To answer that question:
Without having to change the current rules regarding number of imports, underagers, and OA’s per team, are there 100 players out there currently not in the OHL, who would come to the OHL, who are of the quality of current OHLers?
It would take 92-100 players to man up four new teams.
I wonder if there are. Especially if we see players go to NCAA programs after their 19 year old year.
I think you’d see some watering down but not a significant amount. Adding an import per team might make sense. Especially if we start losing OA’s to the NCAA. I don’t see us losing a ton of OA’s that way but there might be a few.
The issue will be goaltending. That seems to be the position that is always a struggle.
I really don’t see a big downside to expansion. However, certain rule changes like allowing 19 year olds into the AHL may cause an issue.
The reality is we need to align the CHL Leagues with the NHL. There have been a lot of changes with respect to development and the league itself getting younger. Maybe that is because of expansion there as well. But, the reality is, as the NHL expanded, so did the need for them to reach out further into other areas of the globe to satisfy the need for players. The NHL was mostly Canadian when the WHA folded into the NHL. 21 teasm chock full of Canadians with a handful of American’s and the odd Swede. Then came the Russians, the Finns, Czechs etc. The American programs grew and they started to become a true force.
This is about growing the game and aligning growth. The only reason to expand is to align with overall growth. The growth is stunted in Canada but it is not in the USA. The CHL needs more of a presence in the USA. That is where the players are mostly going to come from as the game grows in popularity. Essentially that is where the NHL will be fuelled in the future.
This whole expansion idea isn’t really about the OHL. It is about hockey in general and how it aligns as a supply chain for the NHL. It cannot be about the OHL. It is always about the NHL. If it is not good for the NHL, it isn’t good for hockey. The NHL will be the entity that will step in and assist with the appropriate alignment IF they feel it is needed. Where is the grass roots of hockey and how can that be expanded? How can we reach out and develop talent at a younger age and inspire those that aren’t playing to play. These are the questions right now and this is the focus on Canada and USA hockey. As the grassroots programs continue to grow, you need places for them to play. That starts in youth hockey which is why you see so much emphasis on FairPlay and inclusion. But, all of that comes to roost when it starts to magnify on the elite players.
If we cultivate elite players, they need a place to grow. The CHL has been and likely always will be the #1 Greenhouse. If/when expansion is required, they will expand and it will be forced upon them by the NHL.
