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!
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