A Weekly Look at the 2019-20 Sudbury Miners: Volume 18 (Games 76-79)

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

Miners Weekly Record: 1 win, 3 losses, 0 OT loss.
Miners League Standing: 40 wins, 29 losses, 10 OT Loss = 90 points total. Currently, sitting in 6th place in the Canosa Conference, 9th overall in the CCHL.
Miners Special Teams: Power Play – 20.2% (10th); Penalty Kill – 82.0% (8th)
Miners Scoring Leader: Center Tyler Seguin (37G – 62A = 99 pts; 4th Overall in the CCHL)

If we have learned anything from this season’s edition of the Sudbury Miners, is that they don’t
like to make things easy for themselves.  An opportunity presented itself this past week with games versus Reykjavik and Victoria, two teams that the Miners are battling within the Canosa Conference. But losses to both this week have now put the Miners in a battle for the last playoffs spot with the red-hot Georgetown Millers. The Miners now only sit three points up on the final playoffs spot in the conference, with 3 games remaining.

The good news is that the Miners essentially control their own fate. If they can win 2 of their last
3, a spot would be secured, along with a sigh of relief. However, it won’t be easy. With games against
Springfield and rival Victoria this week, it goes without saying that the Miners need to take some points in one or both of those contests.

“Given how inconsistent our season has been, we really couldn’t ask to be in a better position than
to have control of our own fate”, stated Coach Derek Sutton. “I know our games lately haven’t exactly been ‘coaches porn’, but we have three games, and hopefully a few more to change that. Anything less than a playoff spot will be a lost year in our eyes.”

MINERS PLAYER PROFILE OF THE WEEK: Mikhail Sergachev

Sergachev is a strong defenceman with good size and excellent mobility and individual skills. He
is a calm and poised puck handler with soft hands and he has the ability to find outlets and follows the play. He supports the rush with his strong skating ability and has decent offensive instincts. He's a very aggressive defenseman who is always involved in the action and is developing into an all-around type who can produce offense, while also playing a shutdown role. Sometimes that aggressiveness can get him into penalty trouble, but there is no doubt that once he learns to play within his limitations, he can be a top-4, point-producing defenceman in the CCHL.

MINERS PROSPECT NEED TO KNOW: Peyton Krebs

A player with Krebs’ combination of skating ability and puck skills should not have fallen like he
did in last year’s CCHL draft, but that’s exactly what he did and the Miners were more than happy that he was available at pick #13. His numbers during his draft year suffered due to playing for one of the worst teams in the CHL and suffering from an Achilles injury which required surgery after his season ended. In addition to his offensive tools, Krebs can play a responsible two-way game and plays strong along the boards. He is also an experienced leader, having worn the “C” as a 17 year-old with Kootenay and again at the WU18 for Team Canada. He is a clear top-six forward for the Miners in the near future.

Expected CCHL arrival: 2022-23.

CCHL POWER RANKINGS (Week ending 2/29/20)

As the regular season wraps up this coming Thursday evening, we see things becoming clearer and clearer as far as who our 2019-20 playoff teams will be. Seven teams are fighting over the remaining four playoff spots. Dartmouth and Parry Sound can take solace that they lasted until the final five days of the season to be eliminated. They're not mathematically eliminated yet, but they both look to be long-shots to bump somebody else out. Georgetown is a bit closer to a playoff berth, but they need a good week and some help in order for them to be playing this time next weekend.

Here are the latest CCHL Power Rankings:

1. FOR - 13
2. SIB - 16
3. SPR - 39
4. HAM - 43
5. SUD - 47
6. DAY - 54
7. REK - 55
8. SEA - 57
9. VIC - 57
10. GIL -69
11. GEO - 72
12. CAP -72
13. CGY -75

Projecting the Millers 2020-21 Lineup

As the 2019-20 season winds down, Georgetown fans and management have started to look toward the formation of next season’s club. The massive rebuilding trades this season yielded several good
prospects but none are expected to play a major role on the 20-21 club, either due to injury (Barrett Hayton) or not enough appearances (Martin Fehervary).

The lineup below is made of players currently in the system as of February 28 who are expected to have enough appearances to be eligible.

Forwards (LW-C-RW)

Dominik Kahun – Ryan Strome – Brock Boeser
Nick Ritchie- Michael Backlund – Rocco Grimaldi
Jason Dickinson – Radek Faksa – Warren Foegele
Taro Hirose - Cody Eakin – Rudolfs Balcers

Reserves – Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Carl Grundstrom
Minors – Barrett Hayton
UFA – Justin Williams, Eric Fehr
RFA (not expected to re-sign) – Marcus Foligno, Brandon Pirri

Defense

Dougie Hamilton – Marc-Edouard Vlasic
Nick Leddy – Brandon Montour
Brett Kulak – Madison Bowey
Reserve – Matt Benning
Minors – Dennis Gilbert
UFA – Nick Holden

