lol I know a goalie from Cape Breton who did exactly what you just said... What his parents left out was that he was playing Midget AA and barely getting ice time
That's kind of what I expected for an answer to the question. It kind of goes without saying that no team would pick a player just because he played for a certain team like Notre Dame but like I said if he's excelling at a higher competition level, he's obviously going to get more notice. So when talking about an exceptional player such as Mitch Balmas, who is playing in an area that is not known for producing exceptional players, he may be better off bolting to a more competitive league if it gets him more notice and better competition to develop his game. Honestly, I'd rather be able to watch him in the Maritimes but I can't deny that it would be understandable if he left for a more competitive league.
well I will say players going away to play do not get the exposure a player who stays home to play gets....most teams will not invest the amount of money it takes to fly out to Notre Dame and watch 2 games then fly back, some teams are on a strict budget some teams are not, but if a player plays home, scouts are at every game, there are major tournaments like Monctonian, Kiawanas that attract major amounts of scouts...if they go prep route you know a team will make 1 or 2 trips to see him play, so really the team is mostly seeing the player maybe 3 or 4 games and making bases off of that...I think Prep is overrated myself, the kids who play prep arre never any better there than staying here IMO, Crosby was amazing no matter, he could have stayed in nova scotia and played Jr A which is higher level than midget, Mackinnon same thing would have been good no matter...
but it is all on what the player wants as an experience as well right, so no right or wrong way, just as development wise im not really sure if prep is any better as staying home.
well I will say players going away to play do not get the exposure a player who stays home to play gets....most teams will not invest the amount of money it takes to fly out to Notre Dame and watch 2 games then fly back, some teams are on a strict budget some teams are not, but if a player plays home, scouts are at every game, there are major tournaments like Monctonian, Kiawanas that attract major amounts of scouts...if they go prep route you know a team will make 1 or 2 trips to see him play, so really the team is mostly seeing the player maybe 3 or 4 games and making bases off of that...I think Prep is overrated myself, the kids who play prep arre never any better there than staying here IMO, Crosby was amazing no matter, he could have stayed in nova scotia and played Jr A which is higher level than midget, Mackinnon same thing would have been good no matter...
but it is all on what the player wants as an experience as well right, so no right or wrong way, just as development wise im not really sure if prep is any better as staying home.
That's a good point about getting better exposure staying home. Your boy Nathan Noel is playing prep right now as is Duncan MacIntyre who you've been ranking pretty high this year.
I'm not sold on putting a super star in Jr. A at a young age. I'm a bit distracted right now and can't put my explanation into words very well but basically I know Crosby was chirped a lot while playing in NS and I watched MacKinnon get jumped when he was a peewee aged player in bantam. Can you imagine a 20 year old man rag dolling Crosby or MacKinnon? I realize that could happen in Major Junior as well but the Q has become a lot more respectful since the late 90's legendary goons
im sorry im going to say I think you are wrong, I have never seen a player like Duclair who's hockey sense is not great all of a sudden get great hockey sense...my coach does not want guys with low hockey sense because you can not teach them he says and he won coach of the year in the CHL and is one of the best coaches outside of the NHL and that is him saying that, and I would say i agree with him, u can practice all you want and play all the situations u want but hockey sense is what seperates the good and great players from the guys who are not the top and if u can teach it to players im sure all teams would be teaching there players how to think the game better...hockey sense is either something you have or don;t and it is why players are consistantly always top in scoring or the best defenseman from the guys who play on the 4th lines or guys who are getting sent up and down all the time...so if u can explain players getting better give me examples of players who have gotten all of a sudden better hocke ysense to become good hockey players.
Heh, you don't have to say sorry for disagreeing, this is a board after all, and it's not like you were indirectly saying my life was worthless because I think this or that. It probably wasn't litteraly, I was just saying that to make sure there was no misunderstandings.
From an outside point of view, I think that the paradigm that hockey sense cannot be changed WILL be more efficient for scouts and coaches alike (as opposed to believing hockey sense is all pratice and hard work). Simply because statistically, most people who can change, will already have had by the time they get in leagues in which scouting is crucial. Players who devellop great hockey sense late, are rare. Just like people rarely change their fundamental mindsets on their own and often just adapt to whatever life sends their way.
