Fair enough. I've watched the Knights before the Hunters and even I get tired of hearing the over the top praise. They're good hockey people but probably overrated and I can admit that. Once the mdia gets a story they run with it.
This topic comes up every year about parity and yes there is a parity problem but I think it has more to do with the East/West than London/everyone else. Erie has remained around the top of the West for 4 straight years despite losing McDavid in 2015. A better example the Soo - won over 50 games in 2015 and 2 years later are back at the top of the West. OS is always competitive and wins games against 'have teams'. Those teams clearly don't have the competitive advantages London has but still know how to win.
If I'm a team like Saginaw, I look at what Soo or Erie are doing to put good products on the ice every year, not London. They can't operate like London but they can make do with what they have like oher teams in their tier have done.
And in the midst of all the success for Erie they go bankrupt and sell the team..
Well I mean the bankruptcy was a result of 10 years of crap but still..
It's tough sledding for about 12 teams in the league. Erie to me is still one of them. They will be rebuilding the next 2-3 years and they will go back to "normalcy"
They still don't have any advantages at all. And the advantages they appear to have had over the last few years - McDavid, new arena, good fans, solid city, great coach blah blah blah... all it led to was no championships so far.
I'm always going to believe if our advantages went a bit further and our organizations pockets ran a bit deeper.. Erie would have one at least 1 championship with McDavid because guys like Dylan Larkin, Drake Caggiula, Anton Karlsson, Riley Sheahan would have reported to Erie.
So though Erie did what they did recently, it was mostly because McDavid and then as a result Knoblauch were willing to give this city a chance and show that "hey guess what other teams in the ohl can have success and can be a fun place to play"
McDavid the only kid mature enough to see that. Wish more would follow.
But still Erie then grew there team through HARD WORK and getting late round steals NOT college commits in the late rounds. But getting guys that needed to develop a lot before ever playing in the league. Connor Brown, Travis Dermott, Darren Raddysh, Jordan Sambrook, TJ Fergus.
Erie worked hard for that. But their advantages, or lack of advantages I should say, didn't allow them to get the college commit guys- Colton Point, Owen Headrick, Tyler Gratton- and not for a lack of effort- don't give me the lack of effort crap. Erie just pursued heavily for Headrick in the last week. But their organization isn't as enticing as some even with success. It's remarkable we still can't get "steals" like that
I don't know, give us Point, Headrick, Gratton for this team and Erie would be the unquestionable favorite.
Point is that Erie worked very hard where they are but they won't be able to broke through the ceiling to get to Windsor or London or Kitcheners spot. They must draft very well and trade very well to ever win. Can't rely on college kids or free agents .. even with recent success