Goalies

Jordan Binnington
James Reimer
Cal Petersen

Forwards Analysis

The Millers could ice a top 6 forward corps that could be charitably called below-average. Injuries have hindered the seasons of Boeser, Kahun and Ritchie. Grimaldi and Foegele could end up swapping lines but there’s no major difference production-wise. The projected 3rd line is much more of a traditional shut-down or defensive line that was all the rage 10 to 15 years ago. The 4th line is the island of misfit toys, featuring a disappointing veteran in Eakin and a 2nd year player in Hirose who’s effectively blown his chance to establish himself as an NHL regular. Balcers should eventually settle in as a middle 6 winger. Kotkaniemi has suffered through a brutal sophomore season and is likely to split time with Eakin. Grundstrom simply hasn’t played enough but was minors designated this season. Barring an amazing finish to his NHL season Hayton won’t have the stats to warrant paying his full salary and blowing a year of his entry-level contract. None of the pending UFAs or RFAs warrant a contract befitting a rebuilding club. Despite his production for the current Millers, Pirri has spent the bulk of this NHL season in the AHL and his big-league time was unproductive.
Expect the Millers to sign at least one UFA who could fill a top 6 role and possibly trade for a “bad”
contract that could do the same, assuming the acquisition cost is low and/or assets such as a draft pick
or prospect is attached.

Defense Analysis

Squint hard enough and one could make the case that the Millers have a legit top 4 in Hamilton, Vlasic, Leddy and Montour. Madison Bowey, Brett Kulak and Matt Benning all have serious strengths and weaknesses as they compete for regular spots on the bottom pairing; Bowey can score but is a sieve defensively; Benning has health issues; Kulak is probably the most well-rounded of the 3 but his NHL offensive production has been spotty. Nick Holden has been atrocious for the Millers and the veteran Dman is not expected to be re-signed.

A moderately-priced UFA signing is the most likely solution as the club would want at least one more
semi-reliable blueliner for depth. Dennis Gilbert is best served staying in the minors for the season.

Goaltender Analysis

Netminders are the definite strength of the 20-21 Millers. Binnington is turning in another Vezina-caliber season, Reimer has had a nice season as a backup and Petersen is getting the chance to establish himself as the King’s goalie of the future. If Petersen sees enough game action at the NHL level to be a viable backup he could allow the Millers to shop Reimer for help in other areas.
If Reimer is moved and a G doesn’t come back in a deal expect GEO to sign a cheap 3rd to a one-year contract and hope that they never have to use him.

CCHL POWER RANKINGS (Week ending 2/23/20)

Just thirteen days remain in the CCHL 2019-20 regular season, and many, many things are still up in the air as far as determining the upcoming playoff.

*Seven of the 12 playoff spots have been determined so far with FOR, SIB, HAM, DAY, SPR, SEA, and GIL.

*Which leaves seven teams fighting over the five remaining post-season berths.

This week's Power Rankings:

1. FOR - 12
2. SIB - 17
3. HAM - 40
4. SPR - 40
5. SUD - 43
6. DAY - 48
7. GIL - 57
8. SEA - 58
9. REK - 67
10. VIC - 67
11. CAP - 69
12. GEO - 71
13. CGY - 86

CORFIELD CONFERENCE NOTES:

*Both GIL and SEA are trying to catch DAY for 2nd seed in the conference and the first-round bye that goes with it. DAY has a home and home series with the Reign that could go along way to determining who will be the 2nd seed in the conference.

*CGY & CAP look to have a pretty strong hold on the 5th & 6th seeds, as DRT is six points being with a tough eight games remaining.

CANOSA CONFERENCE NOTES:

*HAM has the inside track to grab the 2nd seed in the conference with a 1 point lead over SPR but also 2 games in hand and an easier remaining schedule.

*SUD, VIC, REK & GEO are having a good battle for the bottom three playoff spots in the conference. GEO is playing the best hockey of the four teams but has the hardest row to hoe to snag a playoff spot.

*FOR & SIB have no threats from teams in their own conferences but are within a point of each other for the 1st seed overall throughout the playoffs. The Falcons hold a slight advantage with a 1 point lead and a game in hand. The two teams will play each other in Siberia next Sunday,

A Weekly Look at the 2019-20 Sudbury Miners: Volume 17 (Games 72-75)

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

Miners Weekly Record: 2 wins, 2 losses, 0 OT loss.

Miners League Standing: 39 wins, 26 losses, 10 OT Loss = 88 points total.

Currently sit in 4th place in the Canosa Conference, 8th overall in the CCHL.
.
Miners Special Teams: Power Play – 20.4% (10th); Penalty Kill – 82.1% (5th)
Miners Scoring Leader: Center Tyler Seguin (36G – 56A = 92 pts; 6th Overall in the CCHL)

This week in the Nickel City saw the Miners sport a .500 record and remain in 4th spot in the
Canosa Conference, with 7 games remaining. However, the Miners can ill afford to let up as only five points separate four teams (Sudbury, Victoria, Reykjavik, and Georgetown) for the last three playoff spots in the conference. It’s clear that the Miner players have their sights set a little higher and won’t be content with just simply making the playoffs.

“We are thinking about just getting in, we want home ice in the first round, plain and simple”, said
Miner defenceman Brayden McNabb. “But we know that no games are easy this time of year.”

