State of the Soviet Blog

 In its first report to the Supreme State Soviet for Sport and Physical Education, the Director of the Soviet Wings of Moscow hockey club reports as follows:

1) Team performance has so far exceeded expectations. The club is effectively designed to build through the draft and peak in the future, but our socialist collective of downtrodden veterans and eager youth has banded together to achieve surprising excellence early in the 2021-22 hockey season;

2) Chief reason for success is top-of-league powerplay, whereby we have been able to apply socialist principles to reach unprecedented achievement in the field of excellence;

3) Otherwise, our underlying stats suggest a middling to below average record, so I wish to emphasize that any future struggles would be indicative of a regression to the mean, rather than any flagging of socialist spirit;

4) The goaltending looks to be an achilles heel, as the reins are in the hands of an aging veteran and a once-starring drunkard. We will do what we can - perhaps Anton can still recall the young pioneer spirit of his youth;

5) Andrew Copp is a young communist who has led the collective in all situations. We have received numerous trade offers for him from the capitalist lackeys, but they have all been laughably inadequate so far. Unless we are overwhelmed with an offer, Comrade Copp will continue as our team leader during the transition.

FOR goalie problems continue

Despite an outstanding start to their season, all is not well for the Fort Erie Falcons.

The offence has certainly been good and with Alex Debrincat now scoring after firing blanks for his first 30 shots on goal, chemistry seems apparent throughout the lineup.

The problem for the Falcons however is in goal with Marc-Andre Fleury and Curtis McElhinney both posting save percentages in the .880 range.

“Our goaltending hasn’t been good enough. I think Marc and Curtis would tell you that as well,” said GM Matt Young. 

"This is sports, and it's a results-driven business.  I'm definitely fighting the puck a bit these days but the guys are playing great in front of me, I'm just not stopping the puck.  The new pads have been tough to break in as well, but I can't use that as an excuse, I just need to be better.  They brought me in to solidify the position and I've done anything but that so far," said Fleury of his struggles in Fort Erie.  

The biggest challenge is that last year it was Vasilevsky in this spot, although he was playing much better. The salary for Fleury is far less but the results need to be better.

It sounds like the Falcons are shopping Fleury in the marketplace. They realize that perhaps a goalie with lower ratings may do the trick on a team where goaltending doesn’t have to be great, just good.  It seems to be the formula every year as Khudobin and Blackwood suggest from the past two seasons.

Fleury would be an upgrade for many teams in the league that rely on goaltending more. If interested, the rumor is that the Falcons will certainly listen and entertain a change.

Sudbury Miners - 2021-22 CCHL Season Preview

 CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

 

The window is wide open now for the Sudbury Miners.  After making the Kehler Cup final last, the Miners goal this year is simple - to get back to the Kehler Cup Final and avenge last years defeat at the hands of Seattle.

 

Kehler Cup odds: 7-1

Key Additions: Tim Stutzle - LW; Blake Wheeler - RW;  Teuvo Teravainen - W.

Key Departures: Johnny Gaudreau - LW;  Jake DeBrusk – W; Tanner Pearson - W

 

The Sudbury Miners ended their 2020-21 season with a 54-18-10 record, good for 1st in the Canosa Conference, 2^nd Overall.  They were able to parlay that regular season success all the way to the Kehler Cup Final, only to lose to the Seattle Reign in 5 games.  

But, now pressure begins for the Miners.  Management and the fans have tasted success, and feel that the time is now for the Miners.  Despite the loss of winger Nikita Kucherov to Injured Reserve, they are still deep and talented and expectations are to contend for another Canosa Conference title.   

 

UP AND COMING PLAYER TO WATCH

While he may spend most of the year in the minors, keep an eye on highly touted winger, Tim Stutzle.  The Miners pulled off a significant trade with Fort Erie late in the off-season in order to acquire him.  He has the offensive skills and grit to become one of the Miners most productive players in the coming years.  It is not unreasonable to expect 25-30 goals from him when he finally makes his full debut next season.

 

WHAT A SUCCESSFUL 2020-21 SEASON WOULD LOOK LIKE

In the words of Jake Taylor from Major League fame, “Win the whole f**king thing!”   A classic line but it is easier said than done, as the Miners learned last year.  But, it seems to be the general consensus between both management and fans alike.   The fans want to taste victory and the players want those Championship rings.

 

 

 

BIGGEST REMAINING QUESTION

Ideally, the Miners repeat last year’s regular season success and deep playoff run.  But there are heightened expectations this year from both fans and management that anything less than another berth in the Kehler Cup Final will be a disappointment.  The real question is that with these heightened expectations, how will this team respond when they are expected to win?

