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Post by countryboy on Mar 18, 2024 14:31:16 GMT -4
I believe that players who have an option to declare for either OHL or QMJHL draft do not have to make their decision until the very last minute. I remember after Charlottetown drafted Brett Budgell..... there was an article outlining that he had the option to enter the OHL draft or the QMJHL draft. He had played with Newfoundland in some of the scouting tournaments that year (CSR challenge... is that what it was called at the time) but as a 15 y/o he had lived in London, Ontario and his residency based on guardianship was Ontario. In the end, he opted for the QMJHL, but the article made it sound like it was a late decision. The OHL is usually in early April, so I guess the decision would have to happen before then. No Aiden O'Donnell on the list. I heard he had a pathway to declare for the OHL draft, and this would support that. Aiden O'Donnell is on the list of A prospects in the CSR February rankings - which I believe is part of the official QMJHL draft list. I think several players who played at the Atlantic leg of the QMJHL Cup have been left off the Quebec leg. I could be wrong and he (Aiden) has opted for the OHL draft. I don't know - but just saying he's on the CSR list for the QMJHL draft. Also hearing that the final CSR list in May will rank players from 1 to 90, and then all others will be lumped together with no number or letter rankings. This isn't official - but came from a trusted source. I might not have the credibility to post that - so please remove if that's the case. It's something I found interesting. The list of A and B prospects in February was also 90 prospects - but not in order. A "B" ranking could mean anywhere between picks 37and 90 - so a numerical system would be much more informative. |
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Post by kyle44 on Mar 19, 2024 7:53:28 GMT -4
No Aiden O'Donnell on the list. I heard he had a pathway to declare for the OHL draft, and this would support that. Aiden O'Donnell is on the list of A prospects in the CSR February rankings - which I believe is part of the official QMJHL draft list. I think several players who played at the Atlantic leg of the QMJHL Cup have been left off the Quebec leg. I could be wrong and he (Aiden) has opted for the OHL draft. I don't know - but just saying he's on the CSR list for the QMJHL draft. Also hearing that the final CSR list in May will rank players from 1 to 90, and then all others will be lumped together with no number or letter rankings. This isn't official - but came from a trusted source. I might not have the credibility to post that - so please remove if that's the case. It's something I found interesting. The list of A and B prospects in February was also 90 prospects - but not in order. A "B" ranking could mean anywhere between picks 37and 90 - so a numerical system would be much more informative. Yes, I know this. Of course he was going to be on this list until he received a final determination on his eligibility from the OHL. The public list is also at a given point in time and therefore stale. People connected to the OHL scouting community on Hockey's Future have already confirmed he was added to the OHL draft list. Hence why he will not be at the QMJHL Cup; no point in scouts wasting time viewing a player going to the OHL. |
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Post by countryboy on Mar 19, 2024 9:09:30 GMT -4
Other than the Sim brothers, can anyone think of another player from the QMJHL region who was drafted to the OHL due to this rule over the last few years?
I'm not sure I even understand the reasoning of the rule. You get exceptional entry and additional choice because your dad played in a different league many years ago. It sort of sounds like a "country club" or "fraternity" type admission..... which makes no sense at all.
And in O'Connell's case, it seems as if his father was a fringe OHL player only after being drafted and playing major junior in the QMJHL.
I guess I can understand to a certain extent that this might be some justification. If playing junior hockey leads to a career playing professional hockey, then playing professional hockey leads to something of a nomadic lifestyle where players and their families might not settle down and have a fixed home area (i.e. QMJHL region, OHL region, etc.). But there's lots of other jobs where this might happen too. Furthermore, most former major junior players don't move on to professional hockey. It just seems like a loophole from the early 1990s that has stuck around.
But I don't blame the O'Connell family for exploring OHL options. It is also a good league and a proven developmental pathway to pro hockey.
I'm a longtime fan with a memory for detail. I can remember a couple of other Maritime kids who ended up being drafted to the OHL over the years, but I don't know the circumstances where they would have qualified for the OHL draft. Remember, residence and guardianship is also a factor in settling the eligibility question.
Matt Gordon was a player from PEI who played his minor hockey up to bantam on PEI. He played 2 years of minor hockey at the midget age level in Guelph, Ontario and was drafted by Kitchener in 2017. He ended up back in the Maritimes to play for a few Jr. A teams and did have a stint with the Cape Breton Eagles along the way, before heading back up to Ontario to play AUS hockey with York last season.
A few years earlier I remember a NS product, Wyllam Deveaux who was a decently regarded prospect at the time. He played bantam hockey with the Newbridge program before going to Ontario for a couple of seasons with GTHL teams. He was drafted in 2016 by Peterborough. His Deveux's hockey pathway led him to the USHL for a few years before playing 5 season with Harvard and he's now in he ECHL with the Maine team.
Can anyone else recall other Maritime/Newfoundland or even Quebec based players who ended up being drafted to an OHL team either because of their living situation at the time or because their parent was an OHL alumnus?
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Post by Jack Bauer on Mar 19, 2024 9:27:38 GMT -4
I'm not sure I even understand the reasoning of the rule. You get exceptional entry and additional choice because your dad played in a different league many years ago. It sort of sounds like a "country club" or "fraternity" type admission..... which makes no sense at all. Sure it does. Hockey culture is toxic. Its never been more obvious then right now as we are still seeing toxic elements in 2024 that you'd think would be avoidable and yet here we are trying to justify that it makes sense that because somebody played in the OHL 20 years ago that their kid should also be able to even if they grew up and played all their minor hockey in a completely different region of the country. Fraternity is the great way to put it because thats what it is. The top guys get protection from the same penalties as the rest because they're perceived as the ones who will reach the highest mountains professionally. People need to stop wondering how this toxicity manages to stick around from era to era as things like this continue to happen for absolutely zero good reason. |
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Post by fanofthegame on Mar 19, 2024 9:39:55 GMT -4
OHL eligibility or not, I think there is a very good chance Aiden O'Donnell ends up a Halifax Moosehead.
