C Will Bitten (2016, 70th, MTL; traded to MIN; traded to STL)

[Kobe Armstrong]

I feel bad for Flint so I hope they get a nice return for him. Hopefully it's a win-win.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

I would imagine any Canadian city that has an OHL team has a French or a few French schools. If he wants to play in Ottawa, then let the kid play!

You would be mistaken. He's looking to enter university studies, so it's pretty specific. Seems like his only choices would be Sudbury and Ottawa...maybe Toronto at York U/Glendon College.

 

[LastWordArmy]

This sounds like a ploy to me, unless he hasn't graduated high school (which he should of by now). Very few OHL guys who have been drafted start post-secondary education after being drafted relatively high. Seems more like an agent back strategy to get public-opinion on his side to force a trade to the team he wants. Not a surprise, it is not like Flint has any chance in the court of public opinion, but I don't think Bitten has much ground to stand on if Ottawa don't make a good offer. I doubt the Habs would be happy with him either spending another year in Flint or having to go down to OJHL.

Almost every prospect who was drafted by an NHL team has left flint between december and now. This is a huge pattern.

don't blame them, the team was a dumpster fire last year.

yes the owner is suspended, but he worked around a suspension once.

If you are an 18 year old who wants to make the NHL, why would you want to wait around and see if the issue is fixed or not. Get the F out and worry later.

 

[Coaches Coroner]

This sounds like a ploy to me, unless he hasn't graduated high school (which he should of by now). Very few OHL guys who have been drafted start post-secondary education after being drafted relatively high. Seems more like an agent back strategy to get public-opinion on his side to force a trade to the team he wants. Not a surprise, it is not like Flint has any chance in the court of public opinion, but I don't think Bitten has much ground to stand on if Ottawa don't make a good offer. I doubt the Habs would be happy with him either spending another year in Flint or having to go down to OJHL.

Maybe it's a ploy, but I know for a fact drafted players have attended post secondary education while playing in the OHL still. Off the top of my head, Stolarz (PHI) and I Latta (LA) who were 3rd round picks. Just thought it was worth noting, I'm not sure it's quite as uncommon as it would seem like it would be.

 

[93LEAFS]

The OHL even offers scholarships to players going on to post-secondary. It's not that unheard of.

It is rare for someone who is a serious NHL prospect. I know how the packages work, and they usually aren't claimed unless you have actively retired from pro-hockey within a certain time frame by the end of your OHL career.

 

[puckfan13]

This sounds like a ploy to me, unless he hasn't graduated high school (which he should of by now). Very few OHL guys who have been drafted start post-secondary education after being drafted relatively high. Seems more like an agent back strategy to get public-opinion on his side to force a trade to the team he wants. Not a surprise, it is not like Flint has any chance in the court of public opinion, but I don't think Bitten has much ground to stand on if Ottawa don't make a good offer. I doubt the Habs would be happy with him either spending another year in Flint or having to go down to OJHL.

He is an excellent student with marks well into the 90's, and that is taking French immersion his entire life. It is not that far-fetched he would want to continue some post-secondary studies of some sort. You play 3 games a week in the OHL and practice for 1.5 hrs in the afternoon of those other days... Getting a workout or treatment might take up 3 hours max of your day... There is a lot of hours left in a week for a guy to go after some post-secondary education - obviously not everyone is going to do that, but not everyone gets 90%+ in school... The odds of a third-round draft pick making the NHL full-time is like 15%...

 

[93LEAFS]

He is an excellent student with marks well into the 90's, and that is taking French immersion his entire life. It is not that far-fetched he would want to continue some post-secondary studies of some sort. You play 3 games a week in the OHL and practice for 1.5 hrs in the afternoon of those other days... Getting a workout or treatment might take up 3 hours max of your day... There is a lot of hours left in a week for a guy to go after some post-secondary education - obviously not everyone is going to do that, but not everyone gets 90%+ in school... The odds of a third-round draft pick making the NHL full-time is like 15%...