 

TOP 10 PROSPECTS

1.  Spencer Knight, G – Boston University (NCAA)

2.  Nils Lundkvist, D – Lulea HF (Swe.)

3.  Vitali Kravtsov, RW – New York Rangers (NHL)

4.  Victor Soderstrom, D – Tuscon (AHL)

5.  Ozzy Weisblatt, RW – Prince Albert (WHL)

6.  Dominik Bokk, RW – Charlotte (AHL)

7.  Braden Schneider, D – Brandon (WHL)

8.  Ridly Greig, LW – Brandon (WHL)

9.  Wyatt Johnston, C – Windsor (OHL)

10.  Matias Maccelli, LW – Ilves (Fin.)

 

PREDICTION:  2^nd in Canosa Conference.

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.

State of the Loons; Recapping the Draft

 The Loons 2021 Draft Class is now official. Looking at this class - Beniers is obviously the headliner and as much of a sure thing as you can get in this years draft. After Matty B the rest of the class appears to be full of question marks just like most things in 2021. The 2021 draft has been referred to as a poor draft but a lot of that is based on not having a top end, franchise altering player at the top of the draft. Another factor has been the lack of games that these prospects have been able to play and impress the scouts. However I feel like this draft has a lot of depth and I will be interested to see how many late rounders become productive NHLers due to all the uncertainties from this year. Hopefully its some of these new Loons!

Our 2021 draft class consists of 5 left wings, 1 center, 4 defensemen and a goalie; 6 Americans, 2 Canadiens, 2 Swedes and a Russian.

2. Matt Beniers

The absolute highlight of our class. Matty caught our eyes during the 2020 World Juniors. Going from limited playing time on the 4th line at the beginning of the tournament to centering the 2nd line alongside of fellow Loon Matt Boldy in the gold medal game. Matty is constantly labeled as a high floor, second line center that can play in all situations. We see a chance for more then that. Matty has always played over his age group and our hope is that his offense will catch up to the rest of his strong game, making him a top liner for Seattle. Matty projects as Capeside's third line center with Eichel and Zegras ahead of him on the depth chart. 

120. Ryan Ufko

Through much of the draft we had been contacting teams in order to move up to grab Ryan, but thankfully he fell in our lap at pick 120. Ryan was on our radar once he committed to UMASS. We previously had been holding on to a much earlier pick in order to draft a different UMASS commit. However, we ultimately decided that Ryan's more well rounded game made him the better choice for us. We are excited to see how UMASS can take Ryan to the next level after watching the success of Cale Makar and Zac Jones. 

155. Lucas Forsell

It's not everyday that a 17 year old gets to see time in the SHL, but Lucas did this year. Lucas missed being 2022 eligible by a week making him one of the youngest players in this draft. Lucas has high end skill but needs to improve his strength and build in order to handle playing against men day in and day out. Lucas is definitely a gamble but one that could have a huge payoff.

156. Liam Gilmartin

Liam will never be top liner or probably never even in the top 6 but he is an extremely hard worker and will do whatever it takes to make the team better. He plays a physical game has good hands - will need to work on his skating next year in the OHL with London.

158. Kyle Masters

We believe that Kyle is one of those players that can drastically out produce his draft spot. Kyle has missed a lot of time the past two years due to injury and covid shutdowns, however the skill is there. Kyle is a tremendous skater with great puck moving skills. Was ranked as high as 38 by Elite we feel Kyle can be an absolute steal in the 8th round.

171. Oskar Jellvik

Oskar was a highly touted player in Sweden a few years ago however his play has leveled out lately. Skill is still there but he needs to spend some time with Liam and get his head on straight. Honestly -  was picked because he is a Bruin.

183. Justin Janicke

Justin is the brother of fellow Loon Trevor Janicke, but Justin is the much more skilled Janicke. Justin is a fantastic skater with top end speed. After being the first overall pick in the USHL entry draft , Justin will look to improve his overall strength in the USHL before heading off to join Trevor at Notre Dame.

200. Arsenii Sergeev

After failing to be able to draft Svedeback, Sergeev was the best goalie available. After struggling in the USHL two seasons ago Arsenii bounced back in a league I have never heard of (NAHL). Arsenii is a project and adds goaltending depth to our system.

222. Nate Benoit

Nate is a local project that is committed to the University of North Dakota. Nate will definitely get great coaching there.

241. Ty Murchison

Scouting reports rave around Ty's skating and vision, but will need to work on his strength and defensive game in the NCAA to get the most out of his potential. 

