Open borders coming in Ontario

[Guest]

Well, open borders will be happening at AAA as trial for 2 years, its coming and will pass the omha agm this weekend. All you centers that hold kids will need to better up your programs, and its about time.

You clowns are hilarious. There's about 30 delusional idiots out there who think they're all going to the same team. Hahaha

IF there were open borders, here's what going to happen...

The best kids from the O are already in the G. The next best will head for the G and displace a handful of imports who aren't willing to fake an address to stay in the G.

The parents of those kids will get together, decide the most convenient location for them, buy a team through some form of sponsorship and promise to bring an "elite" core. They will bing in their own coach and the core parent group will run the team.

6F 4D will all be happy, but none will be safe. There is no loyalty among theives, especially when it comes to hockey parents who want their kid to be on a winning team. Lol

The AAA loop in the G is pretty centralized. If a kid lives in the G, travel and time doesn't change a whole lot no matter what team he plays for. I couldn't imagine what it would be like for kids who live in Whitby having to play and practice in Peterborough because Whitby sold team to the highest bidder. lol

In PEI, out of town players pay a higher reg fee. So fees will probably go up, because why would a town subsidize a team full of players who aren't from that town.

Open borders in O will be Pandora's box.

Wow... you have thought about this.

We live in the G and I've heard import parents complain about borders for years.

At first they are happy to be in the G and on a good team, then some kid Burlington shows up and suddenly they are looking for a team. Thos doesn't happen in a closed border system, where hometown spots are reserved for hometown players.

[Guest]

I think a lot of families would support this if you were allowed right of choice in the OMHA if you are "registered" in the OMHA... this is allowed in the GTHL... move from team to team every year? I understand they are there own league but things evolve and so should minor hockey.

You guys forget about the displacement factor.

Imagine your kids coach recruits 2 top kid from from two different centres. Sounds promising right...but 1 kid needs to a friend for carpooling, and the other kid needs to bring two friends for carpooling. The carpooling kids are no better than your kid...but they are part of a package deal that includes a gamebreaker. Those carpooling kids will take your kids spot.

The following year, the cycle repeats itself. Forwards, Defence, Goalies... Top kids stay with the team, while the carpool kids are one year and done. Meanwhile a bunch of decent players will have been displaced each year to facilitate recruiting.

[Guest]

I think a lot of families would support this if you were allowed right of choice in the OMHA if you are "registered" in the OMHA... this is allowed in the GTHL... move from team to team every year? I understand they are there own league but things evolve and so should minor hockey.

You guys forget about the displacement factor.

Imagine your kids coach recruits 2 top kid from from two different centres. Sounds promising right...but 1 kid needs to a friend for carpooling, and the other kid needs to bring two friends for carpooling. The carpooling kids are no better than your kid...but they are part of a package deal that includes a gamebreaker. Those carpooling kids will take your kids spot.

The following year, the cycle repeats itself. Forwards, Defence, Goalies... Top kids stay with the team, while the carpool kids are one year and done. Meanwhile a bunch of decent players will have been displaced each year to facilitate recruiting.

That's when the coach steps in and says... I'm only taking your kid so figure out your ride situation or I will take the next best kid... done.

[Guest]

I think a lot of families would support this if you were allowed right of choice in the OMHA if you are "registered" in the OMHA... this is allowed in the GTHL... move from team to team every year? I understand they are there own league but things evolve and so should minor hockey.

You guys forget about the displacement factor.

Imagine your kids coach recruits 2 top kid from from two different centres. Sounds promising right...but 1 kid needs to a friend for carpooling, and the other kid needs to bring two friends for carpooling. The carpooling kids are no better than your kid...but they are part of a package deal that includes a gamebreaker. Those carpooling kids will take your kids spot.

The following year, the cycle repeats itself. Forwards, Defence, Goalies... Top kids stay with the team, while the carpool kids are one year and done. Meanwhile a bunch of decent players will have been displaced each year to facilitate recruiting.

That's when the coach steps in and says... I'm only taking your kid so figure out your ride situation or I will take the next best kid... done.

You'd like it to happen that way, but it doesn't. When recruiting out of area kids, carpooling is always a factor.

Imagine the whitby coach recruits the top forward from Pickering and Top forward from Carrington. In the younger ages, both kids likely play centre. They won't go to Whitby to play wing...which means the top centre in whitby will be moving to the wing.

And if your kid was first line winger, he's most likely moving to the second line... or maybe 3rd line centre, because he can't play is off-wing and the top Carrington kid will centre the 2nd line with his best friend as his winger.

Like I said, Pandora's box. The best way to survive it is to teach your kid to play on his weak side, and work on his backward skating so he has the option to play D.

[Guest]

For years if you lived in Carlisle you had to go to Halton to play AAA.... now you have to go Hamilton..... is Carlisle one of these examples of a "Grey" area..... I know Halton has lost #'s in registration because of Credit River getting a AAA team.

[Guest]

Well, open borders will be happening at AAA as trial for 2 years, its coming and will pass the omha agm this weekend. All you centers that hold kids will need to better up your programs, and its about time.

Well what happened at the OMHA AGM meeting on the weekend... did this pass? is this trial happening? if so when?

[Guest]

For years if you lived in Carlisle you had to go to Halton to play AAA.... now you have to go Hamilton..... is Carlisle one of these examples of a "Grey" area..... I know Halton has lost #'s in registration because of Credit River getting a AAA team.

In terms of travel, what would be reasonable AAA options for a kid from Carlisle if there are no spots in Hamilton, because the team is full of kids who arent from Hamilton?

[Guest]

There has been no discussion about this at the OHF level and it will never happen. Pointless discussion.

[Guest]

For years if you lived in Carlisle you had to go to Halton to play AAA.... now you have to go Hamilton..... is Carlisle one of these examples of a "Grey" area..... I know Halton has lost #'s in registration because of Credit River getting a AAA team.

In terms of travel, what would be reasonable AAA options for a kid from Carlisle if there are no spots in Hamilton, because the team is full of kids who arent from Hamilton?

Some kids just want to play AAA hockey against good competition.... rather than be a bottom player on a good team..... be a middle to top player on another team and get ice time.... believe it or not some kids and parents are o.k. with there kid being on a middle to low end team.... especially at a young age as long as the quality of coaching is there.... examples of centers that are closer to Carlisle than Hamilton.... you have Halton.... Burlington..... Cambridge and maybe even Guelph.

[Guest]

For years if you lived in Carlisle you had to go to Halton to play AAA.... now you have to go Hamilton..... is Carlisle one of these examples of a "Grey" area..... I know Halton has lost #'s in registration because of Credit River getting a AAA team.

In terms of travel, what would be reasonable AAA options for a kid from Carlisle if there are no spots in Hamilton, because the team is full of kids who arent from Hamilton?

Some kids just want to play AAA hockey against good competition.... rather than be a bottom player on a good team..... be a middle to top player on another team and get ice time.... believe it or not some kids and parents are o.k. with there kid being on a middle to low end team.... especially at a young age as long as the quality of coaching is there.... examples of centers that are closer to Carlisle than Hamilton.... you have Halton.... Burlington..... Cambridge and maybe even Guelph.

Oh I get it...icetime over wins. Agree.

My point is, that with open borders Hamilton could stack up with top players from Halton, Burlington, Cambridge and Guelph. Then players would gravitate to whichever centre is deemed the "next best option". Complete lack of parity in that region eliminates the "mid-pack" option.

Open borders in the O would be a teribble idea.