More power to him if that is his honest intention, but as someone who has watched hockey for years, I will always be skeptical of situations like these where a player is trying to force his way to one particular team. I mean, if he is that good a student (and it seems he is perfectly bi-lingual), he should also be open to London, Kingston or Sauga. even Kitchener or Hamilton are decent options in this regard. The narrow scope just screams of wanting to go to a particular franchise. I'd also guess he has not been in French-Immersion the last two years, but maybe they have it in Plymouth and Flint.

And I don't blame it at all for wanting to get the hell out of Flint, it just seems to be by how narrow his request is (and the fact his brother is at the Ottawa camp) that he is trying to force his way to one particular team. Just pointing out, for a high achieving student there are tons of great options throughout the OHL university wise. Maybe he only has acceptance at Ottawa right now, and didn't apply elsewhere, because it does seem a bit late to be figuring out school stuff unless he plans to enroll in January.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

More power to him if that is his honest intention, but as someone who has watched hockey for years, I will always be skeptical of situations like these where a player is trying to force his way to one particular team. I mean, if he is that good a student (and it seems he is perfectly bi-lingual), he should also be open to London, Kingston or Sauga. even Kitchener or Hamilton are decent options in this regard. The narrow scope just screams of wanting to go to a particular franchise. I'd also guess he has not been in French-Immersion the last two years, but maybe they have it in Plymouth and Flint.

And I don't blame it at all for wanting to get the hell out of Flint, it just seems to be by how narrow his request is (and the fact his brother is at the Ottawa camp) that he is trying to force his way to one particular team. Just pointing out, for a high achieving student there are tons of great options throughout the OHL university wise. Maybe he only has acceptance at Ottawa right now, and didn't apply elsewhere, because it does seem a bit late to be figuring out school stuff unless he plans to enroll in January.

It seems like you're forcing yourself to take offense to something. Bitten was born in Ottawa, the largest bi-lingual city in Canada, so it really is the best option for him. If you were an 18 year old who just spent 2 incredibly important years of your life in Flint, Michigan, surrounded by poisonous management and water, you'd want the right to a first choice.

Given that he was born in Ottawa, his little brother is going to be playing for Ottawa, and that Ottawa is the largest French speaking city in Ontario... anyone in his position would do the same

 

[DMoran0788]

It seems like you're forcing yourself to take offense to something. Bitten was born in Ottawa, the largest bi-lingual city in Canada, so it really is the best option for him. If you were an 18 year old who just spent 2 incredibly important years of your life in Flint, Michigan, surrounded by poisonous management and water, you'd want the right to a first choice.

Given that he was born in Ottawa, his little brother is going to be playing for Ottawa, and that Ottawa is the largest French speaking city in Ontario... anyone in his position would do the same

Not everyone! Most players and families stick with the teams they were drafted by. There are very few teams that offer the absolute ideal situation. As an OHL fan I respect those players that make the best of their situation and not use entitlement or excuses to get everything they want and everyone around them needs to accommodate so they don't loose out. That's not the way the world works.

 

[93LEAFS]

It seems like you're forcing yourself to take offense to something. Bitten was born in Ottawa, the largest bi-lingual city in Canada, so it really is the best option for him. If you were an 18 year old who just spent 2 incredibly important years of your life in Flint, Michigan, surrounded by poisonous management and water, you'd want the right to a first choice.

Given that he was born in Ottawa, his little brother is going to be playing for Ottawa, and that Ottawa is the largest French speaking city in Ontario... anyone in his position would do the same

I'm not offended by it at all, but the claims of where he wants to go for "education" see to be a joke and a way to dictate where he wants to go. This is just done to try to present him in the best possible light by basically demanding to be traded to only one place.

And at least know the facts, he spent one year in Flint. The prior year he was in Plymouth.

