the Polar Bears.  

The early results have not been good for Sudbury as Kucherov has been held without a point and is a -1 in two games as a member of the Miners.  While it's still really early to evaluate that trade, you have to wonder if Kucherov will fit in good with that group given his playing time will be reduced given the talent on the roster.  

2.  Home Cooking in the Corfield!  What is it about the home cooking in Chippawa, Niagara Falls, and Parry Sound this year?  Chippawa has gone 1-6-2 at home while both the Thunder and Orrsmen are 2-7 on home ice this year where they have the last change advantage.  

You'd have to think all 3 would have much better records even if they were .500 at home this year but hockey is a funny game.  

3.  Las Vegas find themselves tied for second place in the Canosa Conference and they have been the recipients of some great goaltending performances from the immortal Mike Smith.  Smith has a save percentage of .923 in 9 games for the Aces this season and has been a pleasant surprise.  

Of course, Sidney Crosby leading the way with 25 points and Kevin Shattenkirk has made a living with seven powerplay points to give him 19 for the season.  It's a great start to the season for Darrell and the Aces this season!  

4.  Is it just me or does anyone else feel like the penalty minutes in the CCHL are a bit high this year?  Well, being me, I did a little research as I thought the average of 14 penalty minutes per team was a little high.  

Looking at the 2019-2020 NHL season, it turns out that each team was only averaging eight penalty minutes per game.  I get that fighting is a lot more prevalent in the CCHL but the powerplay and penalty kill numbers seemed high and now we know why.  It's not just an illusion folks - Kerry Frasier and crew like to raise their arms!  

5.  Speaking of penalty minutes, Wisborg, Seattle, and Calgary have been lethal on the power play this season.  Wisborg has scored 31 goals which is 42% of their entire offensive output.  

Calgary and Seattle have both scored 27 goals with the man advantage as well.  That's good for 41.5% of both teams offensive firepower this season.  If you are going to play these teams, staying out of the box will be critical to your chances of leaving with a victory!  

Well would you look at that; we're already at five thoughts for the week.  Sorry everyone I've used up all of my thoughts for the week (my wife will argue that's five more than normal) so I think we'll end this week's column.  

Have a great week everyone!  

Commish out!  

The Nickel Report – Evaluating the 2020-21 Sudbury Miners: Volume 2

 CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

 

Up to games ending on October 27, 2020

Miners 5-Game (Nickel) Record:  4 wins, 1 losses, 2 OT loss.

Miners League Standing:  8 wins, 3 losses, 2 OT Loss = 18 points total.  Currently sit in 3rd place in the Canosa Conference, 6th overall in the CCHL.

Miners Special Teams:  Power Play – 23.1% (5th); Penalty Kill – 84.1% (7th)

Miners Scoring Leader:  Winger Bryan Rust (7G – 10A = 17 pts; 8th Overall in the CCHL)

 

It is still early in the 2020-21 CCHL season, but for the Sudbury Miners, if the last 5 games are any indication, things seem to be coming together for the team this season.

By going 4-1-0 in their past 5 games, their recent run of play has now vaulted the Miners into 3^rd place in the Canosa Conference, 1 point behind the division leading Long Island Express, who hold 2 games in hand.

“We are happy with our start, and our special teams have been good so far this year”, stated Sudbury Coach Derek Sutton.   “But it is early, and there are areas that we need to improve and get some better production out of some of players.   We are a work in progress but we feel like we are heading into the right direction”.

What Sutton was referring to was the production from the third line, which has seemed to be non-existent this season.  In an effort to shake up the lines and try to light a fire under some players, General Manager Terry James acquired center Bo Horvat from Fort Erie, in exchange for winger Timo Meier.  Initial results have been decent, but it will take some time to find the right combination and have this group come together.

 

MINERS PLAYER PROFILE OF THE WEEK:  Roman Josi

Another one of the Miners main off-season acquistions, Josi has wasted no time making is mark in Sudbury.  Josi has great puck-moving skills, outstanding skating ability and a very low panic threshold. He has shown that he can produce big numbers and log huge amounts of ice time, and it has been no different this year in Sudbury. He can be a little loose in his defensive play from time to time, so he could stand to tighten things up a little bit more, but there is no question that he is a true No.1 defenceman.

 

MINERS PROSPECT NEED TO KNOW:  Rasmus Sandin

Sandin is one of the Miners top defence prospects currently in their system.  Sandin’s main strength is that he is an excellent passer who skates very well and thinks the game smartly. While capable of putting up a lot of points, he can also defend his position well due to his cerebral approach and active stick.  All he needs is to become a more consistent performer when he does not have the puck and to add more bulk, since he is a bit undersized.  Expected CCHL arrival:  2021-22.