The Miners face a pivotal week in the schedule as they play two teams they are currently battling
with, in both Victoria and Reykjavik. A pair of wins in those games may just be enough for the Miners to clinch a playoff spot and a step closer to home ice in the first round.
There is also a real possibility that if the Miners do make the playoffs, they could match up with
one of these teams.

"We have to find ways to get points right now and whatever team we're playing against, it's got
to be our best effort”, said Miners forward Tyler Seguin. "We will need to play desperate the rest of the year, a little more than we have been. We need to set the tone early in these games to get the results we are looking for…its going to be fun!”

MINERS PLAYER PROFILE OF THE WEEK: Ryan Murray

Murray is an intelligent and tidy blueliner with excellent mobility and structure. He is steady and
consistent, not flashy or overpowering and his value is in his reliability – you know what you are getting. He is a strong all-around skater and is deceptively quick. He moves well backwards and laterally, and maintains a tight gap when defending. His puck skills are steady, as he is composed in possession, often making simple, early outlet passes. The one knock throughout his career has been maintaining health as he seems to be injured for a time every season. However, there is no denying that when healthy, Murray is a solid top-4 defenceman.

MINERS PROSPECT NEED TO KNOW: Philip Broberg

Opinion range when it comes to Broberg. Some scouts saw him as a solid choice in the top ten
of the draft, while others felt it was a bit earlier to take him. With that being said, there is no question that

Broberg is a talented player. His skating alone and how he uses it is a lethal weapon to have on any
team. His other assets include above average but not elite hockey IQ. Combined with his reach and
speed he will be a strong top four or maybe even a top-pairing defenseman. He can take charge of a
game and shift the momentum on one shift. He has some defensive flaws that he needs to correct and
should continue to work on his offensive game. If he keeps developing, he has the potential to be ready for the CCHL within one or two seasons. Expected CCHL arrival: 2021-22.

Artemi Panarin - "Badass?"

Fort Erie—

The Fort Erie Falcons hosted the red hot Victoria Ronin on Tuesday night.

Victoria entered the contest having won 15 of their last 20 games while Fort Erie needed a win to increase their lead atop the CCHL standings with Siberia having lost earlier in the night.

Fort Erie opened the scoring with three straight goals before Victoria answered with three of their own, tying the contest at three just 14 seconds into the third period.

Alex DeBrincat put the Falcons back on top for good just 24 seconds later as he one-times an Alex Ovechkin stop pass over Juuse Saros blocker into the top shelf where Momma DeBrincat keeps the cookies!

Despite the back-and-forth contest, fans left the arena shocked by a fight between Artemi Panarin and Scott Mayfield in the opening minutes of the game.

Tony from Chippewa, Ontario was sitting ringside when the fight broke out right in front of him after a strange verbal exchange.

“So Mayfield kept calling Panarin “Dough Boy” and Panarin yelled back it’s “bread man” and then dropped the gloves saying Mayfield was going to be toast once he was done with him,” said Tony of the brawl.

While the fight was officially ruled a draw by the Simon T judges, it was certainly interesting to see Panarin lose his temper over a simple error.

“I wasn’t trying to insult him. I just couldn’t remember his nickname,” quipped Mayfield as he left the arena.

Fort Erie is back in action on Thursday night at home as they host the Long Island Express.

CCHL POWER RANKINGS (Week ending 2/16/20)

Less than two weeks remain in the 2019-20 CCHL regular season and the crunching of the numbers tells us some interesting things.

1) The top five teams this week have been the top five teams EVERY week since we started seven weeks ago.

2) DAY & REK seem to be clustered as the 6th and 7th best teams, followed by GIL and SEA to round out the top nine teams.

3) For the first time since we resumed the power rankings, the Victoria Ronin have cracked the top ten! Over the last ten games, the Ronin are tied with FOR behind only SIB and SPR.

4) Parry Sound and Dartmouth

This week's Power Rankings:

1. FOR - 13
2. SIB - 17
3. SPR - 37
4. HAM - 40
5. SUD - 46
6. DAY - 50
7. REK - 50
8. GIL - 59
9. SEA - 61
10. VIC - 67
11. GEO - 67
12. CAP - 72
13. CGY - 74

CORFIELD CONFERENCE NOTES: 

*Six points behind 6th place Capeside who hold a game in hand puts the Lakers in a tough spot.

*Other than FOR, there's still a lot left to be decided about where the playoff teams will wind up. Dayton controls its own destiny and if faces GIL next Wednesday and a win over the Sharks might give the 'Men the 2nd seed overall. Dayton still plays a home and home with both SEA and CAP, which should also impact the final standings considerably.

CANOSA CONFERENCE NOTES:

*Two battles remain in the Canosa. One is the battle between HAM & SPR for the 2nd seed. The other is a 3-4 team battle between REK, VIC, SUD and possibly, GEO who needs helps to go to the post - season.

IN the battle for best record overall SIB and FOR have both played 74 games, with the Falcons a mere one point ahead of the Icecats. It'll be fun to watch this for the last 8 games for both teams, which includes a head to head matchup in 2 weeks.

See you next week!