State of the Loons - After the first quarter

After a disastrous pre season, the Loons came out flying once the regular season started. Even with a few set backs as of late the Loons are still in the Corfield Conference top 4. We knew this was going to be a transition year as we start to integrate our top prospects into the lineup. Our goal is to make the playoffs and go from there. We are not kidding ourselves by thinking that we are bringing a championship home this year and we try to remind ourselves that every time a interesting player gets put on the trade block. 

Our forward group is still a work in progress. Right now we lack fire power. It may not be that way next year with the progression we are seeing out of Wahlstrom, Zegras and Garland. But right now we simply do not score enough goals to compete with the Seattle's, Comets, Falcons and Miners of the world. We have been in the market for an upgrade, but only if it makes sense to both our payroll and the direction of the team of building around youth.

Our blue line is undoubtedly our strength and is what is winning us games. McAvoy has been the MVP and is proving to be well worth the investment we made in him. At only 23 he will be winning the Loons games for a long time. Newcomer Justin Faulk's success in the neon green and black is going to create headaches for us once the off-season arrives. Both him and Kreider will be UFA and we are already scheming on how we can possibly keep both after misinterpreting the UFA rules... That executive has been subsequently terminated. A few seasons ago the Isotopes posted a blog around defensive prospects around the CCHL and the Loons were toward the bottom of their list. That one blog created a change in our philosophy and now we believe that our back end will be in good shape for the long term with Perunovich, Thrun, Harris and Rathbone waiting in the wings to fill in behind McAvoy, Werenski, Brodin and Carlo.

Our goaltending has been all over the place this year. It was Grubauer, then Campbell, Grubauer again, Rask, Vasilevskiy stopped by briefly, Oettinger left and returned and now our battery seems to be set at Bobrovsky and Gibson. The Loons future in net will be built around Oettinger and Commesso once they are ready to take over.

After a few promotions our farm system still is in decent shape, here is our updated top 10 if any CCHL team is looking to send some offers our way

10. Henry Thrun - Solid, good all around D man at Harvard that has recently gone through a small offensive explosion. 

9. Jordan Harris - Just hoping Jordan's Boston roots pushes him to choose free agency over signing with the evil Canadiens

8. Drew Commesso - playing great in net behind a surprisingly lousy BU team

7. Tyler Boucher - learning the ropes at BU - size is already there just needs to work developing his game against players who can match his physicality 

6. Jakub Lauko - is ready for the NHL just waiting for his spot

5. Jack Rathbone - NHL ready plays a similar game to Quinn Hughes - may need to get away from the Canucks to get a real shot

4. Scott Perunovich - is destroying AHL competition, hopefully St Louis trades him

3. Matt Boldy - was destined to make the Wild after a strong camp but an ankle injury keeps him on our prospect list

2. Matt Beniers - the second of our Matty B's - expected to see time with the Kraken later on this year

1. William Eklund - made the Sharks and is showing that he will be a star once he packs on some muscle

Amos after 30

 After a stable start, the Comets GM made a lot of moves between game 20 & 30.

 

Players acquired:

• Patrick Kane
• Tyler Toffoli
• Alexandre Texier
• Jaroslav Halak
• Brendan Montour

 

Players out:

• Ondrej Palat
• Lars Eller
• Jake Allen
• Justin Faulk
• Multiple prospects gone too

 

Still standing on 3^rd place along with the Georgetown Millers, the 10 last games were pretty hard on us (3-6-1). Our Lineup coach made multiple illegal lineups which led to the waiving of C. Wolanin & J. Lammikko. Too many unwanted starts for Jack Campbell who now has 28 starts left. Halak might play a lot for us in the next days!

 

Hamilton’s & Dvorak continue to produce as they still have 1pt/gp.

Kane & ROR a pretty solid too! ROR as 14pts in 10 games as a Comet and Kane as 12 pts in 8 games since being traded.

 

Weber might be back soon and help us solidify on the defensive side. We are currently giving up too many good chances that are leading in too many goals.

 

Still have a lot of works to do!

The Nickel Report – Evaluating the 2021-22 Sudbury Miners: Volume 2

 The Nickel Report - Volume 2.

Enjoy!

The Nickel Report – Evaluating the 2021-22 Sudbury Miners:  Volume 2

 

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

 

Up to games ending on October 31, 2021

Miners 10 Game (Dime) Record:  6 wins, 4 losses, 0 OT loss.

