High School Hockey vs. North Bay Trappers

The feud between High School Hockey and the North Bay Trappers appears to be heating up again.

In the past the Trappers brass led by Larry Keenan has complained publicly about High school teams going after Trappers prospects during training camp. With the St. Joseph-Scollard Hall Bears hosting OFSAA ‘AAA’ hockey next spring and Widdifield hoping to qualify for the provincial event, the Trappers claim some players they intend to sign for next season are already being approached by high school hockey coaches.

There’s no Hockey Canada or NOHA rule stating high school hockey coaches cannot pursue midget ‘AAA’ players.

Despite hearing the recent rumours of high school recruiting, Trappers head coach Beau Moyer says he doesn’t like it, but he doesn’t feel it’s a threat to their program.

"I don't think it's a challenge at all,” Moyer said bluntly during the Trappers Spring tryouts on the weekend.

“If kids want to be hockey players and move on to the junior level they will come and play for the Trappers but taking nothing against high school hockey but I'd say it's more of a recreational type of league. The kids have fun playing there but they have fun playing for us too, but we are here looking for hockey players and if they want to be a hockey player they'll come through our system."

Some junior hockey scouts in the North support Moyer’s claim.

“I would never recommend a player choose high school over midget ‘AAA’ unless they are giving up on their hockey career,” one scout told BayToday.ca.

However, calling High School hockey a “recreational league” is a bold statement. We asked three high school coaches for their reaction to the comment but they did not return a call to BayToday.

Skyhawks High School Connection

Despite the Trappers claim, it’s hard to overlook the fact that some good hockey players who could have played for the Trappers, chose high school over Midget ‘AAA’.

Skyhawks General Manager Guy Blanchard has found talent through the NDA high school system noting that players like West Ferris Trojans defenceman Ken Peroff was drafted by the OHL’s Brampton Battalion out of high school and joined the Skyhawks for one season in 2005-2006.

“I believe if you are playing ‘AAA' you are more serious but High school is still a good option,” said Blanchard who added a pair of NDA graduates to his roster last fall in West Ferris’ Scott Britton and Nick Brunette.

Unlike some other parts of the province players in this part of Northern Ontario cannot play both Midget ‘AAA’ and High School hockey. Until the day that rule is changed, high school hockey coaches and the Trappers will likely continue to butt heads over prospects they both are pursuing.