“The Funnel Effect” is in full effect in the Maritimes, but is it working?
For years some hockey purists have been saying things are too watered down and that the funnel in the Maritime provinces remains way too wide, but what happens when it narrows or narrows way too fast?
Well we all know the drill it’s about as predictable as any flow drill out there, the cream rises to the top the best players survive and go on to play for all of the top teams and then status quo reigns supreme.
Things might be watered down in some regions and that we are starting to see dwindling talent in elite levels in other parts, but everyone is starting to realize that things need to change, but I’m still not sold on the eradication of teams.
Everyone is carefully watching what Quebec is doing with their U18 AAA level right now as they are set to cut a few teams next season in hopes of shaking things up. The old proverbial funnel just got a lot narrower in the Belle Province. So what does that mean for hockey down here? Well the forecasted outlook here in the Maritimes would best be described as a massive “holding pattern” with 100 percent chance of dwindling talent in the years to come if things don’t change.
I wrote a few articles a while back called The Shift Part 1 and 2 and had some great conversations about possible changes, hell I even jumped on a podcast to discuss things with a few possible solutions which was great, but yet the Maritimes seem to be stuck in this holding pattern where everyone can see the writing on the wall, but no one wants to take action and you know, it might be too late and elite level hockey will sadly become irrelevant down here if things don’t change.
Some people are saying eradication of teams is the answer and will strengthen the calibre of play. While others are suggesting a “super league” at the U18 AAA level is the answer. Players are leaving this region at an alarming rate that’s the reality of things and the reasons why they are leaving could no doubt fill a book, but what about amalgamation? What about changing the catchment zones in some areas? Well that’s all been done before.
The Maritime provinces aren’t producing the same amount of elite level players it once was, that’s the reality of things right now. Historically we have witnessed this in the past, however, this just feels different especially with the landscape of the game changing. A reduction of teams might narrow the funnel, but would it prevent kids from leaving to go develop and grow in other areas of the country or south of the border? Probably not, you see that’s the hope of this, but that might not be the answer either.
You see collectively things need to change from the top down which isn’t always the case. Many people in the game believe things need to be established at the grassroots level and then go from there. Well that’s an antiquated thought process in this scenario.
This regions Jr A teams and league need to get a lot younger so they become a viable option for 16’s to play, perhaps we limited the amount of 20’s that can play. In turn the U18 levels need to limit the amount of 3rd year players to open up spots for younger players on those rosters. Perhaps instead of a U16 AAA league they create an U17 AAA league to provide more players time to develop. If that’s going to occur U18 AAA teams have to be able to treat those teams like farm teams and instead of making promises about affiliation actually deliver on it instead of tapping into the U15 AAA level, but we all know how that game is played.
Some regions like South East New Brunswick could easily field two U18 AAA teams with a balanced roster for each and provide even more opportunities for kids to play at that level. While some people in Nova Scotia are all for cutting some teams to make there league and talent pool stronger and that might very well happen, but to me that’s a very slippery slope.
Sadly shit will just continue to spiral out of control if decision makers and share holders can’t get together on the same page and talk things out. The holding pattern that we are in right now isn’t working. Everyone has their thoughts and opinions on this, but unfortunately conversations might not be happening fast enough and the “just watch us, we do it better” approach is collectively hurting the progress of the players and game in this region. Don’t believe me just go watch games at every level, you will see.
Watered down, dwindling talent and the eradication of teams, we are at a crossroads here in the Maritimes right now.
I really hope we don’t take the copycat approach when it comes to making decisions about the direction of the game and player development in this region.
This region is different, we know that, we always have been, coming up with a viable solution to continue to help players reach their full potential while providing the best possible competition and development options should be the end goal of everyone involved, but that’s a lot easier said than done especially with a region notorious for balking at change or making a change because other regions did it first. It’s time to be innovative, it’s time to get together and do things right.
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