Miners League Standing:  13 wins, 6 losses, 1 OT Loss = 27 points total.  Currently sit in 2nd place in the Canosa Conference, 3rd overall in the CCHL.

Miners Special Teams:  Power Play – 22.1% (9th); Penalty Kill – 80.0% (11th)

Miners Scoring Leader:  Center Auston Matthews (13G – 10A = 23 pts; 6th Overall in the CCHL)

 

There is no amusement park in the Greater Sudbury area, but in the past 10 games, the Miners provided their fans with a bit of a roller coaster ride.

After starting out this last 10 game stretch with a 3-game losing streak, the Miners seemed to figure things out and have won 5 of their last 6, including a 4-game win streak.  It’s no secret that management would like to have the team start playing with a bit more consistency and a high level. 

 “We have been having some lazy habits starting to creep in our game lately”, stated Coach Craig Berube.  “It seems like guys have read some of their own press about being Kehler Cup contenders and are forgetting that the games are played on the ice and not on paper.  Hopefully, this last run of games has made us realize that we need to work on the ice to get where we want to be.” 

The next run of games will be very important to the Miners, as they play 8 out of their next 10 games versus division opponents.   A good record in this next stretch is what management and the team is shooting for.

 

MINERS PLAYER PROFILE OF THE WEEK:  Ondrej Palat

Acquired in the off-season in a trade with Amos, Palat is seen as a creative, playmaking two-way winger. He is shifty and can be very elusive one on one.  He has all the skills and ability to be a natural point producer and is ideally suited for a 2^nd or 3^rd line role.   His attention to detail in his own end, also make him a valuable commodity.  Palat is slated to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2021-22 CCHL season.

 

MINERS PROSPECT NEED TO KNOW:  Wyatt Johnston

Johnston, who was drafted in the second round by the Miners this past summer, is seen in scouting circles as a tactical two-way forward who has some positional versatility with the ability to play on the wing or down the middle.  He is quick and is a shifty “in-your-face”, two-way forward who uses speed and hustle to neutralize opposing breakouts.  He has a good hockey sense and thinks the game at a high level for an 18 year-old.  Johnston will use this year in Windsor (OHL) to further develop his offensive game moving forward.  Projected CCHL arrival:  2023-24.

Amos after 20

 Currently sitting on 3rd place in Canosa’s is better than expected. With Weber out month due to a groin injury, the GM is really happy about how the situation turnt.

 

Jake Campbell has been the ultimate difference maker so far being 5-2-1 in 8 games with 2 SO and a .926% PCT.

Dougie Hamilton is still putting a lot of points on the board being first in the CCHL in points for Dmen (26pts in 20gp).

Christian Dvorak (10 + 14) & his linemate Nick Suzuki(5 + 17) are still making a huge difference in front while Logan Couture is leading the team in goals with 12.

 

The addition of Jared McCann, Phil Danault and Erik Cernak all solidify the defensive in from of Campbell. McCann also has 5pts in 8gp as a Comet.

 

With Weber 2 weeks away from a come back, we just hope that the team will keep pushing forward. This season seems to be a bit calmer in the trade department than last season. This might be a good sign of a GM being confident about his team.

State of the Loons; The first quarter

 After a disastrous pre season, the Loons came out flying once the regular season started. Even with a few set backs as of late the Loons are still in the Corfield Conference top 4. We knew this was going to be a transition year as we start to integrate our top prospects into the lineup. Our goal is to make the playoffs and go from there. We are not kidding ourselves by thinking that we are bringing a championship home this year and we try to remind ourselves that every time a interesting player gets put on the trade block. 

Our forward group is still a work in progress. Right now we lack fire power. It may not be that way next year with the progression we are seeing out of Wahlstrom, Zegras and Garland. But right now we simply do not score enough goals to compete with the Seattle's, Comets, Falcons and Miners of the world. We have been in the market for an upgrade, but only if it makes sense to both our payroll and the direction of the team of building around youth.

