The regular season is over across the Canadian Hockey League and while some teams are still in the hunt for championships, some are turning their attention to the draft.
The Ontario Hockey League held their Priority Selection Saturday, the Western Hockey League bantam draft is May 7 while the Quebec Major Junior League draft isn鈥檛 until June 2.
Being drafted in the first round of any league is supposed to be an honour.
A team feels you can contribute to their success, and they want you on their team.
But we鈥檝e seen it before and I鈥檓 confident we鈥檒l see it again; a player refuses to report to where they are drafted.
Of course this isn鈥檛 restricted to junior hockey.
We all remember Eric Lindros refusing to play for the Quebec Nordiques after being drafted first overall in 1991.
Lindros cited the city鈥檚 isolation, lack of marketing potential and French character as the reasons he would never play for the Nordiques.
They drafted him anyway, and traded him to the Philadelphia Flyers the following year for a ridiculous package including future Hall of Famer Peter Forsberg who helped the Colorado Avalanche win the Stanley Cup after moving from Quebec in 1996.
Maybe Lindros should have stayed.
It鈥檚 becoming more common in junior hockey that a player will be drafted, only to refuse to play for that team and threaten to go the NCAA route until they are traded.
Of course they never say they won鈥檛 play for that team outright before the draft.
They鈥檒l say things like they鈥檙e considering NCAA schools as a 鈥渨arning鈥� to teams looking to draft them.
In Saturday鈥檚 OHL draft the Sudbury Wolves, who were an abysmal 12-54-1-1 this year, drafted David Levin first overall.
Levin was born and raised in Israel until age 12. I just want to point out how incredible that is and what a great story he is.
The Wolves were 鈥渇orced鈥� to draft Levin for two reasons.
One, Owen Tippett of Peterborough allegedly told Sudbury he wouldn鈥檛 report to them if they drafted him.
And two, Gabriel Vilardi of Kingston also allegedly told Sudbury he wouldn鈥檛 report.
Levin鈥檚 reaction when he found out he was going to be drafted first overall?
鈥淚 can鈥檛 sleep at night. I still can鈥檛 believe it, that I鈥檓 the first overall pick.鈥�
That鈥檚 what it鈥檚 all about.
There was another high draft pick from this year鈥檚 OHL draft who doesn鈥檛 seem to like where he was selected.
Ryan McLeod was drafted with the third overall selection by the newly-formed Flint Firebirds.
The Firebirds relocated from Plymouth, Mich. for the 2015-16 season.
The majority of drafted players, first round or otherwise, sent out a tweet saying they were proud to be chosen by their teams.
Some players were already at their team鈥檚 arena to be introduced to the media.
Four players were pictured wearing a Firebirds jersey on the Firebirds鈥� twitter account, none of them were McLeod.
Ryan鈥檚 brother Michael was drafted fifth overall by the Mississauga Steelheads in last year鈥檚 OHL draft.
He was projected as a top-three pick, but fell to fifth because he allegedly refused to play for any team not located near his home turf of the Greater Toronto Area.
The Belleville Bulls and Ottawa 67's drafted third and fourth overall last year, ruling them out as potential places for him to play.
Is Ryan McLeod playing the same card? He only wants to play near his hometown?
Newsflash kid, if you want to be a professional hockey player the odds are pretty low you鈥檒l be playing at home.
Victor Mete, a defenceman from Woodbridge was drafted by the Owen Sound Attack eighth overall in the 2014 OHL draft.
Upon being drafted to Owen Sound, a city of about 21,000, it was announced that Mete had 鈥渘o interest鈥� in playing for the Attack and his agent was unsure why they had drafted him in the first place.
He had interest in playing in the OHL, just not for Owen Sound.
So after 鈥渢hreatening鈥� to play junior A and go to the NCAA, Mete was a no show at Attack training camp.
Sept. 8 the Attack traded Mete to the London Knights, a perennial contender with a knack of players graduating to the NHL.
Sure enough, Mete reported and will be a key piece on London鈥檚 blueline for the next few seasons.
It worked out alright for the Attack, however, with Mete refusing to report, Owen Sound was granted the ninth overall pick in this year鈥檚 draft as compensation along with their own first round pick.
They also received three second round picks, two third round picks and a conditional sixth round pick if Mete is drafted in the first two rounds of next year鈥檚 NHL draft.
Not a bad haul for a player who didn鈥檛 even want to play for your team.