I also do not think hockey sense can be teached nor that pratice can when you already have played hundreds of games; but it can be «developped», just like a mindset. The difference is fundamental to understand my point. There's no book to «learn» hockey sense. Nor is there to be an actual good person inside(although in that case you can learn to look like one); that doesn't mean one cannot become a better person, not in my opinion.
As for the example part, it's hard because I'm not the typical experienced hockey fan you can find on boards, and on top of that I only see development in a single league instead of over multiple years, as over 95% of my time watching hockey is in the Q. Maybe Giroux could be an example? Also, what were the concerns on Lefebvre to be drafted in 3rd round?
I also have a question that goes like this: If hockey sense is decided by birth, wouldn't that mean that there should be no observable variations at all for a given player? Duclair was said to have not so great hockey sense, but in the 1st half of the season he had a pretty good one without being extraordinary, it certainly wasn't a pull-down to his game in my opinion.
It is possible I did not explain my position clearly, because the text is pretty long, english isn't my mother's language, and there's good chances I forgot or misexplained certain points. Either way, hope this added to the discussion, I will make sure to oppose my current (and future) belief with what I will witness in reality in the rest of my hockey fan life.
TL;DR
It's all good we're here to have discussions
IMHO Hockey sense is a mindset, paradigm, along those lines
Rarely changes, isn't teachable, but isn't unchangeable
That's a good point about getting better exposure staying home. Your boy Nathan Noel is playing prep right now as is Duncan MacIntyre who you've been ranking pretty high this year.
I'm not sold on putting a super star in Jr. A at a young age. I'm a bit distracted right now and can't put my explanation into words very well but basically I know Crosby was chirped a lot while playing in NS and I watched MacKinnon get jumped when he was a peewee aged player in bantam. Can you imagine a 20 year old man rag dolling Crosby or MacKinnon? I realize that could happen in Major Junior as well but the Q has become a lot more respectful since the late 90's legendary goons
Alex Grant and Patrice Cormier both played Jr A as 15 year olds for the year, and Crosby played two games with Truro Bearcats as a 14 year old, also this year Morgan Messneger has played 2 games in Jr A as well.
Heh, you don't have to say sorry for disagreeing, this is a board after all, and it's not like you were indirectly saying my life was worthless because I think this or that. It probably wasn't litteraly, I was just saying that to make sure there was no misunderstandings.
From an outside point of view, I think that the paradigm that hockey sense cannot be changed WILL be more efficient for scouts and coaches alike (as opposed to believing hockey sense is all pratice and hard work). Simply because statistically, most people who can change, will already have had by the time they get in leagues in which scouting is crucial. Players who devellop great hockey sense late, are rare. Just like people rarely change their fundamental mindsets on their own and often just adapt to whatever life sends their way.
I also do not think hockey sense can be teached nor that pratice can when you already have played hundreds of games; but it can be «developped», just like a mindset. The difference is fundamental to understand my point. There's no book to «learn» hockey sense. Nor is there to be an actual good person inside(although in that case you can learn to look like one); that doesn't mean one cannot become a better person, not in my opinion.
As for the example part, it's hard because I'm not the typical experienced hockey fan you can find on boards, and on top of that I only see development in a single league instead of over multiple years, as over 95% of my time watching hockey is in the Q. Maybe Giroux could be an example? Also, what were the concerns on Lefebvre to be drafted in 3rd round?
I also have a question that goes like this: If hockey sense is decided by birth, wouldn't that mean that there should be no observable variations at all for a given player? Duclair was said to have not so great hockey sense, but in the 1st half of the season he had a pretty good one without being extraordinary, it certainly wasn't a pull-down to his game in my opinion.
It is possible I did not explain my position clearly, because the text is pretty long, english isn't my mother's language, and there's good chances I forgot or misexplained certain points. Either way, hope this added to the discussion, I will make sure to oppose my current (and future) belief with what I will witness in reality in the rest of my hockey fan life.
TL;DR
It's all good we're here to have discussions
IMHO Hockey sense is a mindset, paradigm, along those lines
Rarely changes, isn't teachable, but isn't unchangeable
Giroux I can tell you always had good hockey sense which I know for fact it was his size then he was hurt whole 2nd year in Ontario...and with Gatineau he was very very smart as well right from get go.
