The Ontario Hockey League: Belongs to the few, the proud

The Ontario Hockey League has done many exceptional things for the game of hockey since its inception in 1974.

From providing academic scholarships to all those who lace up their skates for OHL action, the OHL offers a training ground for the next generation of hockey superstars and delivers the game to remote, non-traditional markets. It’s a trailblazer of sorts in junior hockey.

It is also prudent to note that Commissioner David Branch has made player safety a top priority. The implementation of mandatory neck guards after the infamous (and grisly) “Richard Zednik” incident as well as his penchant for administering lengthy suspensions for reckless hits make it evident that he intends to protect the health – and future – of the young men he presides over.

However, the OHL has been failing over the last decade and a half when it comes to parity in the league. The very nature of the OHL’s product demands that there be a competitive, yet equal playing field for all organizations involved. The league was designed to be cyclical in terms of year-to-year play so as to prevent any organization from becoming a continual doormat. As organizations enjoy success, others should be rebuilding for future success.

At least that was the idea.

Since the turn of the millennium, organizations in major Ontario urban areas, such as Kitchener and London, have been able to parlay their status as a populous city into delivering a consistently high-performing on-ice product. With Kitchener and London drawing nearly 6,500 and 9,000 fans per game respectively over the years, they’ve ascended to an extremely advantageous position when it comes to building a winning organization. 

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Exceptional attendance numbers has brought on increased revenues. And with increased revenue comes a whole lot of opportunity.

Playing for an organization in a major city such as London, for example, has its perks. The city itself is home to some of the most diverse activities in the province, including its local hockey team: the London Knights, who are one of the most storied organizations in the OHL. This status has helped to gain some much-needed exposure for NHL draft hopefuls.

For a young player tasked with the difficult decision of pursuing an NCAA scholarship or playing for the vaunted Knights, the tables certainly seem to tilt in favor of London. And while it’s never been proven that money changes hands under the table in order to pry top prospects away from the clutches of the NCAA, many certainly believe this unsubstantiated claim to be true.

Once an organization enjoys on-ice success as well as in terms of recruiting, it gives rise to a subsequent problem that affects the OHL’s Priority Selection. Players are now armed with more power and leverage than ever when it comes to the OHL’s Priority Selection, and in recent years have utilized it in order to pick and choose which organization they’ll play for.

One of the more notable instances of this occurrence reared its ugly head last season when Max Domi used the threat of playing in the USHL as leverage to affect his draft position. After being selected by the Kingston Frontenacs as they eighth-overall pick in the 2011 OHL Priority Selection, one spot prior to the Knights’ first round selection, Domi refused to report to Kingston’s training camp before he was finally traded to his destination of choice: London.

Having a player’s father calling the shots behind the scenes, as Max’s dad and noted pugilist Tie Domi was intent upon doing, doesn’t help add parity to the league. It detracts from it, significantly. This type of scene has become a frighteningly frequent occurrence and as such, skilled players such as Domi continue to flock to the organizations where they want to play, not necessarily where they’re asked to.

Adam Bateman and Nick Ebert are both examples of this trend as well, with both players holding out until their rights were traded to Windsor from Niagara and Mississauga respectively.

There are many reasons a player may not want to commit to the organization that drafts him. A desire to stay close to home, perhaps to be near family is one possibility. But scenarios of that nature are few and far between, and a majority of players will report to the organization that selects them.

The real issue is the skilled players that organizations such as Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie may have to pass up on knowing a player doesn’t want to play for a team in northern Ontario.

American-born players are also risky for non-American organizations, as they may not want to suit up for a Canadian team, preferring to ply their trade in Saginaw or Plymouth instead (Windsor holds a distinct advantage in this scenario as they’re in close proximity to the border and have developed a solid reputation after back-to-back Memorial Cups).

But so it goes.

Skilled players will continue to claim to be interested in pursuing the USHL or NCAA route, and that may very well be true, but many simply use it as a tactic to get what they desire. Teams such as London, Kitchener and Windsor are happy to snatch these players up as they fall to them in the Priority Selection, while organizations with shallower pockets and less prestige are forced to select lesser players.

What’s the solution to the problem? The scary reality is that there may not be one.

It would be tough for David Branch to enforce any type of ruling when these occurrences take place because no one can ever be sure whether or not a player is truly mulling over multiple options or simply leveraging the power his skill level has endowed him with.

Organizations do get compensatory picks if a first-round selection fails to report to camp, but it really just perpetuates the vicious cycle.

It is true that these are teenagers in question, many of whom have worked extremely hard to be in the positions they’re in. But attempting to determine their destinies just reeks of entitlement.

Part of being a professional, in any career, is approaching tasks you may not desire with class and an open mind. So if these “kids,” as many refer to them as, have dreams of being professional hockey players in the future, there is no better time than the present to start acting the part.

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