It remains to be seen whether the CHL can fix their imperfect draft system.
It's getting harder to ignore the elephant in the room with each passing year.
As the newest crop of teenagers is about to be welcomed into two of the three junior leagues across Canada, the drafts move forward with a small black eye and a troubling trend. Rather than celebrating a top prospect's first step towards major junior stardom, we can't help but wonder which of these high-end talents will take the road less traveled.
Since NCAA rules do not allow players to play in Canadian major junior prior to playing college hockey, prospects are forced to make a decision which road they choose to take.
For some, it's a difficult decision. For others, it just seems like it.
Not a year goes by we don't hear about a top prospect humming and hawing about where he would like to play. This year, we've heard similar statements drummed up by Tie Domi, father of the highly-skilled Max Domi, and Nathan MacKinnon, the most highly-regarded prospect emerging from the Maritimes since Sidney Crosby.
Whether this is a clever way to manipulate the draft for these prospects to choose their destinations or a legitimate decision each is contemplating, it leaves teams in the Ontario and Quebec leagues with a difficult decision to make.
In a perfect world, Canadian Hockey League teams wouldn't need to worry whether the face of their franchise would be seen inside their rinks. But that just simply isn't the case.
"The priority selection process is the most important instrument that we have to bring players into our league and we feel it is equally important that our teams are on a level playing field," Ontario Hockey League commissioner David Branch said.
There have been strides taken to improve the draft process, but there's still a level of uncertainty where some prospects are concerned. Two years ago, the OHL instituted a rule where if any team uses its first round draft pick on a prospect that fails to report, it receives a compensatory pick in the first round the following year.
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League also recently put in a rule that allows teams a compensatory pick in the event a first-rounder refuses to report.
It's a small step forward, but far from a perfect system.
Drakkar missing out
A year ago, the Baie-Comeau Drakkar would have liked to have drafted the top prospect eligible. Michael Matheson, who was widely-considered to be just that, told teams he planned on going south. He was eventually drafted in the second round by the Shawinigan Cataractes.
Now the Drakkar, who are picking first once again, are hearing a similar tune from MacKinnon, who still hasn't declared one way or another.
Matheson has seemingly stayed true to his word so far. Shawinigan general manager Martin Mondou took a flyer on him because he felt he had enough picks it was worth the risk, but he won't see any compensation with Matheson being a second round pick.
"Does it hurt the franchise?" Mondou asks. "It always hurts to lose a guy like him, but we knew from day one that he wasn't a second round pick - he was the first-overall pick."
Mondou isn't giving up hope Matheson could still join his program since his team is hosting the MasterCard Memorial Cup next year.
The fact that Matheson was unwilling to join the rebuilding Drakkar left many wondering if this was another prima donna decision by a player who would rather use his alleged indecision to influence a better situation.
Regardless of a player's true motivations, it leaves a black mark on the league and many wondering aloud how to fix the problem.
One source contacted by sportsnet.ca suggested the league issue a waiver these players can sign which, by signing it, would leave them ineligible to play major junior. By doing so, teams would find out quickly which prospects may be bluffing.
When asked whether this could be an option for the league, Branch said it only opens a whole new can of worms.
"I think that type of approach is fraught with a lot of other challenges and issues that are far greater than what you're maybe trying to address," he said. "That's not something that our league feels is appropriate and players are entitled to have options. Players are equally entitled to change their minds."
And of course, it's that explanation which fuels conspiracy theorists when a player does end up playing major junior, since all will claim to change their minds.
None of the three leagues under the CHL umbrella operate the same. While some rules are the same - such as the two Europeans and three overage players - each league is run differently.
Toews bids WHL adieu
Where the draft is concerned, some feel the Western Hockey League is the best of three since there are far fewer players calling shots. But the WHL drafts a year younger, which is not something either of the other two leagues is considering.
Since WHL teams are drafting a year younger, it leaves them another year to recruit a player rather than a couple months prior to adding him into the lineup. But as Bob Tory found out, that extra year doesn't exactly guarantee a player either.
The long-time general manager of the Tri-City Americans used the first-overall pick in the 2003 bantam draft to select a rising star by the name of Jonathan Toews. Toews gave Tory every indication he would be joining the Americans as a 16-year-old in 2004, just as he also relayed to the media. Not only did he wear the team's jersey on draft day, but he spoke about helping the Americans become a MasterCard Memorial Cup contender Toews was selected 1st overall.
"The mistake I made is I didn't leave a contract with his parents when we met," Tory said recently. "I took it for granted that they said that (playing in Tri-City) was what they wanted him to do."
Toews attended an Americans' training camp, but a long list of delays which culminated with him switching agents eventually closed the door on the WHL.
It became a tough pill for Tory to swallow, compounded by the fact his team would not obtain any compensation for Toews' decision to play in the NCAA.
"If we had known beforehand that he had no intentions of playing obviously we would have taken a different player," said Tory, who also now insists there are no hard feelings.
As a result, WHL teams now try to secure their first-round bantam pick with a contract as quickly after the draft as possible.
Room for abuse
Tory likes the idea of compensation for first round no-shows in the WHL. The only problem is the compensatory pick leaves room for abuse. It's even been suggested by some members of the media that struggling teams pick a player who has no intentions in playing for a rebuilding team. By doing so, not only would that team obtain a compensatory pick, but could also trade the prospect for more assets.
The Barrie Colts, for example, drafted Kerby Rychel in the first round last year. Although they publicly said they were truly interested in adding Rychel, who also happens to be the son of the Windsor Spitfires' co-owner and GM Warren Rychel, they eventually traded him for draft picks.
Barrie lost out on Rychel, but now has three picks via trade with Mississauga in addition to the compensatory pick. Make of that what you will.
"On the surface some might feel that can happen, but I think the general feeling among our group is that it's so important that your first pick in the first round is someone who embraces your organization and your program," Branch said. "I think that's such an important piece to the overall process that whoever attempts to take players that aren't going to report are highly, highly unlikely."
"I think there's some relevance to that," Tory said when asked if teams could abuse the situation. "The other relevance is people say you should do your homework and get your program in order and you'll get the player regardless."
While Belleville Bulls head coach and general manager George Burnett said the draft is "a moving target," he's confident the league is taking the steps to ensure the draft is accomplishing its purpose.
"I don't know that there is a foolproof system," he said. "It's a system that continues to improve as we get more and more information. I'm sure it will continue to improve."
While there's still room for improvement and none of the three leagues has it figured out completely, the draft will always be viewed as an imperfect system. But when a rebuilding team is counting on the draft to spread around the talent, one can't help but feel the current system is still underlined with flaws that minimize a competitive balance.
"The purpose of the draft is to try to level the playing field," Tory said. "Teams can recover from year to year and lower teams should get the best player. That's the idea, right?"
In a perfect world, yes it is.