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Post by kyle44 on Mar 19, 2024 9:59:56 GMT -4
OHL eligibility or not, I think there is a very good chance Aiden O'Donnell ends up a Halifax Moosehead. That's not how it works. If you declare for the OHL draft, you can't then be selected in the QMJHL draft as well. Notice how neither of the Sim brothers were QMJHL drafted. |
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Post by jimmy on Mar 19, 2024 10:05:52 GMT -4
You would think the QMJHL would be raising a stink over this. Here is a kid who projected to be a top 5 pick in the Q draft, a potential future star in the league, now using a loophole to potentially bolt to the OHL. He has grown up and played all of his minor hockey in the Q region. His father was raised here, and played 99% of his junior hockey in this region, including the Q - he played 10 times the number of games in the Q as he did in the OHL, where he literally had a cup of coffee. This is nothing like the Sims, both in terms of the caliber of prospect the kids are, and the father's junior hockey roots. If nothing else, this should be the impetus to get this antiquated rule struck down for future players.
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Post by Jack Bauer on Mar 19, 2024 10:13:55 GMT -4
You would think the QMJHL would be raising a stink over this. Here is a kid who projected to be a top 5 pick in the Q draft, a potential future star in the league, now using a loophole to potentially bolt to the OHL. He has grown up and played all of his minor hockey in the Q region. His father was raised here, and played 99% of his junior hockey in this region, including the Q - he played 10 times the number of games in the Q as he did in the OHL, where he literally had a cup of coffee. This is nothing like the Sims, both in terms of the caliber of prospect the kids are, and the father's junior hockey roots. If nothing else, this should be the impetus to get this antiquated rule struck down for future players. Its quite laughable when you break it down. But the sport seems to take pride in creating these scenario's that put certain kids on a pedestal to stand out for the rest - especially when they're already elite. Adding this wrinkle adds an extra layer of intrigue to the kid. Yet the competitive aspect is insanely unfair to every kid he played with growing up who don't have the same privilege and options in terms of where to play. There's no reason a rule like that makes sense in 2024. You play in the league based on the region you grew up in. Why do we complicate it based on where your parents played? Next we'll be convincing ourselves why the London Knights should just get first crack at all their former players kids. |
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Post by fanofthegame on Mar 19, 2024 10:15:00 GMT -4
OHL eligibility or not, I think there is a very good chance Aiden O'Donnell ends up a Halifax Moosehead. That's not how it works. If you declare for the OHL draft, you can't then be selected in the QMJHL draft as well. Notice how neither of the Sim brothers were QMJHL drafted. So you are saying he has officially declared to the OHL? I was under the impression that his declaration was not yet complete. |
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Post by kyle44 on Mar 19, 2024 10:16:45 GMT -4
That's not how it works. If you declare for the OHL draft, you can't then be selected in the QMJHL draft as well. Notice how neither of the Sim brothers were QMJHL drafted. So you are saying he has officially declared to the OHL? I was under the impression that his declaration was not yet complete. I don't have any insider information, but some posters on the OHL section of Hockey's Future, who are known to have access to the OHL draft list that is available to OHL teams said he was added last week. |
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Post by trueblue on Mar 19, 2024 10:34:34 GMT -4
OHL eligibility or not, I think there is a very good chance Aiden O'Donnell ends up a Halifax Moosehead. Too bad there's no USHL-style tenders available in the Q. Would be a great way to keep talent in the league, but those damned small markets would cry like babies over it. |
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Post by Briwhel on Mar 19, 2024 10:49:22 GMT -4
OHL eligibility or not, I think there is a very good chance Aiden O'Donnell ends up a Halifax Moosehead. Too bad there's no USHL-style tenders available in the Q. Would be a great way to keep talent in the league, but those damned small markets would cry like babies over it. I mean, allowing Halifax, Moncton and Quebec to get the best 3 players every single year isn't exactly what anyone would call fair. Keep in mind that the USHL is not a balanced league at all. |
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Post by trueblue on Mar 19, 2024 11:16:09 GMT -4
Too bad there's no USHL-style tenders available in the Q. Would be a great way to keep talent in the league, but those damned small markets would cry like babies over it. I mean, allowing Halifax, Moncton and Quebec to get the best 3 players every single year isn't exactly what anyone would call fair. Keep in mind that the USHL is not a balanced league at all. It can be balanced out by absolutely nuking the draft pick bank. Make it an option for teams that want to give up 1+2+3+4, 1+1+2, or some equivalent for one player. The next time a generational player is rolling out of the Maritimes (to be clear: I'm not talking about Aiden O'Donnell), I sure as hell hope they will consider staying in the Q. |
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Post by hal on Mar 24, 2024 4:16:00 GMT -4
Just wondering how Gatineau got CB's 1st Round Pick ?
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Post by WHEELsnipePARTY on Mar 24, 2024 7:38:16 GMT -4
Just wondering how Gatineau got CB's 1st Round Pick ? It ended up in rouyn and was sent to Gatineau when they got savoie |
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