But you can not teach someone to think fast and react fast, the way they think when they are at the level of Midget hockey is pretty much whe you are getting at the next level, at that time they have learned there basics and have played many many games...if you draft a guy in Midget hocke ywith bad hockey sense I do not think I have ever seen a player improve dramaticlly enough to make a big change in his game and I have seen A LOT of players come through over the last 17 years.
its one of those topics that there are many thoughts on it, many opinions but no real answer LOL
I don,t know where you have spencer Smallman in your draft but of late since the older players got hurt he has pick up his game on the score sheet when he is call on like he did in the monctonian in nov.2011 when he was invited to the prospect q players the team he was on lost 7-3 he had 1g 2a and it did take long for the coach to start useing him on penalty killing and power play i was talking to his father and said spencer grew 2 inches from may to December and 6or7 lbs and in my opinion this boy has got a future in hockey he reminds me of a Brad Richards its what he does when he does have the puck on his stick of all the 96 born he is right up there in the top 12 in the q draft
Just chiming in on some of the talk about Prep School vs Midget Major AAA. Don't know if any of this was covered.
I know for a fact that a lot of parents of kids that are projected to go high in the Q Draft will send them away to prep so that they can get away before they get to many clingers and hangers on. Let's face it, there are not a lot of towns in Atlantic Canada that people don't know almost everyone else. News of a great hockey player that may potentially go to the NHL brings some crazy people out of the woodwork.
I personally know of a few that have experienced this and others that are currently considering prep schools for their kids for next year. These are their major concerns, not the fact that they may or may not get better competition.
Alex Grant and Patrice Cormier both played Jr A as 15 year olds for the year, and Crosby played two games with Truro Bearcats as a 14 year old, also this year Morgan Messneger has played 2 games in Jr A as well.
Didn't those 2 not develop to their projected potential? Never heard about Crosby playing for the Truro Bearcats before but I knew Messenger played a couple games this season. I think Messenger even put up some points in those games.
Crosby going to Shattuck obviously isn't what made him great but you can't deny it helped him in his development. He had so much access to ice time, so many resources to help him develop off the ice as well. If he was playing for a Jr. A team, he wouldn't have all those resources, he wouldn't have the ice time(practices). You don't think Crosby putting up 150 points in Jr. A would get him some negative attention from opponents? I've seen a few crazy Jr. A players who try to rip the head off the most talented players.
Didn't those 2 not develop to their projected potential? Never heard about Crosby playing for the Truro Bearcats before but I knew Messenger played a couple games this season. I think Messenger even put up some points in those games.
Crosby going to Shattuck obviously isn't what made him great but you can't deny it helped him in his development. He had so much access to ice time, so many resources to help him develop off the ice as well. If he was playing for a Jr. A team, he wouldn't have all those resources, he wouldn't have the ice time(practices). You don't think Crosby putting up 150 points in Jr. A would get him some negative attention from opponents? I've seen a few crazy Jr. A players who try to rip the head off the most talented players.
Grant and Cormier developed the way they did because of certain things as Grant some off ice issues that I will not get into on here and cormier lacked hockey sense but was good in all aspects of the game, Cormier I think did pretty well for himself getting drafted to the NHL same as Grant...well Crosby put up 150 points in Shattuck so same could be said there...either way what ever league he played in was not good enough for him to not dominate...I do not think playing in Shattuck made him any better of a player than if he stayed back and played Jr A myself, but his family liked the coach, liked the school, and there was nothing wrong with the play, and plus playing there took some of the media off of him as it was away from home, some pressure was taken off of him...and I was at both of Crosby's games when he played for Truro so I know for a fact he did, it was in the news papers here, that year I never missed a Crosby game.
Just chiming in on some of the talk about Prep School vs Midget Major AAA. Don't know if any of this was covered.
I know for a fact that a lot of parents of kids that are projected to go high in the Q Draft will send them away to prep so that they can get away before they get to many clingers and hangers on. Let's face it, there are not a lot of towns in Atlantic Canada that people don't know almost everyone else. News of a great hockey player that may potentially go to the NHL brings some crazy people out of the woodwork.
