Miners making moves prior to the start of the season.

 CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

The Sudbury Miners were back at it again over the weekend, swinging a couple of minor deals, along
with making a waiver claim prior to the start of the 2018-19 CCHL season.
The first deal was minor in stature and involved Sudbury sending prospect Riley Hughes to Capeside in
exchange for goaltender Thomas Greiss. Greiss, who becomes a UFA after the 2018-19 season, will
provide depth to the Miners goaltending situation this year and appears to currently sit 3 rd on the depth
chart.

The second trade of the weekend saw Sudbury send prospect Dennis Yan to Victoria in exchange for
developing defenceman, Gustav Forsling.

Originally drafted in 2014 by Victoria, scouts have described Forsling as a 'new-breed' type of undersized defenseman who excels in puck possession and puck movement. He has the ability to produce points
and has shown an ability not to panic with the puck on his stick. He will give the Miners depth on the
back-end this year and should see more playing time as his game develops.

“We are happy to get another young, developing player in Forsling. He is a quality, puck-moving
defenceman. We like the potential that he brings to our team”, stated General Manager Terry James.

To round out the transactions over the weekend, the Miners claimed veteran defenceman Brandon
Davidson and immediately signed him to a 1-yr, $1.55 million dollar contract.
Davidson, played in Portland last year but became an unsigned RFA at the end of last season and
remained available at the end of the summer free agency period. Davidson, who is seen as a decent
depth defenceman, will help fill the veteran gap on the Miners blue-line while some of their young
talent continues to develop.

DonPaulo Talks about the Ronin's roster changes ...

September 23 2018


With the summer league in the rear view mirror and the preseason upon us the press has gathered to hear what the GM of Victoria has to say about the franchise for the upcoming season. If you recall in a previous discussion a lifetime season ticket holder told the GM that his moves had made his children cry. That comment seems to have struck a cord and the team has since moved in a different direction than had been the standard operating procedure.


“Welcome everyone.


Its nice to see so many familiar faces as well as some new ones here in beautiful supernatural British Columbia. So lets dive in right away and get started. Firstly I want to say that the Ronin have valued Alexander Radulov both as a player and a person. Throughout the years our hockey club never doubted his intention to return to the NHL. We have kept him on the payroll for quite a few seasons in the anticipation of his return but the time had come to part ways with him. We worked out a deal with the Musicmen and included Alex in the discussions as we wanted him to be happy with the deal as well. The Ronin can think of fewer high quality franchise than that in Dayton, so in this regard this was an easy deal to do. We simply had to stick to our guns and make our demands clear to them.


The two players coming back to us in Taylor Raddysh & Morgan Frost are, we hope going to be a major part of a renewed vision for the team over the next few seasons. While its quite likely that they will not make the team this season we have plans centered around them. They are part of the Ronin family and we no plans to entertain moving them at any point in the future. So welcome to both Morgan and Taylor.


The team will most certainly miss Rads and we wish him all the best with his new team. Having said that there are a number of other deals we made that cut from the same cloth. Today we agreed to send Gustav Forsling to Sudbury in exchange for Dennis Yan. Dennis fits the new mold we want to shape our club into, so welcome to Dennis.


The club has also traded Alexander Wennberg to Capeside in exchange for prospects Jonah Gadjovich and Thomas Novak. While it was hard to part with Alex, we also knew that there really wasn't enough space on the roster to fit him in to a role that he would excel at. Far better for both him and our team to move him somewhere he can flourish. Welcome to both Thomas and Jonah.


We also agreed to bring in Mika Zibanejad which cost us a very good player in Ryan Nugent Hopkins. However premier centers do not become available everyday and we thought it important to make this move to give us a solid 1 – 2 punch with Evgeni Kuznetsov down the middle. Part of the reason this deal became possible was a previous trade we made with Sudbury for Brendan Saad. Yes it cost us a first round pick, which is a very high price, but Brendan is an established NHL player, still quite young and likely looking to prove himself after a poor season by his own standards. The Ronin are committed to Brendan and have helped him buy a home here on the island. This move allowed the team enough flexibility to make the Nugent-Hopkins deal. Both Mika and Brendan have something to prove both to themselves, the fans and the team. We are going to give them every opportunity to get that done.


We have also picked up another solid winger in Anthony Duclair from Sudbury. Anthony knows what is expected of him and we will tolerate nothing less than a complete effort especially in the offseason. Both he and Mika are known to have tested very poorly at the start of camp, so it will be struggle this year to reach the levels they had established for themselves.


