Not saying that the the only reason. We all know hockey has politics. The connections to brass on both Hamilton and Barrie helped him.
I also don't think it is his fault getting drafted, how could it be? I do know he did not make AAA in his home centre (then did not make AA or the first A team that year either). If you know Oakville, there are reasons for that!! He played 2nd team A, then family used connections to get to Hamilton AAA the next year. It happens all the time. I think there were 5 Bulldogs drafted that year, 5 Niagara players too. It made the draft a sham. There was a common connection in Hamilton to all those picks. The boy is a fine skater, but to say he was the best player available is just not accurate. He wasn't even the best D on his team (didn't get the team award for it...so there must be something to that). There were connections to Barrie and Hamilton and the family that helped, but name was not the only reason. That's life. He's making the best of it, but I still do not think he belongs.
Your previous post suggested that name was the deciding factor, again, there were better ‘names’ out there if that was the determining factor, better names with Barrie connections. all the stuff you mention is parent drama, who won the team mvp, who had more points, who played aaa longer they have nothing to do with scouting. i won team mvp my year if aaa, there were 3/4 better players that got drafted ahead of me, team mvp my draft year, it’s worth zero to ohl scouts. you look at a kid and say ‘my kid played more aaa then him, my kids better’, scouts look at it and say ‘damn, he’s only played one year of aaa? What happens when he gets more exposure to better coaching’.
your also suggesting that the Barrie colts, who have zero love for the branch lead ohl due to many issues (Barrie fans can add to that better then me), did branch a favour and picked a kid with the best marketing name. Given their history why on earth would barrie do branch a favour? I’m guessing you weren’t aware of that history before making that statement, otherwise it wouldn’t have been made. plus, he wasn’t even the best marketing name.
if there were better players available, they would have been taken and signed. you can say ‘they had to sign him he went 1st’, but Sudbury cut the 1st overall pick this year, so that’s a false narrative. the ohl is a cutthroat business, if there’s a better player available, there going to take him.
end of the day more educated hockey guys then you or me thought enough of the kid to draft him. had he not gone 1 I know one team that wanted him and thought he could play. those guys have built teams with a pretty good resume, certainty better then you or I. your more then within your rights to think the kid wasn’t the best option, but the fact that no other players have really done better from the available talent suggests he wasn’t. he’s still one of the best kids drafted out of that group that was available.