Our blue line is undoubtedly our strength and is what is winning us games. McAvoy has been the MVP and is proving to be well worth the investment we made in him. At only 23 he will be winning the Loons games for a long time. Newcomer Justin Faulk's success in the neon green and black is going to create headaches for us once the off-season arrives. Both him and Kreider will be UFA and we are already scheming on how we can possibly keep both after misinterpreting the UFA rules... That executive has been subsequently terminated. A few seasons ago the Isotopes posted a blog around defensive prospects around the CCHL and the Loons were toward the bottom of their list. That one blog created a change in our philosophy and now we believe that our back end will be in good shape for the long term with Perunovich, Thrun, Harris and Rathbone waiting in the wings to fill in behind McAvoy, Werenski, Brodin and Carlo.

Our goaltending has been all over the place this year. It was Grubauer, then Campbell, Grubauer again, Rask, Vasilevskiy stopped by briefly, Oettinger left and returned and now our battery seems to be set at Bobrovsky and Gibson. The Loons future in net will be built around Oettinger and Commesso once they are ready to take over.

After a few promotions our farm system still is in decent shape, here is our updated top 10 if any CCHL team is looking to send some offers our way

10. Henry Thrun - Solid, good all around D man at Harvard that has recently gone through a small offensive explosion. 

9. Jordan Harris - Just hoping Jordan's Boston roots pushes him to choose free agency over signing with the evil Canadiens

8. Drew Commesso - playing great in net behind a surprisingly lousy BU team

7. Tyler Boucher - learning the ropes at BU - size is already there just needs to work developing his game against players who can match his physicality 

6. Jakub Lauko - is ready for the NHL just waiting for his spot

5. Jack Rathbone - NHL ready plays a similar game to Quinn Hughes - may need to get away from the Canucks to get a real shot

4. Scott Perunovich - is destroying AHL competition, hopefully St Louis trades him

3. Matt Boldy - was destined to make the Wild after a strong camp but an ankle injury keeps him on our prospect list

2. Matt Beniers - the second of our Matty B's - expected to see time with the Kraken later on this year

1. William Eklund - made the Sharks and is showing that he will be a star once he packs on some muscle

Seattle Brew

 (AP) – With the 2021-22 CCHL Season well underway let’s take a look at how the 2020-21 Champion Seattle Reign have performed year to date and if there are any indicators of how their season may unfold.

Repeating as Champion is never easy in any sport or league and as we find ourselves in the 20^th season of the CCHL it should be noted that only twice has a team repeated Bismarck in the 3^rd and 4^th CCHL season and in seasons 12 and 13 by Copenhagen.

Seattle returns a large portion of their roster form last year’s Championship team but there were a few changes and perhaps the biggest is behind the bench as former coach Scott Stevens declined an extension and Dean Evason was brought on board.

While we only have a small sample size to assess how Evason is doing as coach, early results are both promising and worrisome and the true test will be where the Reign find themselves come the end of the year and if they make the playoffs how far they are able to advance.

Will it be considered a failed season and coaching performance if Seattle does not win it all, in the strictest sense yes, there will be 21 teams who fail each CCHL season with just one being successful.

However we tend to grade things on the curve so a playoff appearance and winning a round  or two might be looked upon favorably but until then let’s go through some early season winners and losers for the Reign.

Winners

Dean Evason – I know we said it’s too early to truly judge how good a coach he will be for Seattle but things are trending upwards. The Reign are currently riding a league best 6 game win streak and find themselves with an 8-5-1 record good for 4^th place in the Corfield Division. While they are still behind the 10-1-3 1^st place Fort Erie Falcons their record is better than the 4-8-2 start from last year and the 6 game winning streak is 1 game more than their best winning streak from last season.

Defence – The big acquisition in the free agency for Seattle was the signing of Damon Severson. The veteran blueliner was added to take some of the pressure of Matias Ekholm and strengthen the top 4 as he could absorb minutes and play in all situations. The team has surrendered 13 fewer goals than they did last season 51 compared to 64, through the 1^st 14 games so if that trend continues a decrease of around 75 goals against would be something to get excited about.

Jakob Chychrun -  Chychrun was a highly touted draft prospect who slid down the CCHL draft board back in 2016 so expectations were tempered when Seattle chose him. Just a handful of years later he appears to be exceeding those expectations. His breakout 21g-48a-69pt season from 2020-21 was a great boost to Seattle’s back end. This season he is just ahead of last season’s pace with 5g-10a-15pt in 14 games played while playing fewer minutes per game. Seattle knows they can rely on him to produce offensively and at just 23 years of age they hope his development will continue and he will be an anchor on the Reign’s blueline for the next decade plus.

