Millers Musings October 12

 Fed-Up GM deals starting Goalie and 2 top 9 Forwards. 

After the worst start in franchise history, the GM acted, some might say rashly, to shake up the club. 

Veteran F Nick Bjugstad, signed off the FA scrap heap a couple of years ago and since then a staple in the team’s bottom 6, was dealt to Fort Erie for prospect forwards Reilly Patterson and Logan Morrison. More on them below. 

While respected in the dressing room and by Millers management, Bjugstad was not seen as an essential piece and it’s expected that his spot in the lineup will be taken by Ridly Greig. 

The big move, one that could have long-term implications on the club, was the dealing of starting G Stuart Skinner and 2nd line LW Jared McCann to Amos for young winger Jake Neighbours, G Colton Ingram and vet F Luke Glendening. 

Skinner has been the starter and guided the Millers to the playoffs the past 2 seasons. He also owned the only win the club has earned during their wretched start. Ingram is actually older than Skinner (27 to 25) and has less NHL experience and has never been an uncontested starting goalie before. His acquisition could go in several different ways: sharing the net with Lukas Dostal, acting as a placeholder until Dostal is ready to take over the #1 spot, or Ingram could end up with the starting job himself. 

Neighbours is seen as a middle 6 winger capable of putting up 50 to 60 points on a regular basis. Just 22 he’s not the pure goal-scorer that McCann is, but he is expected to develop a more well-rounded game and produce at a rate more than necessary to hold a spot on the 2nd line. He has the skill, smarts and tenacity to play on both special teams in his prime. 

Neighbours is likely to start with Marco Rossi centering him on the 3rd line, and seeing some time on the 2nd power-play unit. Dylan Guenther will move up to the 2nd line, replacing McCann on the Malkin line and on the 1st PP unit. 

Glendening played a depth role for the Millers a couple of years ago, and is likely to be a bench option for now. When he does play it will be on the 4th line and on the PK. 

Reilly Patterson is a 4th round pick playing in the OHL. Noted for his high hockey IQ and his consistent effort, Patterson emerged as a prospect after moving to the wing in the 2nd half of the last OHL season. His ability to play at a pro pace is a concern, but if Patterson can overcome it he could have a career as a bottom 6 forward. 

Logan Morrison was undrafted despite putting up stellar numbers in the OHL, as his average size and middling skating turned off the scouts. However he showed well in his AHL debut and played 4 NHL games. He’s likely an up and down guy between the AHL and the NHL, but he thinks the game well and has some offensive flair and with some luck could carve out a depth role in the right circumstances. 

Millers Musings- Training Camp Edition

 With the start of the 2024-25 CCHL season just around the corner, here is an inside look at how the Georgetown Millers look as camps open. 

Forwards

Potential Lines (LW-C-RW)

1. Blake Coleman-Dylan Larkin-Trevor Moore

The Millers are expected to have a lot of offense on the top line, with Larkin’s point-per-game production combined with newcomer Moore’s 31 goals and Coleman’s 30 goals. All of them are at least respectable defensively as well and should hold up when matched against other top lines. 

2. Jared McCann- Evgeni Malkin- Nick Bjugstad

Malkin is a big upgrade over JT Compher as the 2nd line Center, while McCann comes off a 29 goal season and Bjugstad’s 45 point season was the 2nd best of his career. Bjugstad is the defensive conscience on the line but he’s also expected to contribute offensively. 

3. Dylan Guenther-Marco Rossi-Yanni Gourde

Gourde may have the biggest responsibility of any Millers forward as the veteran anchor of this line with 2 of the Miller’s brightest young stars. Guenther will also see power play time, something that Rossi won’t have the luxury of with Larkin and Malkin in front of him. 

4. Logan O'Connor-Casey Cizikas-Andrew Copp

Cizikas is the newest addition to the roster, and he’ll center the checking line and lead the penalty kill. O’Connor is coming off a career best offensive season but an injury-riddled one as well, and Ridley Greig is on hand to fill-in as needed, Copp was last year’s 3rd line Center and will play up the lineup as needed if injuries strike the top 3 lines. 