And both players they selected in the first round of this year鈥檚 draft have publically stated they鈥檙e committed to play for the Attack.
A few years ago, a high profile player pulled the same stunt.
Nathan Mackinnon was drafted first overall in the 2013 NHL draft.
He was also drafted first overall in the 2011 QMJHL draft.
Mackinnon hails from Cole Harbour, the same hometown as NHL superstar Sidney Crosby.
Cole Harbour is 15 kilometres from Halifax, where Mackinnon played two years with the Mooseheads.
He was drafted by the Baie-Comeau Drakker who are located nearly 800 kilometres from his hometown.
This might shock you, but Mackinnon publically discussed playing in the NCAA before he was traded to his 鈥渉ometown鈥� team.
In exchange for Mackinnon, the Drakkar received three first round picks and two players.
They lost in the QMJHL finals in each of the past two seasons, including to Mackinnon and the Mooseheads in 2013.
Max Domi, a first round pick of the Arizona Coyotes in 2013, did the same thing as Mete.
He was drafted by the Kingston Frontenacs (also eighth overall ironically enough) in 2011, despite reports that he was being recruited by Michigan State.
Sure enough, Kingston traded Domi to London a few months later and he has been there for the last four seasons.
Kingston also received a compensation pick, ninth overall in 2012, for Domi鈥檚 no show.
They drafted Sam Bennett with that pick, who was drafted by the Calgary Flames fourth overall in last year's NHL draft.
By the way, I鈥檝e been to Kingston. It鈥檚 a fine city with an absolutely beautiful hockey arena.
The Frontenacs haven鈥檛 had a lot of success as a franchise with just one playoff series victory in the last 21 years, but maybe if players like Domi came to town they鈥檇 be more successful.
It just rubs me the wrong way when players do this.
Connor McDavid had a great quote when asked if he would refuse to report to the team that drafts him in the NHL this season.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just wrong, to be honest. You put yourself ahead of the game and it can never be like that. To 鈥榮elect鈥� where you鈥檙e going to go, it鈥檚 not fair. There鈥檚 a draft for a reason. The team picks the best available player and for the player to say 鈥業 don鈥檛 want to go there, I only want to go there鈥� it鈥檚 not right.鈥�
McDavid was drafted by the Erie Otters first overall in 2012, after they finished the previous season with 10 wins in 68 games.
McDavid鈥檚 hometown of Newmarket is nearly 400-km away from Erie, PA.
Crosby was drafted first overall by the Rimouski Oceanic in 2003 after 11 wins in 72 games.
They won 34 in 2003-04, and then made it all the way to the Memorial Cup final in 2005.
Good players help turn teams around, they don鈥檛 pout because they didn鈥檛 get drafted by a 鈥渄esirable鈥� team.
There are thousands of kids out there who dream of getting drafted, let alone be a first round or first overall pick.
Strangely enough this seems to be more of an issue in the OHL and QMJHL.
While there has been situations in the past of players demanding trades in the WHL, it seems like they always report to the team before asking for a trade.
Most recently was Ryan Pilon, drafted by the Lethbridge Hurricanes third overall in 2011.
He played one full season with the Hurricanes then 17 games last season before going home and asking for a trade.
He was moved to the Brandon Wheat Kings and transformed into the top pairing defenceman everyone thought he would be.
He could be drafted in the first round of this year鈥檚 NHL draft.
Where you play your junior hockey won鈥檛 affect where you get drafted in the NHL.
If you鈥檙e a good player, scouts will come to watch.
Bobby Ryan was drafted second overall in 2005 out of Owen Sound.
Valentin Zykov was drafted 37th overall in 2013 out of Baie-Comeau.
The Sudbury Wolves have had 16 players drafted in the first round of the NHL, most recently was Nick Foligno, 28th overall in 2006.
Kids should be proud of where they鈥檙e drafted, not complaining.
If a player is actually more interested in going to the NCAA then I have no issue with them refusing to report to their CHL team.
Often players will slip in the draft because they are already committed to an NCAA team.
Ian Blacker is a big, strong defenceman was projected to be a first round pick in this year鈥檚 OHL draft.
He fell to the fourth round because he鈥檚 committed to play for Western Michigan University beginning in 2017-18.
The London Knights drafted him, so I wouldn鈥檛 be surprised to see him change his mind and come to the OHL.
I understand 15-or 16-year-olds might find it difficult to move away from their families, but if these guys want to be professional hockey players, nothing will prepare them better than moving away and living life away from home.
