I have a great Idea for how to do a flight system in Bantams.
So we could call the very top AAA
Then the level below AA
Then A
Lastly have B flight.
Sound good? Asking for a friend
I'll be your friend. However, the big clubs won't. I think your idea is a good one. Placing teams based on talent should be a no-brainer.
As we know, only certain clubs are allowed to have AAA programs at a given level. If memory serves me, there are 5 clubs at each level that are permitted by CAHA to ice AAA teams. Nobody else gets to. Why aren't the Bears a AAA team? Simple. Bears are not one of the chosen clubs. If that exact same team played in El Segundo or Anaheim they could be AAA. Regardless of talent, CAHA will not allow a Pickwick-based team to play AAA.
Did the Bears apply to be one of the AAA clubs? I don't know. Many parents don't want to deal with the additional travel, costs and missed school.
Last year CAHA made an announcement on their website that they had selected 5 clubs at each level (12AAA, 14AAA, 15AAA, 16AAA and 18AAA) that would be allowed to ice teams. The NHL-affiliated clubs were automatically chosen and allowed to have teams at every level. The remaining clubs were left to fight over the scraps. If you look at the declarations page on the SCAHA site you can get an idea of which clubs have permission to ice AAA teams in each age group.
It's no surprise the Bears have beaten three AAA teams. Long gone is the merit-based system. Being AAA isn't what it used to be.