Mattias Ekholm – Why? Because it’s Mattias Ekholm doing Mattias Ekholm things.

Losers

Forwards – Seattle didn’t add any big name forwards but picked up some depth for the 4^th line. 14 games in and the offensive production is nearly identical to last season 53g in 2021 compared to 51g in 2020. While that might seem fine 27 of those 53 goals have occurred during their current 6 game winning streak. They are one of only 3 CCHL teams whose top two point producers are defenceman, and the only one of those teams with a record above .500. Whether the current run of goal production can be sustained remains to be seen, but if the offence from the defence dries up or either of the top two lines slows down will there be any contribution from the bottom six to help out? The current situation indicates that it is doubtful.

Goaltending – Yes Seattle has yielded fewer goals through 14 games than last season but #1 goalie Semyon Varlamov has not been good enough to warrant confidence for Reign fans to think they could make an extended playoff run. Despite a 6-3-1 record his .890 SV% and 3.67 GAA is worse than future starter Thatcher Demko’s .902 SV% and 3.04 GAA. Varlamov has started 12 of the Reign 1^st 14 games this season and has been pulled twice in those starts compared to being pulled in 3 of his 10 starts in the Reign’s first 14 games last year however he also posted 2 shutouts in those 10 starts in 20-21 and this season has yet to post any. Seattle fans may soon be seeing more of Demko between the pipes unless Varlamov’s play improves.

Physical Play – Seattle ranked near the bottom of the league in hits with just 222 after 14 games. Now granted the team is not built to play physically trying to lean on their skating, speed and skill to move the puck quickly. However battling for loose pucks along the boards and fore-checking and defending does require a team to use physicality and win those battles. Even though Seattle was not overly physical in winning it all last year but it may benefit them to be a bit more physical especially against some of the bigger bodied teams who play that style.

The Nickel Report – Evaluating the 2021-22 Sudbury Miners: Volume 1

 ANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

 

Up to games ending on October 12, 2021

Miners 10 Game (Dime) Record:  7 wins, 2 losses, 1 OT loss.

Miners League Standing:  7 wins, 2 losses, 1 OT Loss = 15 points total.  Currently sit in 2nd place in the Canosa Conference, 4th overall in the CCHL.

Miners Special Teams:  Power Play – 24.5% (8th); Penalty Kill – 80.0% (12th)

Miners Scoring Leader:  Defenceman Seth Jones (6G – 7A = 13 pts; 4th Overall in the CCHL)

 

Despite having a bit of nice run of summer type weather, make no mistake that winter is coming and it will be a little more like true hockey weather as the calendar turns to mid-October.  And with it, the CCHL season is now in full swing.

For the Sudbury Miners, they are looking to build on last season’s playoff run and finish what they started.  With the number of off-season acquisitions, management has given this team their another shot to potentially go on another deep playoff run and give the hard-working fans in the Nickel City something to cheer about.  

“We are a confident group right now”, stated Coach Derek Sutton.  “It seems like we have found the right combinations and the guys are hit the ground running to start the year.  I believe our guys realize their window to win is wide open but can quickly shut tight.   It’s up to them to grasp the opportunity and run with it.” 

 

MINERS PLAYER PROFILE OF THE WEEK:  Sebastian Aho

A fan favourite since his arrival, Aho is a driver of offence for the Miners.  He is known for his outstanding playmaking skills and has plenty of offensive acumen and good skating ability. He plays with energy and a lot of flair, which the Miner fans love, but he is also productive and responsible defensively. He is a true, versatile top-6 forward who the Miners will rely heavily on to deliver.

 

MINERS PROSPECT NEED TO KNOW:  Nils Lundkvist

There is no doubt Nils Lundkvist should be a player in the CCHL sooner rather than later. The Miners prospect won the Salming Trophy for the SHL Defenceman of the Year at only age 20, after an impressive season with Lulea HF.  He is a smooth-skating offensive contributor who likes to move the puck and make plays.  Lundkvist has scored at least 30 points in the SHL for two seasons in a row.  The knock on Lundkvist is that he is not very big and his defensive play needs work, which could be said for all young defenceman.  Make no mistake though, he has the potential to be an elite, offensive defenceman one day.  Projected CCHL arrival:  2023-24.