The Nickel Report

 The Nickel Report – Evaluating the 2020-21 Sudbury Miners:  Volume 5

 

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

 

Up to games ending on December 14, 2020

Miners 10-Game (Double Nickel) Record:  6 wins, 2 losses, 2 OT loss.

Miners League Standing:  20 wins, 11 losses, 7 OT Loss = 47 points total.  Currently sit in 3rd place in the Canosa Conference, 6th overall in the CCHL.

Miners Special Teams:  Power Play – 20.2% (10th); Penalty Kill – 80.8% (10th)

Miners Scoring Leader:  Winger Johnny Gaudreau (21G – 27A = 48 pts; 6th Overall in the CCHL)

Complacency is not a word that seems to fit into the vocabulary of the Sudbury Miners Management this season.

It appears that the Miners believe their window to win is wide open and with their two recent acquistions, the Miners are swinging for the fences.

The first move saw the Miners acquire one of the top players in CCHL in Auston Matthews from Bismarck.  This was a huge move for the Miners, as they now boast Matthews, Sebastien Aho and Brayden Point as their top three centers – all of whom are under 25 years old.  The price was not cheap however, as Pierre-Luc Dubois, Brock Boeser along with prospect Philip Broberg and a 2022 1^st round pick would make their way to Bismarck.  

“We know the price may seem steep, but the opportunity to get one of the top players in the CCHL, who is just starting to hit his prime is something that we could not pass on.  We had built enough depth with our prospect pool and draft picks to afford a deal of this nature”, stated General Manager Terry James.

From there, GM James was not done.   He quickly swung another deal to get a top winger to play with Matthews, acquired Johnny Gaudreau from Calgary.   The deal would see the Miners part with young forward Luke Kunin, prospect Alexander Holtz and a 2021 1^st round pick. 

“Johnny Gaudreau is a top echelon player, who is in his prime.  We see him forming a dynamic partnership with Matthews for years to come and really driving our offence.  We are happy to have him in the Nickel City”.

With these recent acquisitions, the message sent to the players was loud and clear.  Miners management believes they are in a window to win and will continue to be aggressive in order to, hopefully, reach their goal.

 

MINERS PLAYER PROFILE:  Brandon Saad

The veteran Saad has always had excellent two-way instincts and hockey sense. Skates very well and also possesses good size.  While he has never been a huge scorer, he can put points on the board with some consistency and is an asset on special teams.  He is not an elite playmaker or goal-scorer, but rather a complementary winger which makes him a good fit with the Miners right now, given their depth up front.

 

MINERS PROSPECT NEED TO KNOW:  Nick Robertson

Robertson is a natural when he has the puck on his stick, as both a playmaker and goal-scorer. He puts up points naturally and can be a big asset with the man advantage.  He is a bit undersized, so he will need to become stronger in order to maximize production at the highest level. He will also need to improve his skating, which is only average. Has good bloodlines as the younger brother of fellow scorer Jason Robertson.  CCHL arrival:  2022-22.