Reserves

The aforementioned Greig is the 13th forward and could play a good amount depending on injuries and performance. Jasperi Kotkaniemi is the wild-card, restricted to just C duty and unlikely to get above the 4th line when he does play. Andreas Athanasiou put up good number for the Millers last season, but injuries and new additions put him at the bottom of the forward depth chart. 

Defensemen

1. Shea Theodore-Sean Walker

Theodore has battled injuries but when in the lineup is a nearly ppg player and PP quarterback. Walker is a strong 2-way defender who’ll get first crack at pairing with Theodore. 

2. Jake McCabe- K’Andre Miller

Dubbed “The Altman Pairing” for those who know their 70’s movies, this is the Millers shutdown line. Both have the offensive skill to put up some respectable counting stats as well. 

3. Mario Ferraro-Shane Gostisbehere

An old-fashioned offense-defense duo, “Ghost” should put up good numbers and the hope is Ferraro can cover for Ghost’s occasional defensive lapses. 

Reserves

Jake Walman has a booming shot and is solid defensively, and Scott Mayfield is an old-school shutdown type. Either could start for a lot of teams. With only Theodore an injury concern ice-time will be hard to come by. If the forwards get hit by a lot of injuries don’t be surprised to see a 7 man D unit.  Zachary Jones is a deep depth option, whose shot will likely come next season. Jayden Struble is destined for the minors. 

Goalies

1. Stuart Skinner

Skinner is the uncontested starter, and the team can live with his occasional slumps with a solid backup in Dostal. Assuming good health and relative consistency, expect Skinner to be in net a minimum of 60 games this upcoming season. 

2. Lukas Dostal

Dostal is a riser among young goalies and should ably back-up Skinner this season and perhaps position himself for a larger role in a season or 2. 

Reserves

Jake Allen is a veteran warhorse who backed up Skinner down the stretch last year, but finds himself in a battle to be the 3rd net minder with new addition Vitek Vanecek. Neither are a threat to unseat Dostal as the backup, and only injuries would see them getting game time. 

The Jacks are Back!

 It has been an eventful off season with long term GMs moving on and new GMs arriving. These changes have created opportunities and The Crackerjacks have been working hard to take advantage as much as possible. With a complete reconstruction of the backend of the team we now have what we believe to be a very solid and highly competitive top four defence and goaltending depth. On the front we have seen a massive overhaul with almost a complete restructuring bringing in almost 90% new players. Although there is still work to be done, there is a competitive setup at this time that should be able to keep us in the game on any given night. There had been a focus on slotting players in the right spots to not over exert, and overuse them. It’s easy to lean too heavily on your top players and not have the depth required for a long season and playoff run. The Jacks have payed special attention to this in trying to have a strong player personnel overall but also in identifying specialists that fill specific roles well. Aligning our player acquisition efforts with our coaching style has also been a factor albeit less of one than just getting the best talent that fits our group. Cheers to an exciting off season and well wishes to everyone on a fun and exciting 2024/25 season!

Iceland deals two key defensemen

 Hello sports fans. We are back here in Iceland, speaking with GM Saouaf about a few recent deals he made. In both deals, GM Saouaf dealt away what would seem to be key defensemen on the Icecats. First, Iceland traded away young up and coming defenseman, Bowen Byram, to Amos, along with Zach Bolduc and Raphael Lavoie for prospects EJ Emery, Brennan Othmann and Halifax's 1st in 2025. When asked about the trade, GM Saouaf stated that he had a surplus of dmen and saw an opportunity to further stock his prospect pool and get a very good pick next year. With young defensemen such as Mason Lohrei and Olen Zellweger seemingly on the cusp of being NHL regulars, Byram could be moved.

