Why Does the OHL Use a Draft Instead of Letting Players Stay With Local Teams?

[hockeyFan029]

Why doesn’t the OHL just let young players suit up for their local teams? Wouldn’t it be more natural—and easier—for kids to play close to home? Instead, the league uses a draft system. Why?

Wouldn’t it make more sense for OHL teams to operate as local academies, developing talent from their own regions—similar to how European soccer clubs work? Why not build up players through a homegrown pipeline instead of drafting them from across the province?

 

[nelli27]

Population disparity? Small market teams would be disadvantaged; smaller pool of players.

 

[Sam14]

U16 talent pool is disproportionately spread out across Ontario. Teams drawing solely from the GTHL would have a significant competitive advantage over teams such as NB, Sudbury, SSM, Niagara. It can never work.

 

[Kingpin794]

Why doesn’t the OHL just let young players suit up for their local teams? Wouldn’t it be more natural—and easier—for kids to play close to home? Instead, the league uses a draft system. Why?

Wouldn’t it make more sense for OHL teams to operate as local academies, developing talent from their own regions—similar to how European soccer clubs work? Why not build up players through a homegrown pipeline instead of drafting them from across the province?

yeah European soccer leagues are not something to aspire to. Those have 2 or 3 teams that win titles and everyone else is stuck in mediocrity forever. No thanks.

 

[bobber]

Kind of a moot point. Many teams would disappear if this was the case.

 

[Millpond]

Why doesn’t the OHL just let young players suit up for their local teams? Wouldn’t it be more natural—and easier—for kids to play close to home? Instead, the league uses a draft system. Why?

Wouldn’t it make more sense for OHL teams to operate as local academies, developing talent from their own regions—similar to how European soccer clubs work? Why not build up players through a homegrown pipeline instead of drafting them from across the province?

No

 

[ohloutsider]

Ya Brampton would have the best team in the league with 2 million to draw from. Makes zero sense.

 

[All the Answers]

There would be 8 top teams in the GTA with no attendance, a couple in Ottawa, and maybe one in the tri-cities, London, and Windsor. A GTA team would win every year, and parents would play games getting their kid on the team-du-jour to play in front of 800 ppl.

Sounds great.

 

[frontsfan67]

Why doesn’t the OHL just let young players suit up for their local teams? Wouldn’t it be more natural—and easier—for kids to play close to home? Instead, the league uses a draft system. Why?

Wouldn’t it make more sense for OHL teams to operate as local academies, developing talent from their own regions—similar to how European soccer clubs work? Why not build up players through a homegrown pipeline instead of drafting them from across the province?

Cause this isn’t soccer

 

[BobbyStokers9713]

Owen sound would have a great team.....lol

 

[AttackSound]

Why doesn’t the OHL just let young players suit up for their local teams? Wouldn’t it be more natural—and easier—for kids to play close to home? Instead, the league uses a draft system. Why?

Wouldn’t it make more sense for OHL teams to operate as local academies, developing talent from their own regions—similar to how European soccer clubs work? Why not build up players through a homegrown pipeline instead of drafting them from across the province?

This would fold a number of Canadian junior hockey programs in a lot of places especially in those isolated pockets of the province. There's a lot of teams where the talent pool has and does thin out from year to year especially in Northern Ontario where there are fewer places to play.

So for this to make sense it would take years for regions to be able to compete with bigger regions like the GTA. Just simply due to the fact that there wouldn't be enough talented kids to play in certain regions from year to year, as of right now there are a lot of regional swings in the talent pools around minor hockey and not every region(s) have comparable talent pools in coming age groups.

So I can't see teams entirely swinging that way to agree to do this, nor would you see every team build from within there own regions.

 

[OMG67]

Even if you could make it work (it won’t), the only reason to do it is to keep players at home (or close to home). If that were the primary goal, then there would be no trades. It would defeat the purpose.