 

[King In The North]

More power to him if that is his honest intention, but as someone who has watched hockey for years, I will always be skeptical of situations like these where a player is trying to force his way to one particular team. I mean, if he is that good a student (and it seems he is perfectly bi-lingual), he should also be open to London, Kingston or Sauga. even Kitchener or Hamilton are decent options in this regard. The narrow scope just screams of wanting to go to a particular franchise. I'd also guess he has not been in French-Immersion the last two years, but maybe they have it in Plymouth and Flint.

And I don't blame it at all for wanting to get the hell out of Flint, it just seems to be by how narrow his request is (and the fact his brother is at the Ottawa camp) that he is trying to force his way to one particular team. Just pointing out, for a high achieving student there are tons of great options throughout the OHL university wise. Maybe he only has acceptance at Ottawa right now, and didn't apply elsewhere, because it does seem a bit late to be figuring out school stuff unless he plans to enroll in January.

Maybe you want to go home for university? Some kids want to do that, especially if you've already been away from home in Plymouth and Flint.

 

[93LEAFS]

Maybe you want to go home for university? Some kids want to do that, especially if you've already been away from home in Plymouth and Flint.

He's a kid trying to make the NHL, who has played two years in the OHL already. Its not comparable to an average kid. Well see how it plays out, but it seems more like a kid using leverage to force a move so Ottawa has to pay less in assets to get him. Let's see what Flint decides to do, because as much as Bitten wants to be in Ottawa, he probably wants out of Flint more, so they can wait it out for the best offer.

 

[UsernameWasTaken]

Maybe you want to go home for university? Some kids want to do that, especially if you've already been away from home in Plymouth and Flint.

I guess we'll see how many courses he enrols in when he arrives at this new team. Most drafted 18/19 year olds don't enrol at all, let alone for a full course load.

I think he has his own reasons for wanting to be choosy about what team he ends up on and couching things in terms of education is to put a nice gloss on it all.

 

[puckfan13]

Not everyone! Most players and families stick with the teams they were drafted by. There are very few teams that offer the absolute ideal situation. As an OHL fan I respect those players that make the best of their situation and not use entitlement or excuses to get everything they want and everyone around them needs to accommodate so they don't loose out. That's not the way the world works.

It kind of is how the world works though. He has an extremely sought-after skillset and is very good at what he does, one of the best at what he does where he does it. In a lot of jobs, if you are an excellent lawyer, accountant or salesperson, and you are unhappy in your job because of the culture and the environment, go find a new job. If you are in the highest-achieving bracket of your job you can seek out other opportunities that are more ideal for you because your skillset allows you to do that and you are in demand, you are not bound to a job unless it is legally contractually obligated or you signed a non-compete, neither of which I believe Bitten has signed unless you know otherwise.

 

[93LEAFS]

It kind of is how the world works though. He has an extremely sought-after skillset and is very good at what he does, one of the best at what he does where he does it. In a lot of jobs, if you are an excellent lawyer, accountant or salesperson, and you are unhappy in your job because of the culture and the environment, go find a new job. If you are in the highest-achieving bracket of your job you can seek out other opportunities that are more ideal for you because your skillset allows you to do that and you are in demand, you are not bound to a job unless it is legally contractually obligated or you signed a non-compete, neither of which I believe Bitten has signed unless you know otherwise.

He's sort of bound to Plymouth/Flint for 4 years, and can't really go anywhere else outside of down to the OJHL. He absolutely signed something that locks him into Hockey Canada (and a particular Franchise) for 4 years, otherwise players could just transfer to Europe at any point if they wanted.

 

[puckfan13]

He's sort of bound to Plymouth/Flint for 4 years, and can't really go anywhere else outside of down to the OJHL. He absolutely signed something that locks him into Hockey Canada (and a particular Franchise) for 4 years, otherwise players could just transfer to Europe at any point if they wanted.

I'm saying if he wants to get Flint to explore trading him to Ottawa and they do then that's well within his rights.

