Hi, this is Fred Wallace with Off the Wire, brought to you by Auto Logic, the Logical Choice.
Was anybody else alarmed or concerned last week when Hockey Canada announced their showcase and development camps ?
Or how about the NHL Entry Draft ?
Like a massive red flag, the exclusion of any Owen Sound Attack players for both the Under 20 and Under 18 camps, plus the fact only 2 players were selected by the NHL’ers, got my attention for the wrong reason.
In the Ontario Hockey League, only the Attack and the Sudbury Wolves were blanked by Hockey Canada, not having a single player invited to the camps which will be staged later this month at Calgary.
Sure, the top three 2015 draft picks of the Attack were selected for the Under 17 Camp by Hockey Canada, but………
I’m not saying Hockey Canada, or the NHL scouts, are always bang-on-the-money ( see Wayne Simmonds circa 2007 as one example ), but as an indicator of things to come for Owen Sound, I’d say this speaks pretty loudly about the short term.
The NHL Draft and the Hockey Canada camps are for those considered to be elite players, candidates for National Program teams, and in turn, almost always the stars on their club teams and in their respective leagues, like the OHL.
Put simply, in the eyes of Hockey Canada, and in the eyes of the NHL, Owen Sound doesn’t rate highly.
Sure, as mentioned, a player can be missed- periodically.
Sure, a lot ofpositives for a player can happen over a summer.
And sure, this could serve as a huge motivator for both the Attack and Attack players.
But when I saw the camps were bereft of Attack players, and only 2 were deemed draftable by 30 NHL teams, I shuddered somewhat and braced myself for what might be a challenging hockey season ahead in Owen Sound.
I’m Fred Wallace