Then, in a more shocking trade, GM Saouaf once again hooked up with Amos to deal away all around stalwart, Devon Toews, acquiring Nicolas Hague, prospect Filip Bystedt, and Capeside's 1st in 2026. This one is a head scratcher as it seemed like Toews was a starting dman for the Icecats. GM Saouaf stated that another young dman was ready to step in and take a spot, and that dman is Jake Sanderson. Jake has earned the right to a full-time spot based on his play and ratings. By getting Hague, Iceland keeps the depth needed to contend in the CCHL, while continuing to build up their prospect and draft pick pools. Iceland especially liked Bystedt's size and athletic ability. He had a wonderful start to his AHL career, notching 7 points in 8 games. Bystedt projects to be a middle six player, but with his size, could slot on the wing to create havoc for Mack Celebrini or Will Smith.

It's clear that GM Saouaf is up to shaking up his roster when needed. Stay tuned to see what else is brewing in Iceland!

Millers Musings August 2024

After a quiet summer, Georgetown woke up and made 3 trades in the past couple of weeks. 

(07/18/24) CHP trades Z. Jones to GEO for GEO 9th-25

Zachary Jones is a 23 year-old Defenseman coming off his first full NHL season where he served as the Rangers #7 blue liner. Expected to be a regular in the 24-25 season, Jones was an offensive Dman in college and showed some scoring ability in the AHL; he’s scored at a decent rate in limited NHL time. Best case scenario is that plays 15-17 minutes a night, including time on the 2nd PP unit, and puts up a 30 to 40 point season. Something like that could give him a 3rd line role for the Millers in the 2025 season. Jones is unlikely to see the ice this season, probably 10th on the depth chart currently. If he doesn’t have his breakthrough, the cost was just a 9th rounder, so it’s a worthwhile gamble. 

(07/31/2024) CAP trades E. Malkin, S. Mayfield & $2m to GEO for JT Compher, B. Skjei, Ryan Ufko-p & GEO 3rd-25…

The Millers have not had a slam-dunk Hall of Famer on their roster in quite some time. Evgeni Malkin is still an excellent player and will provide the Millers with a solid 2nd line Center who can easily step into the top line role when/if Larkin gets hurt. He’s a huge upgrade over Compher and allows the Millers to not rely on rookie C Marco Rossi as much for offense. Scott Mayfield is a solid defensive D coming off an injury-filled NHL season and saw a big drop in his scoring, although his defense remains elite. Mayfield will battle Walman for the 7th D slot and should receive some decent playing time even if he isn’t a regular. 

(08/01/2024) CHP trades S. Walker to GEO for D. Fabbro & Anton Wahlberg-p…

Losing Skjei in the Malkin trade left the Millers short on puck-handling, 2 way Defenders. Sean Walker, while not the point producer that Skjei is, brings a well-rounded game on both sides of the puck and may slot next to Theodore to form a fast-skating, puck-moving unit with Walker also providing the defensive conscience. Walker’s skillset should enable him to find a good fit with just about any partner on the Millers, and he could play up or down the lineup as needed. He’ll also get some time on the #2 units for both special teams. 

The possibility exists that the Millers are not done dealing, as they have 8 starting caliber Dmen and could use one more solid, 2-way top 9 winger. They are also carrying 4 Goalies and would like to move Jake Allen to a club looking for a depth upgrade in net. 

State of the Loons; 2025 preview

 Last year was the first time in Capeside history that the Loons made it past the first round of the playoffs. However, Donut domination in round two showed us that we are still a long way from being championship contenders. Being towards the bottom of the CCHL financially along with a barren prospect pool, adding to the roster was not in the cards. Instead we decided to take a step back in order to hopefully move forward in a few years. Our goal was to bring in prospects that would be ready to help the Loons once Zegras, Beniers and Oettinger rebound from a down 2024.