244. Jalen Luypen

Jalen was eligible last year and passed up by the NHL. After a solid year of work he was drafted by Chicago this year. Jalen is known as a hard worker and has seen steady improvement in the WHL. High potential for a 7th round NHL pick - well worth a gamble at 244

*Two picks were also sent to Tampa for a 7th & 8th round pick in the 2022 draft. 

This draft was all about Matty Beniers, anything else we get out of this class is gravy.

CCHL GMs draft their Seattle Kraken teams from the NHL protection lists

 Don Paulo's (Victoria) Seattle Kraken:

Johansen, Ryan

Zucker, Jason

Domi, Max

Bailey, Josh

Tierney, Chris

Kerfoot, Alexander

Virtanen, Jake

Namestnikov, Vladislav

Bastian, Nathan

Gauthier, Julien

Rubtsov, German

L'Esperance, Joel

Ritchie, Nick

Khaira, Jujhar

Donato, Ryan

Gaudette, Adam

Bunting, Michael

Landeskog, Gabriel*

DeMelo, Dylan

Soucy, Carson

Fleury, Haydn

Clague, Kale

Bean, Jake

Foote, Cal

McCabe, Jake

Kylington, Oliver

Dunn, Vince

Price, Carey

Vanecek, Vitek

Driedger, Chris

Blake's (HALIFAX) Seattle Kraken:

Matt Young (Fort Erie's) Seatle Kraken:

Aaron Stacey's (Springfield's) Seattle Kraken:

FORWARDS (17)

Tarasenko, Vladimir

van Riemsdyk, James

Zucker, Jason

Drouin, Jonathan

Domi, Max

Rask, Victor

McCann, Jared

Eakin, Cody

Namestnikov, Vladislav

Turris, Kyle

Pánik, Richard

Wagner, Austin

Fischer, Christian

Carpenter, Ryan

Maroon, Patrick

Blackwell, Colin

Merkley, Nick

DEFENSE (9)

Giordano, Mark

Johnson, Erik

Simek, Radim

Fleury, Haydn

Beaulieu, Nathan

Brown, Joshua

Clifton, Connor

Bowey, Madison

Bean, Jake

GOALTENDERS (4)

Bishop, Ben

Ingram, Connor

Vanecek, Vitek

Driedger, Chris

Terry Jame's (Sudbury's) Seattle Kraken:

State of the Loons; Speeding up the Rebuild

 I am sure it comes as no surprise to anyone in the CCHL that the Loons did not have the patience to go through a long rebuild. One year of losing, worst in the CCHL losing, was more then enough for us. After tearing down our team and creating a strong farm system we were in a position where if our prospects developed properly we could have been competitive in 3 or 4 years... Nope... don't have the patience for that. I can say that we have hopefully learned from our mistakes. We resisted bringing in high priced players in the later stages of their primes for immediate, short term success. Instead, we targeted players in their early twenties that have yet to reach their big pay days. Over the past few weeks the Loons moved multiple prospects and decimated our 2022 and 2023 draft picks in order to create a core consisting of Eichel, McAvoy, and Werenski. As strong as that core seems to be, they need reinforcements. Our hope is that those reinforcements will come from what is left of our prospect pool. This upcoming season will be extremely important for Wahlstrom, Puljujarvi, Zegras and Oettinger. All four showed glimpses of developing into top players in the league. If at least 3 of the 4 can continue to improve the Loons can start focusing on making a run at the Kehler Cup.

Its almost Beniers time in Capeside! 

After multiple emails, slack messages and trades the Loons will be able to draft Matty Beniers in this year's draft. Just a few months ago we bragged about a strong center group consisting of Eichel, Zegras, Rossi and Turcotte. We have since subtracted Rossi and Turcotte but are very excited to be able to add Beniers to Eichel and Zegras down the middle. Capeside also owns the 6th and 25th selections this year and have our sights firmly set on two players at those spots that hopefully will keep the Loons on top when and if we are able to get there.

More great news came the Loons' way early this week as Capeside was selected to host the 2021 CCHL draft. Word is that Matty Beniers is already here looking for a house  with a view of the local creek here in Capeside. As mentioned on Twitter, the Potter B&B has been fully restored and will be available for any GM looking to make the trip to Capeside later this month. Rooms are going fast but thankfully the GMs of the Ice Cats and Millers have agreed to share a room while the Comets are taking the couch. I am sure that volunteering for the couch was not just to be a nice guy but a strategic move in order to be a part of any and all trade conversations that may take place in the B&B. We are on to you Max!

Just a few more weeks until we find out who will join Matty in this year's Loons draft class!