 

[DMoran0788]

It kind of is how the world works though. He has an extremely sought-after skillset and is very good at what he does, one of the best at what he does where he does it. In a lot of jobs, if you are an excellent lawyer, accountant or salesperson, and you are unhappy in your job because of the culture and the environment, go find a new job. If you are in the highest-achieving bracket of your job you can seek out other opportunities that are more ideal for you because your skillset allows you to do that and you are in demand, you are not bound to a job unless it is legally contractually obligated or you signed a non-compete, neither of which I believe Bitten has signed unless you know otherwise.

Like I said ENTITLEMENT

 

[Patmac40]

Not everyone! Most players and families stick with the teams they were drafted by. There are very few teams that offer the absolute ideal situation. As an OHL fan I respect those players that make the best of their situation and not use entitlement or excuses to get everything they want and everyone around them needs to accommodate so they don't loose out. That's not the way the world works.

Not everyone has had to deal with the ****show that was Flint last year. If he feels that Flint isn't the place for him and as though going to Ottawa will be in his best interest then I don't see why he (an 18 year old teenager) shouldn't be allowed to do that.

 

[DMoran0788]

Not everyone has had to deal with the ****show that was Flint last year. If he feels that Flint isn't the place for him and as though going to Ottawa will be in his best interest then I don't see why he (an 18 year old teenager) shouldn't be allowed to do that.

Listen I agree there is no sense keeping a player if he is not happy to be there. The original poster I replied to stated that everyone would do the same thing and I don't think that's so. That's it. Don't loop one player with everyone just to justify an opinion.

 

[LastWordArmy]

Not everyone! Most players and families stick with the teams they were drafted by. There are very few teams that offer the absolute ideal situation. As an OHL fan I respect those players that make the best of their situation and not use entitlement or excuses to get everything they want and everyone around them needs to accommodate so they don't loose out. That's not the way the world works.

You realize that Flint is not a normal situation in the OHL right now. Its a ****ing clown franchise with a ****ing clown ownership.

But yeah an 18 year old kid who has one shot to get to the NHL should take his chances that the owner who is suspended won't interfere, and that it won't effect his development or his education.

He's a third round pick with no guarantees of making the NHL. Do you think he wants to keep playing for an owner where last year was the most embarrassing season in junior hockey history, and has already proven once that he didn't obey an OHL suspension?

I sure as heck wouldn't

And guess what... its not just bitten.

Every NHL drafted prospect on that team was demanding out in December of last year, and all ended up traded.

 

[LastWordArmy]

Listen I agree there is no sense keeping a player if he is not happy to be there. The original poster I replied to stated that everyone would do the same thing and I don't think that's so. That's it. Don't loop one player with everyone just to justify an opinion.

Every NHL drafted prospect Flint has had has made a trade request (privately or publically) since december. The whole boatload who were on the team last december were shipped out at the deadline.

 

[David Suzuki]

Like I said ENTITLEMENT

Choosing where you want to work is not entitlement at all. Especially when you think how screwed over a lot of kids get playing junior (very little pay). I'd say entitlement is the last word to be used here, especially seeing as he is doing it for his own very solid reasons.

 

[Mike Mike Caron]

He didn't go to French immersion, he went to French school as French is his mother tongue.

 

[Spade]

TIL that making a decision on where you want to be employed at the expense of one or more organizations is considered entitlement, while organizations are automatically all of equal quality in training and career progression and players are beholden to them because loyalty.

Bitten is the last remaining player of any note from last season, and he would have been justified in trying to leave last December like everyone else. He didn't, at least publically, and gave the Firebirds all he's obligated to do on the ice in terms of effort. If he feels that Flint isn't going to or isn't capable of giving him the support he needs to continue growing, then the best thing he can do for both parties is to leave.

 

[MXD]

None. In order to switch leagues he'd have to clear OHL waivers.

...that's kinda what I figured.