Previous to that and after some extensive discussions with Fort Erie, we managed to acquire Tyler Myers. Once again we gave up some futures in picks, but we felt that with our team makeup at present we needed more veteran presence in the locker room and out on the ice. Tyler being a former Ronin was well known to us so we jumped at the opportunity to bring him back to the family.

We also picked up Lucas Johansen from Fonthill for Filip Larsson and Nick Shore. While we think the world of Filip, there is clearly a quite a few promising young netminders in the system and we felt it prudent to move him to bring in a possible NHL defensemen in Lucas. Nic, on the other hand, did a fine job for us last season and we wish him well.

In another deal, Sudbury (see a pattern here) sent us Dan O'Regan for a 3rd round pick. We liked what we saw in Dan and feel our team can always use that kind of player. Its a franchise depth move and we hope to see Dan in the NHL at some point in the near future.

The team has also added Tristan Jarry to the club. We think the world of this kid and believe he could challenge for the starting job as soon as this season in the NHL. Additional deals included Thomas Chabot whom we have long coveted. Thomas knows his value to us and should be a contributing member in short fashion. Victor Rask was picked up to fill the bottom six checking & pk role. Victor knows what is expected of him and it saddened us to hear of his injury just a week ago. Another new name is Brett Howden who adds his skillset to an increasingly deep pool of prospects. The team moved Jay Bouwmeester, picking up Caleb Jones in the deal that also included former Ronin Ryan Getzlaf who was resigned and flipped to Springfield for a 1st round pick. Prior to that Julius Honka came over in a deal that included Tristan Jarry, who since has come full circle.

This has probably been far too long of a discussion but we wanted to document the changes that have occurred to the team and to promise the fans of our determination to do things “the right way” this time around.


We wish you all well!

GEO pre-season (Around The CCHL Blog)

Georgetown Millers Hockey Club kicked off their pre-season last week with a relatively settled roster. The only battle of note is on the 4th line, where Derek Ryan, Zack Smith, and Tobias Reider are competing for 2 spots alongside free-agent signing Jay Beagle.

Below is a quick look at the 3 contestants.

Zack Smith: Acquired from Dayton last offseason for  Jake Muzzin, Smith was projected as a 3rd line mainstay and special teams contributor. However Smith failed to score and the PK struggled when he was on the ice. In season additions left him a healthy scratch for the final half of the season. After failing to find a new home for him in the summer Smith came to camp seemingly destined to be no better than a depth forward option. 2 goals in 3 pre-season games has seen his stock rise and he’s edging out the player below for the opening at LW.

Tobias Reider: A throw-in along with a 1st round pick when Wayne Simmonds was moved this summer, Reider camp to camp as the favorite for the bottom line left wing spot. Management likes his speed and defensive acumen and felt he still had some growth in his offensive game. Through 3 pre-season games Reider has been scoreless, opening the door for Zack Smith.

Derek Ryan: Acquired from Dayton this summer, Ryan is a near lock to take the 4th line C spot, moving Beagle to RW. Ryan is not the defensive stalwart normally found on a checking line, but he’s decent enough and provides more offensive skill than most 4C. He’s also seen time on the 2nd PP unit and has looked good in the role.

Projection: Zack Smith and Tobias Reider do a fair amount of rotation at LW on the 4th line, and injuries elsewhere among the forwards see both playing over 60 games (barring any additional forward additions). Derek Ryan puts up 35 to 40 points as an everyday player and PP contributor.

As the Loons are coming to the end of our first training camp here in Capeside, I wanted to take a few minutes to touch base with our fans. In our last article, I spoke about my reasons for moving on from Puljujarvi after I had worked so hard to acquire him. Well, I am happy to say that I was able to bring him back to Capeside. Jesse made it known publicly that he wanted to remain in Capeside, and thankfully Siberia and I were able to make that a reality. However, it was a pricey reality for us in parting with Johnathan Dahlen and a 2020 first rounder.

Our biggest need has been and continues to be scoring, and we feel like we addressed that need tonight. A few moments ago I agreed to send a package of Alex Wennberg, Tyler Toffoli, and prospect CJ Seuss to Fort Erie for James Van Riemsdyk. I believe that JVR will solidify our top 6 along with fellow new acquisition Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Capeside recently parted with Mika Zibanejad in order to acquire Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Even though Mika was easily our highest point producer during the summer league, we believe that the flexibility that RNH provides by being able to play on the left wing and also center was worth the gamble. RNH closed out last year on a hot streak after moving over to left wing, and we believe he will continue that this upcoming season. Hopefully, Pierre Luc Dubois (PLD) can see this as an incentive to continue to improve and the first line center spot will be his as early as next year. The downside of boosting our scoring is that we had to trade away some solid prospects in Cal Foote, Johnathan Dahlen, and Jonah Gadjovich. But we believe that our success in the recent draft allowed us to use our farm system in order to give our new fans a team that can have playoff aspirations.

