Ottawa 67s 2024-25 Season Thread, Part III

[OMG67]

There has been some talk about HB here. I still feel like the HB situation was orchestrated. I have zero issues with it. If you look at the players picked after HB, it is not like there are any World beaters. That draft was relatively thin. Drafting HB , moving him for a few picks plus the comp pick with Eshkawkogan was a great move. Eshkawkogan himself looks better than the next few players picked after HB in that draft. The only guy that really stands out is maybe Lombardi. There was a hodge-podge of “meh” players available.

I really do not think the HB situation can be measured by his value now. If he was never going to report to Ottawa, then you have to measure the value Ottawa received (two 2nds + 3rd & Eshkawkogan) vs the other options available to pick. We picked Whitehead with the next pick. That tells you a lot about the class of players available at that point in the draft.

We could have a different conversation if Ottawa talked HB into defecting for the purpose of trading his rights to London but that did not happen. This was either a situation where Ottawa hoped they could sign him or had it all pre-arranged prior to the draft. Either way, talking HB into signing or taking the comp was much better than the player options available. IMO, that was a savvy move and I think we need to give a ton of credit to Boyd for navigating that situation. We came out of that way better than simply picking someone like Jaiden Newton.

 

[Larionov]

That's all very fair - I just get salty about kids who won't report to Ottawa, probably more than I should. That's just the entitlement age in which we live, where kids and families feel like they should be able to call their shot. "Just happy for the opportunity" went out the window a while ago.

And, to be clear, Boyd is a good junior hockey executive, and we could be doing far worse. We are, for instance, in far better shape than during the regrettable Chris Byrne and Jeff Brown eras. It's just that we can't afford to make mistakes - the Hunters can because London is a destination for players. We aren't, so our margin for error is a lot thinner...

 

[InTheValley]

My situation had nothing to do with the team itself. There was a series of incidents that culminated into one specific incident that made us decide to never return. That was around 2017 and I have not stepped foot into that rink since. Actually, I have not set foot on the Lansdowne Park grounds since. I support the hockey ops group but I do not support OSEG in any way. I said at the time that I would not step foot on the grounds of Lansdowne Park as long as OSEG is the management group there and that will remain indefinitely.

Oh wow. Sounds like an interesting story! I know someone that had an issue with the Sens around the same time, and also hasnt stepped back into that building for a game, concert, or anything.

 

[dirty12]

That's all very fair - I just get salty about kids who won't report to Ottawa, probably more than I should. That's just the entitlement age in which we live, where kids and families feel like they should be able to call their shot. "Just happy for the opportunity" went out the window a while ago.

And, to be clear, Boyd is a good junior hockey executive, and we could be doing far worse. We are, for instance, in far better shape than during the regrettable Chris Byrne and Jeff Brown eras. It's just that we can't afford to make mistakes - the Hunters can because London is a destination for players. We aren't, so our margin for error is a lot thinner...

Jeff Brown left the ‘67s loaded for the near future