I personally know of a few that have experienced this and others that are currently considering prep schools for their kids for next year. These are their major concerns, not the fact that they may or may not get better competition.
i wouldn't say it brings people out of the wood work because when Crosby played midget he was in the paper all the time and the stands were stll empty only really family in the stands except for the playoffs when halifax faced Dartmouth but those games are packed anyway, but the whole year the stands were empty...the year James Sheppard played he was highly hyped and again empty...not really sure who you know that experiences this because not really any superstars coming up that get this attention right now?????
as for nova scotia not having enough towns...most of these players come from the Halifax, Dartmouth area, im pretty sure everyone does not know everyone with a population base of 350,000 or more....plus Cape Breton is so spread out that they player might play for Cape Breton West or so but live 2 hours away from the rink plus Sydney in there the city is a fairly good size city and im pretty sure not everyone knows everyone up there LOL....these players playing major midget home or in prep is no different except for a guy like Crosby or Mackinnon where the media would have swarmed them...but guys like Balmas would not have to worry about that hype...they go prep because a lot of people think that is the way to go, their advisors tell them go to prep or parents and players see Mackinnon, Crosby, Richards and etc etc went prep.
Im not knocking prep school though the leagues are good and offer good competition, all im saying are the players are usually no better coming from prep as they are when they stay in midget back home...plus if a player chooses a prep that is not highly reconized they can get lost to scouts if they are serious about playing hockey...an average player who goes upper canada college well no team is goiing to invest money to go there to watch one average player there for he might get lost and never seen and possibly never drafted, I have seen it happen...but at least playing home the scouts see every game...
i wouldn't say it brings people out of the wood work because when Crosby played midget he was in the paper all the time and the stands were stll empty only really family in the stands except for the playoffs when halifax faced Dartmouth but those games are packed anyway, but the whole year the stands were empty...the year James Sheppard played he was highly hyped and again empty...not really sure who you know that experiences this because not really any superstars coming up that get this attention right now?????
as for nova scotia not having enough towns...most of these players come from the Halifax, Dartmouth area, im pretty sure everyone does not know everyone with a population base of 350,000 or more....plus Cape Breton is so spread out that they player might play for Cape Breton West or so but live 2 hours away from the rink plus Sydney in there the city is a fairly good size city and im pretty sure not everyone knows everyone up there LOL....these players playing major midget home or in prep is no different except for a guy like Crosby or Mackinnon where the media would have swarmed them...but guys like Balmas would not have to worry about that hype...they go prep because a lot of people think that is the way to go, their advisors tell them go to prep or parents and players see Mackinnon, Crosby, Richards and etc etc went prep.
Im not knocking prep school though the leagues are good and offer good competition, all im saying are the players are usually no better coming from prep as they are when they stay in midget back home...plus if a player chooses a prep that is not highly reconized they can get lost to scouts if they are serious about playing hockey...an average player who goes upper canada college well no team is goiing to invest money to go there to watch one average player there for he might get lost and never seen and possibly never drafted, I have seen it happen...but at least playing home the scouts see every game...
I guess you could compare Thomas Stavert from PEI and Kris Hodge they have been at Notre Dame..Stavert for 3 yrs . Scoutman Did they play any better than other major midget players at World U-17 on team Atlantic
I guess you could compare Thomas Stavert from PEI and Kris Hodge they have been at Notre Dame..Stavert for 3 yrs . Scoutman Did they play any better than other major midget players at World U-17 on team Atlantic
starvert and Hodge where no better on that team than guys who were still playing Midget.
you could compare Zach Taylor who played for Notre Dame last year and this year he is playing for Dartmouth and he is better than he was last year but still not really good as 1st year guys like Quillan are wayyyy better than him.....Trickett who plays for Cape Breton West developed amazing this year and will probably go 2nd round as a 95 born player last year was not picked, played another year in midget and now he is amazing to watch on the ice...so there is no science to it, does not matter where you play, if you have the determination and skill in either league you will get better.
starvert no he was not as good as other players, no determiation and very soft...Hodge was on newfoundland and was one of there top players but Kennedy who was there was probably their best player who was playing in newfoundland but hodge was good......
you could compare Zach Taylor who played for Notre Dame last year and this year he is playing for Dartmouth and he is better than he was last year but still not really good as 1st year guys like Quillan are wayyyy better than him.....Trickett who plays for Cape Breton West developed amazing this year and will probably go 2nd round as a 95 born player last year was not picked, played another year in midget and now he is amazing to watch on the ice...so there is no science to it, does not matter where you play, if you have the determination and skill in either league you will get better.
