Quote:
Originally Posted by transplant99
I think its a bit of a misconception though....yes his first draft or two, he did go heavy on WHL kids, but if we go back as to why, it was in an effort to create an identity for his club of sorts. Whether or not that identity was a good one or not is up for debate, but that was the reason at the time. He wanted players that wanted to play in Calgary as a source of pride.
After those first coupe draft classes though? Nothing to do with birthplace and everything to do with what he thought would be the right pieces going forward. Look at Irvings draft year...he was the ONLY WHL player chosen out of 7 or 8. And that kind of ratio continued til he left....it didnt matter where they were from, just as long as they could play.
Granted, he did not go the Czech/Russian route at all though....and understandably to a point.
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Another big reason why - he was a coach and a GM, which meant his travel schedule was pretty ####ty. He had opportunity to see WHL games, and not a whole lot else. Of course, in situations like that, you are going to pick what you are comfortable with.