Northern hockey at a crossroads

Posted by Sudbury Northern Life 

To all of those readers who are completely "hockeyed out" as we welcome the first of our summertime months, I sincerely apologize. But with the OHL draft coinciding with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association (NOHA) AGM being hosted in Sudbury, talk of Canada's favourite winter passion was everywhere I turned last weekend.

There was no lack of interesting, and somewhat controversial issues being bandied about, so it seems only fair to weigh in with random thoughts on much of what was being discussed.

Without a doubt, the single-most noteworthy set of motions at the NOHA meetings involved a series of submissions that will essentially force the SMHA (Sudbury Minor Hockey Association) into registering its major peewee AAA team into the northern Ontario loop, which was created one year ago.

Not doing so would mean Sudbury would simply forfeit the opportunity to advance to all-Ontario championships within that particular classification. A little background to this debate: for some years now, Sudbury has fielded the only local major peewee AAA minor hockey team, playing the squad in the minor bantam division of the Nickel District Hockey League.

As a general rule, it would be fair to say this arrangement provided the SMHA reps with decent competition while keeping traveling costs at a minimum. The team replaced this experience with their participation in five or six AAA tournaments across the province, eventually battling Sault Ste. Marie for the right to represent the north in the provincial championships.

Last spring, the addition of a Major Peewee Nickel City Sons team moved hand-in-hand with the creation of a northern Ontario league that essentially mirrors the Northern Ontario Bantam AAA Hockey League (NOBHL), with entries in North Bay, Timmins, the Sault and Sudbury.

Given the increased travel costs involved and no guarantee of better competition, the Sudbury Major Peewee Wolves played, once again, in the minor bantam division of the NDMHL. In chatting with a handful of people who attended the NOHA meeting on Saturday, most were surprised at a lack of opposition to the motions presented.

According to at least a couple of sources, this may well have more to do with a belief within the SMHA ranks that battling what seemed to be overwhelming support across the ranks of the NOHA would prove both frustrating and fruitless.

The irony, I suppose, is all of this is happening at the exact same time that representatives from both the SMHA and Nickel City organizations continue to move forward with a presentation, looking at the possible amalgamation of both groups at the AAA level.

Speaking of which, an update on that topic that was first broached in this column a few months back. A series of meetings between the parties has started the ball rolling, so to speak, as more and more details are being worked out.

A working paper, "The AAA Model Presentation," has received endorsement from the board of the Nickel City Sons, though not yet with the SMHA. The long-time Sudbury-based organization has struck a sub-committee to look more closely at all of the ramifications to the SMHA based on the concept, as it's currently being presented.

In a nutshell, the proposal would allow for a single AAA hockey team in Greater Sudbury at all ages from minor peewee through to midget. While the effect might be negligible at the minor peewee and minor bantam level (as both currently offer just one local AAA team) and, to a lesser extent, at the major peewee level, there would be an impact on both the NOBHL and the Great North Midget League (GNML).

For the GNML, said impact could potentially be nullified with the creation of a minor midget AAA team in Sudbury, an idea that seems to gather strength with every passing year.

Identified as an option to be pursued within the working paper, the issue gained perhaps even more support as a result of the OHL draft.

While the 1993 crop of northern Ontario hockey talent may not match up particularly well against any comparable group over the past decade or so, it would still be somewhat naive, in my opinion, not to be even the least bit concerned over the results of this past Saturday's junior draft.

A total of 131 young prospects, primarily from Ontario (with a sprinkling of US-based selections), were chosen before the first player from northern Ontario saw his name flash across the Internet screen. Add another round and a half, 20 picks or so, before a resident of Greater Sudbury earned the honour of "top local pick" - and that, in the ninth round.

No surprise then that much of the discussion I heard on Sunday centered around whether the 2009 OHL draft was simply an anomaly in the north, representing very simply a group of hockey talent that did not fare as well (in the eyes of the scouts) relative to the remainder of their provincial counterparts.

Or is this the sign of a more deeply rooted system problem? The truth is, it's quite likely a combination of both. The simple fact remains that it's becoming increasingly difficult for scouts working across the north to try and get a handle on exactly how the youngsters from Timmins, Kirkland Lake, North Bay, the Sault and Sudbury measure up against the bulk of minor midgets, when the opportunity is seldom there to compare them head-to-head.

Somewhat ironic, to my way of thinking, that the GNML all-star team, that represented the north in the OHL cup just a few months back, actually proved to be quite competitive. Yet it seems the sampling viewed by the junior hockey scouting community left them unconvinced of any top, or even upper mid-level talent that existed north of Barrie.

While the creation of minor midget AAA hockey in Sudbury and the Sault (at the very least) is obviously not the answer to all concerns, it would certainly appear to be a step in the right direction.

Well, in my opinion anyways. I'm quite sure I will hear other viewpoints in the weeks ahead.