Sudbury Miners 2021 CCHL Draft Review

 CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

 

The Sudbury Miners are hoping that they found some prospect gold in Capeside, home of the 2021 CCHL Entry Draft.

With the 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 are very pleased with the prospects we were able to add, given our limited number of picks and draft positions,” James said.  “We drafted players they we feel can be real contributors to our team but there will obviously need some development time.  I think we’ve added some skill at different positions and hopefully it bodes well for the future.”

The Miners only had 7 picks in this years’ CCHL draft, which has been widely reported as weaker than past drafts, but there was still some decent talent available.  The Miners were able to add 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 16^th overall pick, Brennan Othmann and prospect Cole Perfetti to Fort Erie, in exchange for Tim Stutzle and the Falcons 2^nd  round pick in 2023.  

Below are some of the Miners more notable picks from this years’ draft and some scouts comments about the prospect:

·         Samu Tuomaala – RW (2^nd Round, 39^th Overall):   "He’s a shoot-first player and has a really quick and dangerous wrist shot. He’s a fast skater with good acceleration and possesses solid, if unspectacular, puck skills."

 

·         Wyatt Johnston – C  (3^rd Round, 61^st Overall):  "Johnston’s a talented, versatile, Jack-of-all-trades-type who is always on the right side of the puck, moulds his game to his linemates, excels in the faceoff circle, and plays with pace."     

 

·         Dylan Duke – LW (4^th Round, 87^th Overall):   "Whether shooting in space or banging in goals, he has a knack for the net. While his ceiling isn’t tremendous, Duke has all the makings of a rock-steady utility forward with goal-scoring upside."

 

·         Ryder Korczak – C (5^th Round, 90^th Overall):  "Korczak helped keep the young Warriors in most games with gritty two-way play and selfless playmaking in the offensive zone.”

 

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  a few dividends down the road, given the ceiling for a good majority of the players picked.