Training camp showed us a lot. We like what we saw from our prospects and are very excited about the future. Oliver Wahlstrom, Jay O'Brien, and Jakub Lauko really impressed the coaching staff in their first camp. Ryan Donato's play has forced our hand to make him an everyday contributor to the Loons. By deciding against placing the "M" tag on Ryan we then had to cut ties with Derek Dorsett and eat his 2.5 million. But Ryan deserves the opportunity. Training Camp has also showed up where our holes are. We will be on the search for a puck-moving defenseman prospect. Puck moving, scoring defensemen is where the game is trending and we need to add that to our system. We also will be keeping our eyes open for a scoring right wing as that is a definite need with the departure of Toffoli.

Capeside may not lead the CCHL in much this year, but we will definitely lead in player initials with PLD, RNH and now JVR. The Loons are off to an inconsistent start in the preseason, probably due to the constant tinkering by me. However, I believe that each move had made us better and I know that coach Janney and captain PLD will find a way to get everyone on the same page.

Icecats make HUGE splash, land generational talent, Rasmus Dahlin

Hello sports fans.  As you know, the CCHL is getting ready for their new season.  Many teams have been making deals to position themselves for the season to come, vying for the coveted Kehler Cup.  One team that has certainly been active this offseason is the Dayton Musicmen.  They are coming off a difficult year which saw them land the prized player of this past draft, Rasmus Dahlin.  Dahlin has been compared to Connor McDavid as a generational talent.  Dayton can certainly look to build around such a cornerstone player.

Wait a minute, this just in... we are hearing rumors of a monster trade!  I'm getting word that Dahlin has been traded, but no word yet on who he has been traded to.  If this is true, this is HUGE.  Rarely do generational talents get traded, and certainly not so soon after being drafted.

I'm hearing that the package coming back includes several top prospects, picks, cash, but still no word on the destination.  Speculation is that he may be headed to a team that is looking to jump start their rebuild, as Dahlin is NHL ready now.

We now have word that Dahlin may actually be headed to a contender!  How can a contending team acquire such a talent without disturbing their team?  Bob McKenzie is reporting that the mystery team may actually be in the in the Canosa conference.  If this is true, it's obvious that GM Corfield did not want to have to face this kid over and over each year in the same conference.

We are now hearing that Dahlin has been traded to the Siberia Icecats!  If this is true, wow!  Who could be coming back to Dayton?  Ehlers, Parayko, or another young talent?  Would Siberia trade their #1 prospect, Miro Heiskanen to upgrade him to Dahlin?

I just received word that Dahlin has been traded for Filip Chytil, Ville Husso, Will Butcher and Dayton's own 1st rounder in 2019.  Siberia has managed to land the #1 defensive prospect in the world without having to give up a key roster player, which is amazing, and have set themselves up to have a heck of a defensive line in the future with Dahlin, Heiskanen and Quinn Hughes.  That is a young d-line to drool over.  We have also received word that Siberia will also send Michael Frolik, a 7th rounder in 2019 and cash to Dayton for Blake Comeau and a 4th in 2020.

We now swith to a live press conference by GM Saouaf, announcing the deal.  Let's listen in.

"First of all, thank you all for attending this press conference on short notice.  As you have already heard, the Siberia Icecats have acquired Rasmus Dahlin.  We are thrilled to be able to add a player of Dahlin's talent to our team.  Obviously, it was not an easy decision to part with so many assets, but getting such a player required making some sacrifices on our end.  Filip Chytil was a talented young player who we had great hopes for and should become a top center in the league.  With McDavid in Siberia, Filip would never have gotten a chance to become a #1 center.  In trading Husso, we traded away a future #1 goalie, but once again, with Hellebuyck and Murray, he was probably not going to get the chance to become that #1 here.  Will Butcher was a former Hobey Baker winner with great talent who had a great first year last year.  He became expendable given by acquiring Dahlin and with the expected promotion of both Dahlin and Heiskanen next year.  The first rounder was also tough as it could be a top 10 pick, but as I mentioned before, you have to give to get.  Also, we were able to upgrade Michael Frolik to Blake Comeau, which also gives us some roster and cap flexibility after this year.  Blake is solid defensively and can chip in some offense also.  He will be a great addition to our 3rd or 4th line.  Also, upgrading a 7th to a 4th in 2020 gives us an extra pick in 2020 to replenish our stock of prospects.