Another example is Stephen Anderson from PEI a 1994 highly touted prospect.. He went to Upper Canada College for 2nd yr Bantam an 1st yr Midget. Last year he came home for his Spring break and played for Cornwall Thunder in The Atlantic Major Midgets in Charlottetown. His reason was to be scouted as there would be alot of scouts at that tournament. I guess it worked as he is having a great year playing alot of games with the Sea Dogs
Thanks
starvert and Hodge where no better on that team than guys who were still playing Midget.
you could compare Zach Taylor who played for Notre Dame last year and this year he is playing for Dartmouth and he is better than he was last year but still not really good as 1st year guys like Quillan are wayyyy better than him.....Trickett who plays for Cape Breton West developed amazing this year and will probably go 2nd round as a 95 born player last year was not picked, played another year in midget and now he is amazing to watch on the ice...so there is no science to it, does not matter where you play, if you have the determination and skill in either league you will get better.
Stavert's dad passed away suddenly in November so he is probably having a rough time. i give him credit for going to the World U-17's after such a loss
Last edited by hockeyfan1977: 02-14-2012 at 10:08 AM.
Reason: mistake
Stavert's dad passed awaysuddenly in November so he is probably having a rough time. i give him credit for going to the Atlantics after such a loss
well that is devestating to the kid im sure and is a shame for a kid to loss his father at such a young age...beside the U17s though he was still not on the level of the other guys though.
Grant and Cormier developed the way they did because of certain things as Grant some off ice issues that I will not get into on here and cormier lacked hockey sense but was good in all aspects of the game, Cormier I think did pretty well for himself getting drafted to the NHL same as Grant...well Crosby put up 150 points in Shattuck so same could be said there...either way what ever league he played in was not good enough for him to not dominate...I do not think playing in Shattuck made him any better of a player than if he stayed back and played Jr A myself, but his family liked the coach, liked the school, and there was nothing wrong with the play, and plus playing there took some of the media off of him as it was away from home, some pressure was taken off of him...and I was at both of Crosby's games when he played for Truro so I know for a fact he did, it was in the news papers here, that year I never missed a Crosby game.
Say wha?! I remember reading your threads about how Cormier was a superstar in the making, I could be way off but I believe you called him something of a Cam Neely type with all the makings of the next superstar.
Say wha?! I remember reading your threads about how Cormier was a superstar in the making, I could be way off but I believe you called him something of a Cam Neely type with all the makings of the next superstar.
yes he had all the makings of a superstar....but his hockey sense held him back, good skater, excellent physical ability, good hands, good shot, tough along boards....it was his hockey sense that held him back, he was one of those guys you could not tell him lack of sense untill he got to junior because of the skill he had.
Al MacInnis went to Saskatchewan to play in the SJHL with Regina (Same league as Notre Dame )
Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon also left for Shattuck St. Mary's to play against tougher competition, probably same for MacIntyre & Cuzner. That's usually why they leave. My question could be reworded as: "Would you be more inclined to take a player doing good in a competitive league like the SJHL or a top player from a weaker league such as NSMMHL.
Note: I'm not trying to call out the NSMMHL, they've developed some good players recently such as Brad Marchand, James Sheppard but it's no secret that the league isn't as competitive
I think development has much more to do with what you do away from your team and league as opposed to what league you are currently in. None of the kids that compete in NSMMHL are 'just' working with their team. Going away to prep or whatever gives them access to resources that wont normally be available. If the resources were here in NS / Halifax, people would use them and the cost would go up proportionately.
I think development has much more to do with what you do away from your team and league as opposed to what league you are currently in. None of the kids that compete in NSMMHL are 'just' working with their team. Going away to prep or whatever gives them access to resources that wont normally be available. If the resources were here in NS / Halifax, people would use them and the cost would go up proportionately.
exact...it is on the players work ethic and dedication away from the ice....that is why nathan mackinnon and crosby are so good, they work very very hard away from the ice which develops their talent. When Crosby was here he always worked at at Saint Marys University with a trainor every summer, he still works out there even today in the summer.
and the talent is not bad in NSMMHL, i think Norris has to learn what other midget leagues are like LOL...NSMMHL is not that bad a league, i have seen A LOT of midget leagues
it is on the players work ethic and dedication away from the ice....that is why nathan mackinnon and crosby are so good, they work very very hard away from the ice which develops their talent. When Crosby was here he always worked at at Saint Marys University with a trainor every summer, he still works out there even today in the summer.
exactly my point - i was actually agreeing with you, but after reading my response it sounds like im saying that the resource are *not* here .. they are .. you just have to seek them out and dedicate yourself
and the talent is not bad in NSMMHL, i think Norris has to learn what other midget leagues are like LOL...NSMMHL is not that bad a league, i have seen A LOT of midget leagues
Like I said, I wasn't calling out the NSMMHL AT ALL. I don't think I can clarify any more than that. If you think the NSMMHL is on par with other midget leagues such as the GTHL or SMHL then that's your opinion... that I disagree with.