Out the door went Makar, Coyle, Malkin, Teravainen, Orlov, Lindholm, Terry and Suzuki. Czepiel brought in Tyler Seguin, Frank Vatrano, Brady Skjei and JT Compher to stabilize the roster while a improved prospect pool of Faber, Will Smith, Ryan Leonard, Zeev Buium, Jimmy Snuggerud, Cam York, Cole Eiserman, Teddy Stiga and Ryan Ufko develop.

Our goal is to remain a playoff team this upcoming season, and with our current roster we think that is achievable. The CCHL went through contraction and realignment leaving the Loons in a division with former allies Halifax and Amos, previous rivals Seattle and Calgary and newcomer Baltimore. Navigating through this difficult division will be tough as Calgary and Seattle have strong rosters, Amos and Baltimore are retooling while Halifax is finishing up their rebuild. 

With only a few players to go til we have a complete USA roster - this year will be fun with a bunch of players we like even if a championship is not a possibility

Capeside's projected lineup for 24/25

Kreider    Eichel    Boldy   (all masshole line)

Vatrano   Seguin   Schmaltz

Caufield  Beniers  Compher.

Beecher  Dowd      Smith

Hanifin        McAvoy

Skjei            Faber

Werenski     York

Daccord

Oettinger

State of the Loons; Makar era ends

 Cale Makar is undoubtedly one of the five best players in the NHL and easily the best all around defenseman. So why then was Makar traded to the Norsemen last month? Some other GMs have openly suggested that Capeside is a organization with no direction, but even a madman has his reasons.

At only 25 years old Makar is a superstar in the NHL, but in the CCHL he is an above average defenseman. At the time of the trade Makar was not even the highest rated dman on the Loons, Noah Hanifin owned that distinction with a 79. That is hardly a reason to trade someone when Makar would easily surpass Hanifin within a year or two in the CCHL. Even though Makar does not get the respect he deserves by Simon, Capeside traded Makar for two reasons: his salary and his nationality. 

The trend within hockey is skyrocketing salaries amongst defensemen. If you are even a slightly above average dman you are being offered north of $9m per, ie Darnell Nurse. Makar at $9m is a bargain, however the Loons would have been paying Makar $9m, Werenski $9.5m and McAvoy $9.5m starting next season. Financially speaking the Loons are improving but are still in the bottom third of the CCHL. Capeside is only staying afloat by having a number of rising stars on their rookie deals. The Loons made the tough decision that one of these three have to go. Werenski - there would be no market after coming off of two injury plagued NHL seasons. If a team wanted to take on Werenski for his potential, his salary would be used against him and the return would be laughable. McAvoy - definitely would be a market but is also incredibly undervalued by Simon and the lowball offers would not be worth moving a player that is loved by our organization. So that leaves Makar. We know our reputation amongst other owners and that we likely would not get what Makar is worth but at worst he would bring back valuable assets. Our top priority in a deal would be a young, affordable defenseman with a lot of upside.

It is no secret that the Loons prioritize American born players and have a long term goal of an all American organization. For the record we are not some radical, pro American nationalist. In a few years I hope to be living elsewhere but it is more appealing to me to have players that I have watched grow up and develop. So that narrows down our search to a young, American defenseman with a lot of upside. A few CCHL teams had that but only the Norsemen had other pieces we wanted to go along with Faber. We reached out to Halifax and negotiated over a couple of days, when negotiations stalled Denver made an amazing offer but was draft pick based and their picks were going to suffer because Makar would make them even better then they already are. 

The final deal was Makar and Hagen Burrows for Brock Faber, Cole Eiserman, EJ Emery and a possible top 10 pick. 

Faber likely will never be the player that Makar is but we think it will be close. Eiserman could be Wahlstrom 2.0 but maybe his game evolves and he becomes an offensive force. Emery and a potential top ten pick are great assets that could turn into a player like say Cam York or Jimmy Snuggerud?

You may not agree with our reasons but deals like this is why I love the CCHL and have fun being a part of it, so maybe I am a madman  lol