Overall, we are very pleased to bring in the players that we did and we wish the players we traded away the best of luck, and wish GM Corfield the best of luck in his quick rebuild.  For now, no questions, but we will have more opportunities for questions"

Wow, just wow sports fans.  It's obvious that GM Saouaf is building a team that can compete now and in the future.  If those young dmen can develop into the talents they are projected to be, the Icecats will be Kehler Cup contenders for a long time.  That's it for now!

Miners continue to deal; trade hard-nosed defenceman Nurse

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

After days of trade discussions and debate, the Sudbury Miners and Dayton Musicmen finally agreed to a deal early Sunday evening. The deal, which was first confirmed on Twitter by TSN reporter Darren
Dregar, is as follows:

* Sudbury trades defenceman Darnell Nurse, prospect Oli Juolevi and a 2019 5th round pick to the Dayton Musicmen in exchange for prospect defenceman Ian Mitchell, prospect forward Troy Terry, and Dayton’s 1st and 3rd round picks in 2020.

Nurse was originally drafted in the first round of the 2013 CCHL Entry Draft (7th overall) by the Hamilton Tigers before being dealt to Sudbury in 2017. He is currently on the last year of his entry-level contract, will be a restricted free agent after the 2018-19 season. He is expected to sign with the Musicmen after the season is done.

“I enjoyed my time here with Sudbury. The organization, the fans and the city are all top notch. I think they have a very bright future. But, at this stage of my career, I am happy to be able to join an
organization that will give me a chance to be a leader going forward for years to come. It is very exciting to get in on the ground floor in Dayton”, stated out-going defenseman Nurse.

From the Miners perspective, this was about dealing from a position of strength and continuing to
strengthen its pipeline for the future.

“It’s never easy to part with a player of Nurse’s talent and character. He was an excellent player for us
and he deserves a chance to win “ stated General Manager Terry James.

“But, we have a lot of blossoming talent on defence and those players deserve a chance to play. It
becomes a numbers game as you can’t keep all of them, so moves have to be made. At the end of the
day, to acquire two high end prospects (in Terry and Mitchell) and also secure a 1st and 3rd rounder in 2020, it was a deal that we had to make” stated James.

“Trades like these continue to build depth at all positions for is, which is good. It may not look like it
now, but we believe in sticking to the process and that we are on the right path to be a consistent
contender for years to come. The loyalty that city of Sudbury and its fans have shown us the past couple of years will soon be rewarded.”

Allen goes “Looney” and is on his way to Capeside.

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

With the opening of the 2018-19 CCHL season right around the corner, the Sudbury Miners and
Capeside Loons consummated a deal late Saturday afternoon, just prior to both teams opening pre-
season contests that evening.

Rumours of trade talks between the two teams broke early Saturday morning, and by the afternoon a
deal was done. The trade breaks down as follows:

Sudbury sends G Jake Allen and Sudbury’s 2020 3 rd round pick in exchange for highly touted
goaltending prospect Mike DiPietro and Capeside’s 2nd round pick in 2019.

In order to complete this deal, Sudbury agreed to waive the condition made on the February 24th deal made with Capeside, and it now allows them to retain their 2019 4th round pick. Capeside will take on Allen’s $2.5 million cap hit, which expires after the 2018-19 season. Reports suggested that Allen had requested a trade at the end of last season, but neither Allen, nor Sudbury General Manager, Terry James, would confirm the reports.

Allen, who for the past two seasons, has started the season solidly but has experienced a “mid-season
meltdown” before finding his game again at the end of the year. As a result, his numbers have
regressed in back-to-back seasons and it was clearly something that James was not comfortable with.
When talking via conference call, Allen welcomed the fresh start. "I’m excited to get a fresh start in Capeside," Allen said, “Given that they (the Miners) already have a top goalie in Freddy, it’s something I knew would probably come this off-season. ”

From the Miners perspective, there was not enough crease for both Andersen and Allen to thrive. The
logical choice for the Miners was to get some assets for Allen. By acquiring a top prospect and an early draft pick, this move stays in line with the franchise’s philosophy to build through the draft and promote from within.

“It’s never easy to part with a player of Allen’s talent and character but it was clear to us that a change would be best for both parties. We wanted to make sure he went to a team that would give him the chance to be a true No.1. But for us, at the end of the day, to acquire a high end prospect and also secure another high pick in 2019, it was a deal that we felt comfortable in making” stated James.