Like I said, I wasn't calling out the NSMMHL AT ALL. I don't think I can clarify any more than that. If you think the NSMMHL is on par with other midget leagues such as the GTHL or SMHL then that's your opinion... that I disagree with.
I don't think he is trying to say that, the GTHL is an exception. It has the largest pool of players to draw from, as well as the most resources for improvement like rinks, specialized training centers, trainers etc. The NSMMHL is a great league, which usually contributes 5-10 players in the first two rounds of the Q draft each year. It is usually between one of the two St. John's teams, and anyone of the teams from Nova Scotia who represent Atlantic at the Telus Cup. The league is up there with others around Canada.
I don't think he is trying to say that, the GTHL is an exception. It has the largest pool of players to draw from, as well as the most resources for improvement like rinks, specialized training centers, trainers etc. The NSMMHL is a great league, which usually contributes 5-10 players in the first two rounds of the Q draft each year. It is usually between one of the two St. John's teams, and anyone of the teams from Nova Scotia who represent Atlantic at the Telus Cup. The league is up there with others around Canada.
Basically what I said was that the NSMMHL isn't as competitive as the leagues that players have been known to leave for. We were talking about teams like Shattuck or Notre Dame. So by disagreeing with what I said, they are telling me that they think the NSMMHL is on par with the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League. I disagree with that. I'm not saying that the NSMMHL is a bad league. I'm not saying that the NSMMHL hasn't produced players for the Q drafts. I'm not saying that teams from Nova Scotia don't go to the Telus Cup. I'm not saying that the NSMMHL is the worst Major Midget league. I'm simply saying that there are more competitive leagues out there.
Basically what I said was that the NSMMHL isn't as competitive as the leagues that players have been known to leave for. We were talking about teams like Shattuck or Notre Dame. So by disagreeing with what I said, they are telling me that they think the NSMMHL is on par with the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League. I disagree with that. I'm not saying that the NSMMHL is a bad league. I'm not saying that the NSMMHL hasn't produced players for the Q drafts. I'm not saying that teams from Nova Scotia don't go to the Telus Cup. I'm not saying that the NSMMHL is the worst Major Midget league. I'm simply saying that there are more competitive leagues out there.
I know that's what you are saying. Playing in a different league away from home does not mean it is a better league, which is the common thought among those who choose to go away. Better team? Yes, Notre Dame will beat the top team in the NSMMHL 9/10 in the past, I'm not sure which team is considered to be better now, but the Hounds would be the favorite for sure when I played, (5-7 years ago) but the Argo's (from personal and second hand experience) would be on par with many teams in the NSMMHL. As for the Saskatchewan league, aside from the Hounds, Contacts and Mintos on a year to year basis (again, going by what it was like when I played), the rest of the league is comparable to the top 3-5 teams in the NSMMHL.
Like I said, I wasn't calling out the NSMMHL AT ALL. I don't think I can clarify any more than that. If you think the NSMMHL is on par with other midget leagues such as the GTHL or SMHL then that's your opinion... that I disagree with.
im not saying they are on par with those leagues...im saying it is not a bad league in its own right the top teams in NSMMHL could hang with most of the top midget teams in canada...actually this is one of the best years I have seen for NSMMHL, teams are pretty spread out good, Dartmouth, Halifax, Valley, South Shore, Cape Breton West all being teams with good players to watch and making them decent talent wise...I watched many midget leagues over the last 17 years and coming from a person who has seen a lot of hockey in that time to compare, NSMMHL is not a bad midget league
but I will say Hynes is no better than Donaghey...Hynes playing in GTHL and Donaghey playing midget in nfld...any team would take donaghey over hynes...hynes last year was a top rated prospect, possible best 96 in NFLD now Hynes is behind Donaghey, Bishop and possibly Tibbo all of whome stayed back in NFLD midget...
The last guy is right, going away does not make it better for development, it is a lot of fad with players wanting to say "I play prep school", or the old saying everyone thinks the grass is greener on the other side.
as is Duncan MacIntyre who you've been ranking pretty high this year.
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