Kingston GM Doug Gilmour knew exactly what he was doing when he drafted and traded Max Domi.
The Ontario Hockey League's worst-kept secret was finally confirmed on Tuesday.
Max Domi, son of former National Hockey League pugilist Tie Domi, is now a London Knight. And was there really any doubt all along?
After a summer that ran rampant with speculation -- not to mention the occasional helicopter ride -- we now know Domi won't be going to the United States Hockey League. He won't be going to the NCAA in the near future, either. Domi's participation in London's training camp and pre-season schedule will end any chance of playing college hockey, much to Paul Kelly's chagrin.
The only real question mark surrounding Max Domi from the moment the Kingston Frontenacs drafted him eighth overall in the Ontario Hockey League Draft last May, one spot before London picked, was how much they would get for him? The Frontenacs squeezed three second-round picks from the Knights, two coming in 2012, the other in 2015.
But while this may seem like a coup for the Knights, who will now have the eighth- and ninth-overall picks in their lineup, the real props should go to the Frontenacs. As the draft approached several months ago, two things were obvious: the Knights' infatuation with Domi and his desire to choose his destination.
While most teams saw a potential headache, the Frontenacs saw an opportunity. Domi was one of the top prospects available and if it weren't for his father trying to pull the shots behind the scenes, more teams likely would have seriously considered taking him. But by drafting him and having Domi no-show for training camp, the Frontenacs also obtain a compensatory first-round pick in next year's first round -- all while Domi spends this season suiting up for London.
If this trade proves anything, it's that Doug Gilmour is already making for a more astute general manager than a head coach in Kingston. Criticized to no end for his coaching, Gilmour re-filled the coffers for his flailing franchise. Yes, he took one step backwards since his team's first-rounder will not play for him, but he took at least two steps forward by dealing him.
And therein lays the catch. Domi wasn't the first and already isn't the last to walk away from the team which drafted him. Two more from his draft class -- Adam Bateman in Niagara and Alex Yuill in Barrie -- are no-shows. Whether it was a tactic to determine their destination or a legitimate interest in taking another route, both teams that drafted them will recoup a pick in next year's first round.
It's becoming a practice that is too familiar in the Ontario Hockey League. Since teams can't trade their first-round picks, a rule was recently put in place where they would obtain a compensatory pick for a defected player drafted in the opening round. Although it was intended to give teams some form of security in drafting the top prospects available, some teams have found ways to work the system.
Several heads began turning two years ago after the Niagara IceDogs took Lucas Lessio with the seventh-overall pick. Lessio wanted to keep his options open to attend college, and his rights were dealt for a king's ransom to Oshawa. The Generals were able to sway him to play in the OHL instead.
Who walked away the biggest winners? Oshawa has the player, while the IceDogs received a compensatory pick and a boatload more from the Generals in the trade.
A year later, the Barrie Colts -- who were down 0-2 in their OHL championship series to Windsor -- drafted Kerby Rychel, son of the Spitfires' general manager Warren Rychel, who intended to draft his son in the second round. The younger Rychel eventually made his way to Windsor through Mississauga while the Colts cleaned up with two second-round picks and a third-rounder.
The Mississauga St. Michael's Majors also drafted highly-touted American defenceman Nick Ebert, later trading him to Windsor as part of the deal for Justin Shugg and Marc Cantin. Rychel was eventually sent to Windsor in exchange for the picks that came with Ebert in the first trade.
What this now means is we will rarely see another first round with just 20 picks -- one per team. Last May, there were 22 picks with compensatory picks given to Mississauga for Ebert and to Barrie for Rychel. Next year, there will be 23. The year after? It's anybody's guess.
Gilmour and his Frontenacs took advantage of a rule. Since his team is in full-blown rebuilding mode, it won't hurt much not to have a first-rounder in his lineup. Having two first-round picks and another two seconds, all for a prospect who wished to play elsewhere, was just too good to overlook.
Until the league decides to allow teams to trade their first-round picks, which is unlikely any time soon, teams like the Frontenacs will sit back and reap the rewards a year later. And given the circumstances, why shouldn't they?
